The Philosophy of Education
What is Philosophy of Education
Philia/Philos + Sophia/Sophos = love of
wisdom
All teachers have a personal philosophy that
colors the way they teach.
Your educational philosophy consists of
what you believe in about education – the
set of principles that guides your
professional action.
What is Philosophy of Education
Your beliefs and your own philosophy of
education will influence all your activities
in the classroom from how you teach, what
you teach, how you manage your
classroom, how you relate to students,
parents, and colleagues, and how you
conduct your professional life.
Beliefs About Teaching and
Learning
What will be your primary role as a
teacher?
Will it be to transmit knowledge to students
and then guide their practice as they
develop skills in using that knowledge? Or
will it be to develop self-directed learners
by building on students’ interests, prior
experiences and current understandings?
Beliefs About Students
Every teacher formulates an image in his or her
mind about what students are like – their
dispositions, skills, motivation levels and
experiences.
Negative views of students may promote teacherstudent relationships based on fear and coercion
rather than on trust and helpfulness.
It is important that teachers convey positive
attitudes toward their students and a belief that
they can learn.
Beliefs About What Is Worth
Knowing
Teachers have different ideas about what
should be taught.
The Purpose of Education
What do you think is the purpose of education?
To give knowledge
To transmit culture
To help people adapt to society
To give religious education
To provide practical/hands-on experience/training
To provide learner/human-centered education
What are the branches of
philosophy?
Metaphysics – what is real to you
Epistemology – how do we know
Axiology – values
Ethics – morality, behavior
 Aesthetics – beauty, comfort

Metaphysics
Concerned with the questions about the
nature of reality.
The very heart of educational philosophy.
What is reality? What is the world made of?
What does it mean to exist?
The school curriculum is based on what we
know about reality.
Epistemology
Concerned with the nature of knowledge.
What knowledge is true? How does knowing take
place? How do we decide between opposing views
of knowledge? What knowledge is most worth?
As a teacher, you need to determine what is true
about the content you will teach, then you must
decide on the most appropriate means of teaching
this content to students.
Epistemology (ways of knowing
about the world)
Knowing based on authority
Knowing based on divine revelation
Knowing based on empiricism (experience)
Knowing based on reason and logical
analysis
Knowing based on intuition
Axiology
Concerned with values.
What values should teachers encourage students to
adopt? What values does a truly educated person
hold?
Highlights the fact that the teacher has an interest
not only in the quantity of knowledge that students
acquire but also the quality of life that becomes
possible because of that knowledge.
Educational Philosophies
Schools of Thought
Perennialism
The most conservative, traditional, or inflexible of all
philosophies
Reflects Plato’s belief that TRUTH and values are
absolute, timeless and universal
Develop the students’ rational and moral powers;
reasoning skills
Reality is a world of reason
Teaches concepts and focuses on knowledge and the
meaning of knowledge
Is convicted that all human beings possess the same
essential character
Perennialism
Man and his existence are virtually permanent
therefore the teaching style should not change
Emphasizes the importance of transferring
knowledge, information, and skills from the older
generation to the younger one
The teacher is not concerned of student’s interest
(teacher-centered)
Students acquire knowledge of unchanging
principles or great ideas
Less emphasis on vocational and technical
education
Perennialism
Places emphasis on general education
Sees the student is a passive recipient
Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer
Adler are the main advocates of perennialism
Acc. to them, the Teacher’s role is to: instill
respect for authority, deliver clear lectures;
interpret and tell; coach in critical thinking skills;
apply creative techniques and other tried and true
methods which are believed to be most conducive
to disciplining the students’ minds
Perennialism: Application to
teaching
Education should be the same for everyone
A single curriculum should exist for all students
Curriculum should include study of original sources
Since man is basically the same, there is no need to tailor
learning experiences to the weak student
Learners must be challenged and educators must expect
REASON(explanation for conviction) from them
Education should be a tool that prepares one for life
Great emphasis ought to be placed on teaching the great
classics – literature, history, philosophy, science
Perennialism: Application to
teaching
A Perennialist high school English teacher
would prefer that students to read any of
Shakespeare’s plays rather than a current
best-seller novel.
Science students would learn about Newton’s
three laws of motion or three laws of
thermodynamics rather than build a model of
a space shuttle.
Portrait of a Perennialist teacher
Mrs. Busiada has been teaching English at the
high school since mid-1980s. Among students and
teachers as well, she has a reputation for
demanding a lot. As one student put it, “You don’t
waste time in Mrs. Busiada’s classes.”
During the early 1990s, she had a difficult time
dealing with students who aggressively insisted on
being taught subjects that they called relevant. As
a graduate of a top-notch university in Kenya,
Portrait of a Perennialist teacher
where she received a classical, liberal education,
Mrs. Busiada refused to lessen the emphasis in her
classes on great works of literature that she felt
students needed to know, such as Beowulf and the
works of Chaucer, Dickens and Shakespeare.
As far as her approach to classroom management
is concerned, one student sums it up this way:
“She doesn’t let you get by with a thing; she never
slacks off on the pressure. She lets you know that
she’s there to teach and you’re there to learn.”
Portrait of a Perennialist teacher
Mrs. Busiada believes that hard work and effort is
necessary if one is to get a good education. As a
result she gives students very few opportunities to
misbehave, and she appears to be immune to the
grumblings of students who do complain openly
about the workload.
She becomes very animated when she talks about
the value of the classics to students who are
preparing to live as adults in the 21st century.
Essentialism
Learners need to acquire basic knowledge, skills
and values necessary to understand the real world
outside.
Instill students with the “essentials” of academic
knowledge, enacting back-to-basics approach.
The essence of education is knowledge and skills
needed in preparation for adult life.
Pass on the cultural and historical heritage to each
new generation of learners, beginning with the
“basics”.
Essentialism
Emphasis on academic content for students to
learn the fundamental R’s – reading, ‘riting,
‘rithmetic, right conduct
Accumulated wisdom of our civilization as taught
in the traditional academic disciplines is passed on
from teacher to student.
Maths, Natural Science, History, English
Students build on what others learned (not
trial/error)
Essentialism
Subject-centered
Mastery of subject matter is the key focus
Advocates the covering of as much academic
content as possible
Excludes/downgrades Non-academic subjects
such as P.E.
William C. Bagley is main proponent
Teachers role: is to transmit traditional moral
values and intellectual knowledge that students
need to become model citizens; deliver clear
lectures; stress on memorization and discipline
Portrait of an Essentialist teacher
Mr. Katana is known around the school as a
hardworking, dedicated teacher. His commitment
to children is especially evident when he talks
about preparing “his” learners for life in high
school and beyond. “A lot of teachers nowadays
have given up on youngsters,” he says with a
touch of sadness to his voice. “They don’t demand
much of them. If we don’t push them now to get
the knowledge and skills they’re going to need
later in life, we’ve failed them. My main purpose
here is to see that my students get the basics
they’re going to need.”
Portrait of an Essentialist teacher
Mr. Katana has made it known that he does not approve of
the methods used by some of the younger, more humanisticoriented teachers in the school. He is openly critical of some
teachers’ tendency to “let students do their own thing” and
spend time “expressing their feelings.” He advises all
teachers to focus their energies on getting students to master
subject-matter content, “the things kids will need to know,”
rather than on helping students adjust to the
interpersonal(involving relations) aspects of school life. He
says that “kids come to school to learn.” All students would
learn, he points out, if “teachers based their methods on good,
sound approaches that have always worked—not on the socalled innovative approaches that are based on fads(shortlived fashions) and frills(unnecessary additions)
.”
Portrait of an Essentialist teacher
Mr. Katana’s students have accepted his no-nonsense approach
to teaching. With few exceptions, his classes are orderly and
businesslike. Each class period follows a standard routine.
Students enter the room quietly and take their seats with a
minimum of the foolishness and horseplay that mark the start of
many other classes in the school. As the first order of business,
the previous day’s homework is returned and reviewed.
Following this, Mr. Katana presents the day’s lesson, usually a
15- to 20-minute explanation of how to solve a particular kind
of math problem. His mini lectures are lively, and his wideranging tone of voice and animated, spontaneous delivery
convey his excitement about the material and his belief that
students can learn. During large-group instruction, Mr. Katana
also makes ample use of a whiteboard, software such as Encarta,
and manipulatives such as a large abacus and colored blocks of
different sizes and shapes.
Progressivism
Believe that individuality, progress and change are
fundamental to one’s education
Teachers teach so they may live life fully NOW not to
prepare them for adult life
Curriculum is centered on the needs, experiences, interests
and abilities of students not on academic disciplines
Textbooks, memorization, & other traditional techniques
are replaced with actual experiences and problem-solving
Emphasis on life-long learning and social skills
Students are active learners
Student-centered
Progressivism
Skills are taught to cope with change
Problem-solving methods; scientific method
Natural and Social sciences
Learning by doing; book learning is no substitute
for actual experience
Progressive teachers begin with where students are
and through daily give-and-take of the classroom,
lead students to see that the subject to be learned
can enhance their lives
John Dewey is the key proponent
Progressivism
Teacher’s role: facilitate student learning,
provide students with experiences that
imitate everyday life as much as possible,
foster cooperative learning activities and
hands-on/practical/concrete activities
Portrait of a Progressive Teacher
Mr. Leitoro teaches social studies at a middle
school in a well-to-do part of the city. Boyishly
handsome and in his mid-thirties, Mr. Leitoro
usually works in casual attire—khaki pants, softsoled shoes, and a sports shirt. He seems to get
along well with students. Mr. Leitoro likes to give
students as much freedom of choice in the
classroom as possible. Accordingly, his room is
divided into interest and activity centers, and
much of the time students are free to choose where
they want to spend their time.
Portrait of a Progressive Teacher
One corner at the back of the room has a library collection
of paperback and hardcover books, an easy chair, and an
area rug; the other back corner of the room is set up as a
project area and has a worktable on which are several
globes, maps, large sheets of newsprint, and assorted
drawing materials. At the front of the room in one corner is
a small media center with a computer and flat screen
monitor, laser printer, and DVD/VCR.
Mr. Leitoro makes it a point to establish warm, supportive
relationships with his students. He is proud of the fact that
he is a friend to his students.
Portrait of a Progressive Teacher
“I really like the kids I teach,” he says in a soft, gentle voice. “They’re
basically good kids, and they really want to learn if we teachers, I
mean, can just keep their curiosity alive and not try to force them to
learn. It’s up to us as teachers to capitalize on their interests.”
The visitor to Mr. Leitoro’s class today can sense his obvious regard
for students. He is genuinely concerned about the growth and
nurturance of each one. As his students spend most of their time
working in small groups at the various activity centers in the room, Mr.
Leitoro divides his time among the groups. He moves from group to
group and seems to immerse himself as an equal participant in each
group’s task. One group, for example, has been working on making a
papier-mâché globe. Several students are explaining animatedly to him
how they plan to transfer the flat map of the world they have drawn to
the smooth sphere they have fashioned out of the papier-mâché.
Portrait of a Progressive Teacher
Mr. Leitoro listens carefully to what his students have to
say and then congratulates the group on how cleverly they
have engineered the project. When he speaks to his
students, he does so in a matter-of-fact, conversational
tone, as though speaking to other adults.
As much as possible he likes to bring textbook knowledge
to life by providing his
students with appropriate
experiences—field trips, small-group projects, simulation
activities, role-playing, Internet explorations, and so on.
Mr. Leitoro believes that his primary function as a teacher
is to prepare his students for an unknown future. Learning
to solve problems at an early age is the best preparation for
this future, he feels.
Existentialism
Focuses on the experiences of an individual
Rejects the existence of any source of objective,
authoritative truth about metaphysics,
epistemology, and ethics
“Existence precedes essence. . . .”
Individuals are responsible for determining for
themselves what is "true" or "false," "right" or
"wrong," "beautiful" or "ugly.”
There exists no universal form of human nature;
each of us has the free will to develop as we see
fit.
Existentialism
Education of the whole person, not just the mind.
Helping the students understand and appreciate themselves
as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility
for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Subject matter
takes second place
Learning ought to be self-paced; self-directed
Emphasis on HUMANITIES (grammar, history, poetry
ethics )
Yes to vocational educational(relating to career or job
skills)
Existentialists judge the curriculum according to whether it
contributes to the individual’s quest for meaning
Existentialism
Encourages individual creativity and imagination
Offers the individual a way of thinking about my life, what
has meaning for me, what is true for me.
Teachers employ values clarification strategy – teachers
remain non-judgmental and take care not to impose their
values on their students since values are personal.
Jean-Paul Sartre one of the proponents
Teacher’s role: 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
Portrait of an Existentialist teacher
After he started teaching English eight years ago at a suburban high
school, Florence began to have doubts about the value of what he was
teaching students. Although he could see a limited, practical use for the
knowledge and skills he was teaching, he felt he was doing little to
help his students answer the most pressing questions of their lives.
Also, Florence had to admit to himself that he had grown somewhat
bored with following the narrow, unimaginative Board of Education
curriculum guides.
During the next eight years, Florence gradually developed a style of
teaching that placed emphasis on students finding out who they are.
She continued to teach the knowledge covered on the achievement test
mandated by her state, but he made it clear that what students learned
from her, they should use to answer questions that were important to
them.
Portrait of an Existentialist teacher
Now, for example, she often gives writing assignments that
encourage students to look within in order to develop greater
self-knowledge. She often uses assigned literature as a
springboard for values clarification discussions. And whenever
possible, she gives her students the freedom to pursue individual
reading and writing projects. Her only requirement is that
students be meaningfully involved in whatever they do.
Florence’s approach to teaching is perhaps summed up by the
bumper sticker on the sports car she drives: “Question
authority.” Unlike many of her fellow teachers, she wants her
students to react critically and skeptically to what she teaches
them. She also presses them to think thoughtfully and
courageously about the meaning of life, beauty, love, and death.
She judges her effectiveness by the extent to which students are
able and willing to become more aware of the choices that are
open to them.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a theory of animal and human
learning that only focuses on objectively
observable behaviors and discounts mental
activities.
Behavior theorists define learning as nothing more
than the acquisition of new behavior.
Modification and shaping of students’ behavior by
providing for a favorable environment.
Behaviorism
Teachers teach to students to respond
favorably to various stimuli in the
environment
Teachers provide incentives to reinforce
positive responses and weaken or eliminate
negative ones
B.F. Skinner is the main proponent
Idealism
Asserts that because the physical world is always
changing, ideas are the only reliable form of
reality
The focus is on conscious reasoning in the mind.
The aim of education is to discover and develop
each individual's abilities and full moral
excellence in order to better serve society.
The curricular emphasis is subject matter of mind:
literature, history, philosophy, and religion.
Idealism
Lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue
(a method of teaching that uses questioning
to help students discover and clarify
knowledge).
Truth is perfect and eternal, but not found in
the world of matter, only through the mind
The only constant for Plato was
mathematics, unchangeable and eternal
Idealism
Plato: The first is the spiritual or mental
world, which is eternal, permanent, orderly,
regular, and universal. There is also the
world of appearance, the world experienced
through sight, touch, smell, taste, and
sound, that is changing, imperfect, and
disorderly.
Idealism
Plato believed education helped move individuals
collectively toward achieving the good.
The State should be involved in education, moving
brighter students toward abstract ideas and the less
able toward collecting data…a gender free
tracking system
Those who were brighter should rule, others
should assume roles to maintain the state
The philosopher-king would lead the State to the
ultimate good
Idealism
Evil comes through ignorance, education will lead
to the obliteration of evil
More modern idealists: St. Augustine, Descartes,
Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel
Goal of Education: interested in the search for
truth through ideas…with truth comes
responsibility to enlighten others, “education is
transformation: Ideas can change lives.”
Idealism
Role of the Teacher: to analyze and discuss
ideas with students so that students can
move to new levels of awareness so that
they can ultimately be transformed,
abstractions dealt with through the dialectic,
but should aim to connect analysis with
action
Role of the teacher is to bring out what is
already in student’s mind: reminiscence
Methods of Instruction
Lecture from time to time, but primary
method of teaching is the
dialectic…discuss, analyze, synthesize, and
apply what they have read to contemporary
society
Curriculum…importance of the study of the
classics…many support a back to the basics
approach to education
Realism
Aristotle was the leading proponent of realism,
started the Lyceum, the first philosopher to
develop a systematic theory of logic
Reality exists independent of the human mind
The ultimate reality is the world of physical
objects
The aim is to understand objective reality through
"the diligent and unsparing scrutiny of all
observable data."
Aristotle’s Systematic Theory of
Logic
Begin with empirical research, speculate or
use dialectic reasoning, and culminate in a
syllogism
A syllogism is a system of logic that
consists of three parts: (1) a major premise,
(2) a minor premise, and (3) a conclusion
For a syllogism to work, all the parts must
be correct
Realists
Thomas Aquinas advocated a synthesis of
pagan ideas and Christian beliefs…reason is
the means of ascertaining or understanding
truth, God could be understood through
reasoning based on the material world…no
conflict between science and religion
The world of faith with the world of reason,
contemporary Catholic schools
Modern Realism
From the Renaissance, Francis Bacon developed
induction, the scientific method…based on
Aristotle, developed a method starting with
observations, culminating in generalization, tested
in specific instances for the purpose of verification
John Locke and tabula rasa, things known from
experience… ordered sense data and then reflected
on them
Goal of Education for Realists
Notions of the good life, truth, beauty could
be answered through the study of ideas,
using the dialectical method…for
contemporary realists, the goal of education
is to help individuals understand and apply
the principles of science to help solve the
problems plaguing the modern world
Teachers should be steeped in the basic
academic disciplines
Pragmatism
An American philosophy from the 19th
century….C.S. Peirce, William James &
John Dewey
Pragmatism encourages people to find
processes that work in order to achieve their
desired ends…action oriented,
experientially grounded
John Dewey’s Philosophy
Education starts with the needs and interests of the
child, allows the child to participate in planning
her course of study, employ project method or
group learning, depend heavily or experiential
learning
Children are active, organic beings…needing both
freedom and responsibility
Ideas are not separate from social conditions,
philosophy has a responsibility to society
Dewey’s Role for the Teacher
Not the authoritarian but the
facilitator…encourages, offers suggestions,
questions and helps plan and implement
courses of study…has command of several
disciplines
Inquiry method, problem solving, integrated
curriculum
Empiricism
Knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory
experiences
Emphasizes the role of experience and evidence
John Locke, David Hume, George Berkeley
Empiricist thought stresses the need to eliminate
assumptions about notions of how the world is
supposed to work. The only truths are those that
demonstrate how the world actually does work.
One of the controversial aspects of empiricism is
that it often conflicts with traditional views of
religion.
Empiricism
Knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory
experiences
Emphasizes the role of experience and evidence
John Locke, David Hume, George Berkeley
Empiricist thought stresses the need to eliminate
assumptions about notions of how the world is
supposed to work. The only truths are those that
demonstrate how the world actually does work.
Empiricism
For example John Locke held that some
knowledge (e.g. knowledge of God's
existence) could be arrived at
through intuition and reasoning alone.
Similarly Robert Boyle, a prominent
advocate of the experimental method, held
that we have innate ideas
Rationalism
Pure Reason (i.e. Reason independent of
Experience) can yield informative knowledge,
knowledge of (some aspects of) the world rather
than just of the relations between our concepts.
"in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory
but intellectual and deductive.“
Rational knowledge is labeled a priori, to indicate
that it is prior to and independent of experience.
The rationalist’s confidence in reason and proof
tends, therefore, to detract from his respect for
other ways of knowing.
Social Reconstructionism
Holds that schools should take the lead in
changing or reconstructing the current
social order.
Schools should not only transmit knowledge
about the existing social order; they should
seek to reconstruct it as well.
Social reconstructionism has clear ties to
progressive educational philosophy
Social Reconstructionism
A social reconstructionist curriculum is arranged
to highlight the need for various social reforms
and, whenever possible, allow students to have
firsthand experiences in reform activities.
Schools should provide students with methods for
dealing with the significant crises that confront the
world: war, economic depression, international
terrorism, hunger, natural disasters, inflation, and
ever-accelerating technological advances.
Theodore Brameld, George Counts are key
supporters.
Utilitarianism/Hedonism
School of thought that argues that pleasure is the
only intrinsic good
Strives to maximize net pleasure (pleasure minus
pain)
Ethical hedonism is the idea that all people have
the right to do everything in their power to achieve
the greatest amount of pleasure possible to them.
Aristippus of Cyrene (student of Socrates),
Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill
Epicureanism
Epicurus believed that what he called "pleasure"
is the greatest good, but the way to attain such
pleasure is to live modestly and to gain knowledge
of the workings of the world and the limits of
one's desires.
Epicureanism emphasizes the neutrality of the
gods, that they do not interfere with human lives.
The emphasis was placed on pleasures of the
mind rather than on physical pleasures.
Postmodernism (Critical Theory)
An educational philosophy contending that
many of the institutions in our society,
including schools, are used by those in
power to marginalize those who lack power
Criticized for using schools for political
purposes
Constructivism
Students construct understanding of reality
through interaction with objects, people or events
in the environment and reflecting on interactions
Learning occurs by conflicting with what is
already known; previous experiences determine
what is learned
Teachers act as facilitators
Students interact with experts