Five Main

Educational

Philosophies

There are five main educational philosophies that provide the basis for individual teachers’ educational philosophies.  They are Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructivism, and Existentialism.  Each addresses different ways for schools to educate, including the purpose of education, the content of education, the manner in which that content is taught, and the proper roles for teachers and students.  These five philosophies have influenced the progress of and the reformation of educational philosophies in their own ways.  It is important to remember when reading about these philosophies that no one person, except the founder(s), believes in just one educational philosophy.  Contemporary educators may agree with certain aspects of several different philosophies while disagreeing with different aspects of those same philosophies.

 

 

 

These educational philosophies reflect the values of the eras in which they were devised. Studying the eras helps us to understand the oppositional arguments as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main leaders in the Essentialist movement are William Bagley and E.D. Hirsch, Jr.  This philosophy employs a “Back-to-Basics” approach where the students are taught a traditional core curriculum with few electives.  

 

 

The main leaders of Perennialism are Mortimer Adler and Robert Hutchins.  This philosophy employs a “Cultural Literacy” approach that does not allow any electives, multicultural education.  Learning is based on the intrinsic motivation of the learner.  Teachers do not lecture as students do most of the learning on their own.

 

 

The main leader in the Progressivist movement is psychologist John Dewey.  This philosophy employs a pragmatic approach where learning is meaningful to the students and real-world events.  Teachers act as facilitators, helping students to analyze concepts in an “ever changing world.”  Group learning is a common aspect, and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory is a common belief among progressivist followers.

 

The main leaders of Social Reconstructivism are George Counts and Paulo Friere.  This philosophy employs a hands-on approach that relies on following the needs of the student and teaching them to analytically look at the society they live so they can see how to reform it.  Schooling seen as a liberating force where the teacher is merely a facilitator helping students to understand the world they live in.