Philosophy
Philosophical Essay
EDUC 200 – Principles of Education
Philosophy is a set of beliefs or ideas one has towards their discipline or line of work. Don Kauchak and Paul Eggen, authors of the textbook “Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional,” define philosophy as “The study of theories of knowledge, truth, existence, and morality” [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. The philosophy of education is a very important aspect of teaching. It is meant to guide teachers in the classroom and offer insight to the thinking of past experts [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. It often will answer the main questions any new and even seasoned teachers have when preparing to teach in the classroom. There are various degrees of philosophy, for example; there is the philosophy of life, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of education. However, there are four philosophies of education they include: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Social Reconstructionism. After calculating my scores on the philosophical assessment in the Kauchak and Eggen textbook, I found that my personal philosophy of education is an equal combination of Perennialism and Social Reconstructionism.
According to Kauchak and Eggen, Perennialism consists of the teaching of classic knowledge [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. This includes literacy, mathematics, and science. Another way of looking at this is teaching student’s subjects that they will use in the future, even if it does not seem relevant now. The definition of perennial is “long-term” and that is exactly how a teacher with a Perennialism philosophy teaches.
Social Reconstructionism, according to Kauchak and Eggen is “An educational philosophy suggesting that schools, teachers, and students should lead in alleviating social inequities in our society” [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. In other words, a teacher with this philosophy teaches their students about social problems, improving society and teaching their students about personal
EDUC 200 – Principles of Education
Philosophy is a set of beliefs or ideas one has towards their discipline or line of work. Don Kauchak and Paul Eggen, authors of the textbook “Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional,” define philosophy as “The study of theories of knowledge, truth, existence, and morality” [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. The philosophy of education is a very important aspect of teaching. It is meant to guide teachers in the classroom and offer insight to the thinking of past experts [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. It often will answer the main questions any new and even seasoned teachers have when preparing to teach in the classroom. There are various degrees of philosophy, for example; there is the philosophy of life, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of education. However, there are four philosophies of education they include: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Social Reconstructionism. After calculating my scores on the philosophical assessment in the Kauchak and Eggen textbook, I found that my personal philosophy of education is an equal combination of Perennialism and Social Reconstructionism.
According to Kauchak and Eggen, Perennialism consists of the teaching of classic knowledge [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. This includes literacy, mathematics, and science. Another way of looking at this is teaching student’s subjects that they will use in the future, even if it does not seem relevant now. The definition of perennial is “long-term” and that is exactly how a teacher with a Perennialism philosophy teaches.
Social Reconstructionism, according to Kauchak and Eggen is “An educational philosophy suggesting that schools, teachers, and students should lead in alleviating social inequities in our society” [ (Kauchak & Eggen, 2011) ]. In other words, a teacher with this philosophy teaches their students about social problems, improving society and teaching their students about personal
References: Cohen, L. M. (1999). Section III - Philosophical Perspectives in Education Part 3 . Retrieved November 15th, 2012, from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2011). Introduction to Learning: Becoming a Professional / 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Robinson, B. (2002-2012). Reconstructionism and Perennialism. (I. Helium, Ed.) Retrieved November 15, 2012, from Helium.