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Essentialism in education philosophy
Essentialism as a philosophy of education
Conclusion on curriculum integration
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Essentialism is an educational philosophy in which it is important to “promote and instill cultural literacy in all students” (Morrison, 2009, p.338). Teachers only teach the basic skills that they think are necessary for educational and cultural growth. I noticed several things throughout my experience with the school system which leads me to suggest that our school system is based on the philosophy of essentialism. Essentialists believe that a curriculum that develops cultural literacy and basic skills is needed.
In my experience, I grew up in a school system that incorporated the essentialism philosophy into their teaching styles. My teachers focused on reaching standards set by the state. The students were informed of what was expected of them and how the curriculum would be set in order to reach these goals. We were taught the basic subjects which were English, math, history, and science. I went to high school in the Kern High School District and they had these A-G requirements which every student who wanted to graduate had to complete. Only one of these requirements met the cul...
What is more important to education? The content or the how the content is taught? Many policy makers today believe that the former is far more crucial to the development of our youth. With high-stakes testing and an entire industry of textbooks and test making, the current system places empirical results over all else. Unfortunately, this approach only helps with the lower levels on the depths of knowledge (DOK) and Bloom’s Taxonomy charts. It only helps with basic recall of facts and knowledge. A second area of concern with this type of teaching is that only instills one point of view in the pupils. This is also problematic for diverse classrooms with students from various backgrounds. Would an approach that reinforces critical thinking and higher levels of DOK be more appropriate? A technique that incorporates the diversity of the classroom and life experiences of those students can be explained by Christopher Emdin and Django Paris who are two advocates of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy or Reality Pedagogy.
Absolutism became the primary form of government for many Europeans in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It appealed to so many for reasons the same as other governments. “Absolutists contended that social and political harmony would result when subjects obeyed their divinely sanctioned rulers in all aspects“ (Text 594). Absolutists rulers felt God gave them their ability to teach the masses the proper ways to live.
Theodicy, when it is stripped down to its base, is the human response to the question of the reasons a good God would permit the manifestation of evil. From the 1700s to the early 19th century, literary works of art in the form of novels have attempted to provide an answer to the complexity. With the turn of each century authors produced new and different rationales and viable solutions to the problem of evil. Two authors in particular, Rousseau and Flaubert attempted to tackle this topic in their renowned works of literature. Many cultural shifts were present at and during the time of these works, which had a significant impact on the theories and presentation within them.
I think it is extremely important that students maintain their individuality all throughout childhood and carry it through them into adulthood. Both of these philosophies promote individuality. Progressivism promotes individuality because it encourages the student to come up with conclusions on their own, in ways that makes most sense to them so they can grasp the content in the best way possible. This provokes deeper, more meaningful ways of thinking. Existentialism is important for students because it encourages them to be unique in thought and action, to embrace who they are deep down inside and to not let their individuality fade as they grow older. I believe that these two philosophies are the most important ones when it comes to the student’s individual uniqueness, which can bring such great things into this world. Not every child thinks the same, so not every child learns the same. Consequently, if we allow children to learn as they wish, as long as they put towards an effort, their minds will grow to a greater degree than if we teach one specific way to teach each
The pluralist theory has the biggest affect on education. Pluralism plays a huge part in education. The pluralistic view is shared widely among the united states school system. It is taught from Pre-kindergarten through college.
The cultural diversity in society, which is reflected in schools, is forcing schools not to solely rely on content-centered curriculum, but to also incorporate student-centered lesson plans based on critique and inquiry. This requires multicultural education to a dominant part of the school system, not just an extra course or unit. Further, it demands that learning itself no longer be seen as obtaining knowledge but rather, education be seen as creating knowledge. Multicultural education should be seen as affirming the diversity of students and communities, promoting the multicultural ideas of the United States, and building the knowledge and behaviors needed for students to be a positive and contributing member of society and the global community as a whole.
All six of the major educational philosophies Perennialism, Progressivism, Essentialism, Existentialism, Social Reconstruction, and Behaviorism are in my opinion feasible in the classroom. However, I have chosen Essentialism as the primary philosophy I would like to employ in my classroom for several reasons. Although I think all six would result in learning, which is the primary purpose of education, I think that Essentialism is superior to the other five for my classroom. I feel this way because it embraces the purpose or original goal of public education, it allows lessons to be gauged to all different learning styles, and finally because essentialism employs methods of teaching and discipline that I believe work exceptionally well with my content specialization.
My belief in Perennialism, the second philosophy of my choice, is not as strong as Essentialism, although I feel that I will use a few aspects, such as discussion in the classroom and writing of essays. I feel students are more open and opinionated when asked questions and may feel comfortable knowing that they can ask questions and discuss their answers freely. Two key points of this philosophy I find myself using even now within the classes I attend are time on task and precision. Dividing my time appropriately and allowing enough time to complete work, as well as goal of completion. Also setting a schedule so I know when I need to attend to certain tasks. The same idea will expectantly reflect on my students as they see that I set dates as a guideline to manage my time appropriately, as well as their classroom time.
Essentialism is Essentialism refers to the "traditional" or "Back to the Basics" approach to education.
Essentialism is defined by Webster as an educational theory that ideas and skills basic to a culture should be taught to all alike by time-tested methods. It has been present since the beginning of schooling. As time and culture progress, the academic standards for education increase and become more specific. It is clear that the focus in the vast majority of schools is to
Authentic pedagogy was first created as a direct counterpoint to didactic pedagogy and became well known and influential in the 20th century, largely through John Dewey and Maria Montessori, who both passionately denounced the approach of didactic pedagogy (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). Dewey, in particular, believed that children should be educated on the grounds of experience, rather than have teachers impose rigid abstract facts and theories (Vialle, Lysaght & Verenikina, 2008). Maria Montessori also believed that learning needed to offer students freedom (Kalantzis & Cope, 2015). Both Dewey and Montessori were part of the progressive education movement, that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms until today (Kalantzis &
Progressivists believe that education should be a perpetually enriching process of ongoing growth, not merely a preparation for adult lives. They also deny the essentialist belief that the study of traditional subject matter is appropriate for all students, regardless of interest and personal experience.
The process of educating children may seem like a clear-cut, straight-forward process to some people; however, this is far from the case. There are five philosophies of education (essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism) that vary in their educational approaches. These philosophies can be grouped into two categories: ...
...icism. As with most educational theories or concepts, I think there is something to be learned from each and that no one concept needs to be adopted in its entirety to be effective. Picking and choosing pieces of various concepts that work for a particular district, school, or teacher allows for the creation of a solid curriculum that can meet the needs of and work with the styles of each participant: district, school, teacher, and student.
My philosophy of education is a combination of essentialism and progressivism . I feel that knowledge can be learned from a textbook, but I also want my students to use other means of knowledge. I fell in certain times, I should be the center of the classroom and other times, the students should be the center. Education is about the students and I am there to guide them through their journey. I think it's important to let children learn by exploring. By doing this, they choose what information is important and should be retained. When it comes to learning, students should always be in the center. The teachers are only there to mentor and improve upon a child's skills. In my mind progressivism with a mix of essentialism is the best philosophy for me to follow.