Educational Philosophies And Curriculum Essay

Connections Between Educational Philosophies and Curriculum For idealists, a school’s primary focus is to refine the student’s intellectual process, as well implement exemplary models of behavior. Teachers would not only model ideal behaviors, but have full authoritative control over the classroom and the orderly process of educating students to strive for goodness. (“Five Educational Philosophies,” n.d.) Essentialists schooling is practical, with the focus on creating productive members of society, through basic curriculum of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Students are required to work hard, be respectful, and be disciplined, while teachers control classrooms through an authoritative approach (“Five Educational Philosophies,” n.d.).

However the five major philosophies that have had the most influence on the American Educational System are: 1) Idealism, 2) Essentialism, 3) Perennialism, and 4) Progressivism, 5) experimentalism, with Idealism and Realism being the “principal philosophical sources on which all other philosophies of education draw” (Power, 1982, p.

Much like essentialism, teachers play a critical role in the education process by guiding students through an open dialog. Perennialists argue that “teachers are more knowledgeable than students who are incompletely formed human beings. Therefore, teachers should assume the authority and command in the classroom” (Moss & Lee, 2010). Robert Hutchins, a prominent perennialist believed “a perennialism teacher has a duty to help students to become cultural citizens and to understand the principles of human knowledge” (Figures, 2013). Perennialists also place a great deal of importance on students being able to prove their understanding through exams and writing. Due to perennialism’s religious values and the separation of church and state, it is not as common in public schools, but is still prevalent in many non-secular