Educational Philosophy

1. Educational Philosophy Presented by: Prof. Danielle Zimecki

2. What is philosophy? • Literally means love of wisdom • An activity • Noting what philosophers do • Examining, synthesizing, analyzing, speculating, prescribing, and evaluating • A set of attitudes • Self aware, comprehensiveness, flexibility, penetration • Body of content • Reality, truth, value

3. Metaphysics • Deals with the nature of reality • What is real? • Example: Floor • Solid, flat, smooth, color, wood or concrete, supports weight • Physicist • Chemist • Categories: • Cosmological • Origin, nature, and development of the universe in an orderly system • Theological • Religious theory that has to do with concepts of and about God • Anthropological • Study of human beings • Ontology • What it means for anything to be

4. Epistemology • Studies nature, sources, and validity of knowledge • What is true? How do we know? • Dependability of knowledge • Can reality be known? • Is truth relative or absolute? • Is knowledge subjective or objective? • Sources of knowledge – senses, revelation, authority, intuition, variety of resources • Propriety of various methods of researching warrantable truth

5. Axiology • What is of value? • Rational individual and social life is dependent on values • What society conceives of being good or preferable • Ethics • Moral values and conduct • Are ethical standards and moral values absolute or relative? • Do universal moral values exist? • Does the end ever justify the means? • Can morality be separated from religion? • Who or what forms the basis of ethical authority? • Aesthetics • Principles governing the creation and appreciation of beauty and art • Should art be imitative and reprehensive, or should it be the product of private creative imagination? • Should the subject matter of artistic forms deal with the good in life only, or should it also include the ugly and grotesque? • What is good art? • Should art have a social function or message? • Can there be art for art’s sake, or must it have a practical significance?

6. Idealism • Idealism asserts that, since the world is constantly changing, ideas are the only reliable form of reality. • Idealists • William E. Hocking, Plato • Idealism and education • The learner • Process of becoming more like the absolute self • Strives for perfection • The teacher • Serve as a living example of what students can become

7. Realism • Realism suggests that the features of the universe exist whether or not humans are there to perceive them. • Realists – Aristotle, Francis Bacon, John Locke • Realism and Education • The Learner • Functioning organism that can through sensory and experience, perceive the natural order of the world and thereby come into contact with reality • Not free in their choices • The Teacher • To give accurate information to the student • Teacher’s biases and personality muted

8. Neo-scholastism/ Thomism • Intellectual movement that developed in the 1300’s • Faith by reason • Combination of realism and idealism • Thomists – Thomas Aquinas, The teacher • Mental disciplinarians that can develop reason, will power, and memory • The student • Rational being that is capable of acquiring Truth and knowledge

9. Pragmatism • Pragmatism rejects the idea of absolute, unchanging truth, instead asserting that truth is “what works.” • Pragmatists – Charles S. Pierce, William James, John Dewey • Pragmatism and education • The students • Students have experiences • Learn from their environment and react to their environment and consequences • The teachers • Seen as fellow learners • Guides

10. Existentialism • Existentialism suggests that humanity isn’t part of an orderly universe; instead, individuals create their own realities. • Refusal to belong to any school of thought • Dissatisfaction with traditional philosophy • Existentialists – Walter Kaufmann, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Paul Sartre, Albert Camus • Existentialism and Education • The teacher • Willing to help students explore possible answers • Concerned with the individual learner • The learner • I am a choosing agent. • I am a free agent. • I am a responsible agent.

11. Perennialism • Perennialism suggests that nature, including human nature, is constant. • Return to classics – mind, reason, • Perennialists - Mortimer J. Adler, Robert M. Hutchins, St. John’s College • Beliefs • People are rational animals • Knowledge is universally consistent • The subject matter, not the child, should stand at the center of the educational endeavor. • The great works are relevant today. • The educational experience is preparation for life, rather than real-life situations

12. Essentialism • Essentialism emphasizes a critical core of knowledge and skills that all students should learn. • Combination of realism and idealism • Revamping of the school • Essentialists – Mortimer Smith, Arthur Bestor • Beliefs • The school’s first task is to teach basic knowledge. • Learning is hard work and requires discipline. • The teacher is the locus of classroom authority. • Report from government in 1983 – “A Nation at Risk” • Minimum standard for graduation • Four years English • Three years Math • Three years Science • Three years Social Studies • 1 and ½ years Computer Science • 2 years of Foreign Language for College Bound Students

13. Progressivism • Progressivism focuses on real-world problem solving and individual development. • Progressivists– John Dewey, Sigmund Freud, Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Beliefs • The process of education finds its genesis and purpose in the child. • Pupils are active rather than passive. • The teacher’s role is of advisor, guide, fellow traveler, rather than that of authoritarian and classroom director. • The school is a microcosm of the larger society. • Classroom activity should focus on problem solving rather than on artificial methods of teaching subject matter. • The social atmosphere of the school should be cooperative and democratic.

14. Postmodernism • Postmodernism contends that many of the institutions in our society, including schools, are used by those in power to marginalize those who lack power. • Rejection of the modern view of things • Postmodernists – Hume, Kant • Education • Very undeveloped

15. Developing Your Philosophy of Education • Philosophy can guide practice and help you explain and defend your educational goals. • The process of developing a philosophy begins with examining your own beliefs about teaching, learning, and students. • An analysis of educational philosophies can assist teachers in forming their own personal, and probably eclectic, personal philosophy.

16. Philosophies of Education in Urban Environments • Because of the challenges involved in urban teaching, developing a coherent philosophy of education is even more important. • Beliefs, both positive and negative, about urban learners can have profound influences on urban teachers and the way they teach.