PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

ESSENTIALISM
 Education essentialism is a theory that states that children should learn the
traditional basic subjects and that these should be learned thoroughly and
rigorously. An essentialist program normally-teacher children progressively, from
less complex skills to more complex.
 This philosophy contends that teacher teach for learners to acquire basic
knowledge, skills and values. Teachers teach not to radically reshape society but
rather to transmit the traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that
learners need to become model citizens.
 Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They are expected to
be intellectual and moral models of their learners.
 With mastery of academic content as primary focus, teachers rely heavily on the
use of prescribed textbooks, the drill method and other methods. There is a
heavy stress on memorization and discipline.

PROGRESSIVISM
 Progressivism is a philosophy that states that education is found in the needs
and interests of learners. Experimental learning or “learning by doing” is a natural
progression of learning.
 Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners into becoming enlightened and
intelligent citizens of democratic society.
 Progressivist are identified with need-based and relevant curriculum. This is a
curriculum that responds to learners’ needs.
 Progressivist accept the impermanence of life and inevitability of change.
 The subject that are given emphasis in progressivist schools are the natural and
social sciences. Teachers expose learners to so many new scientific, technology
and social development.
 Progressivist teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that one learns
by doing for John Dewey a popular advocate of progressivism book learning is
no substitute for actual experience.

PERENNIALSM
 Perennialism is a teacher-centered philosophy of education that believes in
learner acquisition that believes in learner acquisition of knowledge that is
timeless and enduring across civilizations and cultures. As the name suggest,
perennialism is an educational philosophy that focuses on learning conceptual
and factual information believed to be persistently.
 Schools should develop the learners’ rational and moral powers. Reasoning skills
should also be developed so that they can have the ability to use their higher
faculties.
 The perennialist curriculum is a universal one on the view that all human beings
possess the same essential nature. It is heavy on the humanities, on general
 education not a specialist curriculum. It has less emphasis on vocational and
technical education.
 The perennialist classroom are “teacher-centered” the teachers do not allow the
learners’ interests or experiences to substantially dictate what they teach.

EXISTENTIALISM
 Existentialism is an attitude and outlook that emphasizes human existence, the
qualities of individual persons rather that man in abstract of nature and the world
in general.
 The main concern of existentialism is to help learners understand and appreciate
themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feeling and actions.
 In an existentialist curriculum, learners are given wide variety of options from
which to choose. They are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject
matter. They are allowed to unleash their own creativity and self-expression.
 Learning in existentialism is self-paced, self-directed. It includes a great deal of
individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each learner openly and
honestly.

BEHAVIORISM
 Is a worldwide that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to
environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate (i.e. tabula rasa)
and behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative
reinforcement.
 Behaviorist schools are concerned with the modification and shaping of learners’
behavior by providing for a favorable environment. They are after learners who
exhibit desirable behavior in the society.
 Teachers teach learners to respond favorably to various stimuli in the
environment.
 Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture and hold
learners’ attention. They ought to provide incentives to reinforce positive
responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones. (Trespeces,1995)
 Three ways of communicating: Verbal refers to the content of message, the
choice and arrangement of words. This can be written or oral. Nonverbal refers
to the message sent through body language. While Paraverbal refers to how we
say what we say-the tone, pacing and volume of voice.

CONSTRUCTIVISM
 Constructivism as a paradigm or worldview posits that learning is an active,
constructive process. The learner is an information constructor. People actively
construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality.
 Constructivist sees to develop intrinsically motivated and independent learners
adequately equipped with learning skills for them to be able to construct
knowledge and make meaning of them.
  They are taught learning processes and skills such as searching, critiquing and
evaluating information, relating these pieces of information, reflecting on them,
making meaning, drawing insights, posing questions.
 How to teach applying Constructivism? Teachers provide learners with data or
experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, pose
questions, research, investigate, imagine, and invent. The classroom is
interactive, it promotes exchange of ideas between and among learners and
teacher.

LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY
 To develop the communication skills of the learner because the ability to
articulate, to voice out the meaning and values of things that one obtains from
his/her experience of life and the world is the very essence of man.
 Learners should be taught to communicate clearly-how to send clear, concise
messages and how to receive and correctly understand messages sent.
 Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture and hold
learners’ attention. They ought to provide incentives to reinforce positive
responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones. (Trespeces, 1995)
 Three ways of communicating: Verbal – refers to the content of message, the
choice and arrangement of words. This can be written or oral. Nonverbal refers to
the message sent through body language. While Para verbal refers to how we
say what we say- the tone, pacing and volume of voice.

Foundation Principles of Morality

 Morality – refers to the quality of human acts by which we call them right or
wrong; good or evil (Panizo, 1964)
 Human action is right when it conforms to the norm, rule or law of morality.
Otherwise it is said to be wrong.

For Buddhists, they do good when:

 Strive to know the truth
 Resolve to resist evil
 Say nothing to hurt others
 Respect life, morality and property
 Engage in a job that does not injure others
 Strive to free their mind of evil
 Control their feelings and thoughts
 Practice proper forms of concentration

Teacher as a Person of Good Moral Character

 In the preamble of the Code of Ethics of Professional Teachers, it is emphasized
that “teachers are duly licensed professionals who possess dignity and reputation
with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence. In the
 practice of their profession, they strictly adhere to observe and practice this set of
ethical and moral principles, standard and values.

Good Moral Character Expected of a Teacher

 Human
 Loving
 Virtuous
 Mature

Teaching as a Vocation, Mission, Profession

 Vocation comes from a Latin word vocare which means to call. So vocation is a
call.
 Vocation – is the work in which a person is employed;
- strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.
Teaching is also a mission. The term comes from the Latin word misio which means to
send.
You are called to be a teacher and you are sent into the world to accomplish a mission
to teach.
 Mission is defined as:
- a body of persons sent to perform or carry on an activity
- an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction.

Teaching as a Mission
 It is a task entrusted to you
 It is your assigned task then and naturally you have to prepare for it.
 It is a work which require you to accomplish
 It is a task you should not take for granted

Preparing for a Mission

 As you prepare for the mission, your four years stay in the teacher training
institution will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and attitude to become an
effective teacher.
 After completing the course, you are expected to continue your professional
growth and development. As an adage says” once a teacher, always a learner.

What is the Mission to Teach?

 Is it to teach the learner the fundamental skills? Reading,’riting,’rithmetic and
right conduct?
 Is it to help learner master the basic skills so s/he can continue acquiring higher
level skills to become productive member of society?
 Is it to deposit facts and other information into the empty minds of learners?
 It is to facilitate the maximum development of his/her potential not only for
himself/herself but also for others?
 Is it to provide opportunities for the child’s growth and remove hampering
influences
 Is it to help the child become “the man of culture and expertise?
 Teaching is a profession like medicine, engineering, nursing accounting among
others.
 Teacher for that matter is a professional.