SEVEN PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

1. ESSENTIALISM
Why Teach?
This philosophy contends that teachers 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 students need to become model
citizens.”
What to Teach?
Essentialist programs are academically rigorous. The emphasis is on academic content
for students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental R’s-reading, writing, arithmetic, right
conduct- as these are essential to the acquisition of higher or more complex skills needed in
preparation for adult life. The essentialist curriculum includes the “traditional disciplines such
as Math, Natural Science, History, Foreign Language and Literature. Essentialists frown upon
vocational courses or other courses with watered down academic content. The teachers and
administrators decide what is most important for the students to learn and place little
emphasis on student interests, particularly when they divert time and attention from the
academic curriculum
How to Teach
Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They were expected to be
intellectual and moral models of their students. They are seen as “fountain” of information
and as paragon of virtue, if ever there is such a person. To gain mastery of basic skills, teachers
have to observe “core requirements, longer school day, a longer academic year. With mastery
of academic content as primary focus, teachers rely on the use of prescribed textbooks, and
drill method and other methods that will enable them to cover as much academic content as
possible like the lecture method. There is a heavy stress on memorization and discipline.

2. PROGRESSIVISM
Why Teach
Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners into becoming enlightened and
intelligent citizens of a democratic society. This group of teachers teaches learners so they may
live life fully now not to prepare them for adult life.
What to Teach
The progressivists are identified with need based and relevant curriculum. This is a
curriculum that responds to students’ needs and that relates to students’ personal lives and
experiences.
Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change. For the
progressivists, everything else changes. Change is the only thing that does not change. Hence,
progressivist teachers are more concerned with teaching the learners the skills to cope with
change. Instead of occupying themselves with teaching facts or bits of information that are
true today but become obsolete tomorrow, they would rather focus their teaching on the
teaching of skills or processes in gathering and evaluating information and in problem-solving.
The subjects that are given emphasis in progressivist schools are the Natural and Social
Sciences. Teachers expose students to many new scientific, technological and social
developments, reflecting the progressivist notion that progress and change are fundamental. In
addition, students solve problems in the classroom similar to those they will encounter outside
of the schoolhouse.
How to Teach
Progressivist teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that one learns by
doing. For John Dewey, the most popular advocate of progressivism, book learning is no
substitute for actual experience. One experiential teaching method that progressivist teachers
heavily rely on is the problem-solving method. This makes use of the scientific method. Other
hands-on-minds-on-hearts-on teaching methods used are field trips during which students
interact with nature or society. Teachers also stimulate students through thought-provoking
games and puzzles.
3. PERENNIALISM
Why Teach –We are all rational animals. Schools should therefore, develop the students’
rational and moral powers. According to Aristotle, if we neglect the students’ reasoning skills,
we deprive them of the ability to use their higher faculties to control their passions and
appetites.
What to Teach- 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. It
is not a specialist curriculum but rather a general one. There is less emphasis on vocational and
technical education. Philosopher Mortimer Adler claims that the Great Books of ancient and
medieval as well as modern times are repository of knowledge and wisdom, a tradition of
culture which must initiate each generation”. What the perrenialist teachers teach are lifted
from the Great Books.
How to Teach- The perennialist classrooms are “centered around teachers”. The teachers do
not allow the students’ interests or experience to substantially dictate what they teach. They
apply whatever creative techniques and others tried and true methods which are believed to be
most conducive to disciplining the students’ minds. Students engaged in Socratic dialogues or
mutual inquiry sessions to develop an understanding of history’s most timeless concepts.”
4. EXISTENTIALISM
Why Teach- The main concern of the existentialists is “to help students understand and
appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feelings and actions”. Since “existence precedes essence”, the existentialist teacher’s
role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take in
life and by creating an environment in which they freely choose their own preferred way. Since
feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, the existentialist demands the
education of the whole person, not just the mind.
What to teach- In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide variety of options
from which to choose. Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject matter.
The humanities, however, are given tremendous emphasis” to provide students with vicarious
experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and self expression. For example, rather
than emphasizing historical events, existentialists focus upon the actions of historical
individuals, each of whom provides possible models for the students’ own behavior. Moreover,
vocational education is regarded more as a means of teaching students about themselves and
their potential than of earning a livelihood. In teaching art, existentialism encourages
individual creativity and imagination more than copying and imitating established models.
How to Teach- Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self
directed. It includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each
student openly and honestly. To help students know themselves and their place in society,
teachers employ values clarification strategy. In the use of such strategy, teachers remain
nonjudgmental
and take care not to impose their values on their students since values are personal.
5. BEHAVIORISM
Why Teach – Behaviorist schools are concerned with the modification and shaping of
students’ behavior by providing for a favorable environment, since they believe that they are a
product of their environment. They are after students who exhibit desirable behavior in
society.
What to Teach- Because behaviorists look at “ people and other animals as complex
combinations of matter that act only in response to internally or externally generated physical
stimuli, behaviorist teachers teach students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the
environment.
How to Teach- Behaviorist teachers ought to arrange environmental conditions so that
students can make the responses to stimuli. Physical variables like light, temperature,
arrangement of furniture, size and quantity of visual aids have controlled to get the desired
responses from learners. Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture
and hold the learners’ attentions. They ought to provide appropriate incentives to reinforce
positive responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones.

6. LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY
Why Teach – To develop the communication skills of the learner because the ability to
articulate, to voice out the meanings and values of things that one obtains from his experience
of life and the world is the very essence of man. It is through his ability to express himself
clearly, to get his ideas across, to make known to others the values that he has imbibed, the
beauty that he has seen, the ugliness that he rejects and the truth that she has discovered.
Teachers teach to develop in the learner the skill to send messages clearly and receive messages
correctly.
What to Teach- Learners should be taught to communicate clearly-how to send clear, concise
messages and how to receive and correctly understand messages sent. Communication takes
place in three ways- verbal, non verbal and paraverbal. Verbal component refers to the content
of our message, the choice and arrangement of our word. This can be oral or written. Non
verbal component refers to the message we send through our body language while paraverbal
component refers to how we say what we say-the tone , pacing and volume of our voices.
There is a need to teach learners to use language that is correct, precise, grammatical,
coherent, and accurate so that they are able to communicate clearly and precisely their
thoughts and feelings. There is need to help students expand their vocabularies to enhance
their communication skills. There is need to teach the learners how to communicate clearly
through non verbal means and consistently through para- verbal means.
There is need to caution the learners of the verbal and non verbal barriers to communication.
Teach them to speak as many languages as you can. The more languages one speaks, the better
he can communicate with the world. A multilingual has an edge over the monolingual or
bilingual.
How to Teach- The most effective way to teach language and communication is the
experiential way. Make them experience sending and receiving messages through verbal, non
verbal and para verbal manner. Teacher should make the classroom a place for the interplay of
minds and hearts. The teacher facilitates dialogue among learners and between him students
because in the exchange of words, there is also an exchange of ideas.
7. CONSTRUCTIVISM
Why Teach- 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.
What to Teach- The learners are taught how to learn. They are taught learning processes and
skills such as searching, critiquing and evaluating information, relating these pieces of
information, reflecting on the same, making meaning out of them, drawing insights, posing
questions, researching and constructing new knowledge out of these bits of information
learned.
How to Teach – In the constructivist classroom, the teacher provides students with data or
experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, pose questions,
research, investigate, imagine and invent. The constructivist classroom is interactive. It
promotes dialogical exchange of ideas among learners and between teacher and learners. The
teacher’s role is to facilitate this process. Knowledge isn’t a thing that can be simply deposited
by the teacher into the empty minds of the learners. Rather, knowledge is constructed by
learners through an active, mental process of development; learners are the builders and
creators of meaning and knowledge. Their minds are not empty. Instead, their minds are full of
ideas waiting to be “midwife” by the teacher with his skillful facilitating skills.

Summary
We have a very rich philosophical heritage. But only seven
philosophies were discussed here: essentialism, progressivism, perennialism,
existentialism, behaviorism, linguistic philosophy and constructivism. The rest are
assigned to you as research work. The seven philosophies differ in their concepts of the
learner and values, in why do we teach (objectives), what should be taught
( curriculum) and how should the curriculum be taught ( teaching strategies).
However, there exist also some similarities among the philosophies. These you will see
more as you proceed to the activities.
Notes : Philosophy is your attitude, viewpoint, thinking, way of life, values or beliefs.
Linguistics is the study of language and how language works. Heritage is something
that you inherit.