HEART TRUST NTA
VOCATIONAL TRAINING DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (VTDI)
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Personal philosophy of education
Done in partial fulfillment of the course
Perspectives in Education and Training
Course Code: ED503
Student:
Eleanor Brown-Simpson: 2012022053
Date: December 5, 2015
Facilitator: Mary Blackstock
As human beings we have been privileged with the ability of cognition; being able to
mentally process information through learning, knowing, recognizing, remembering, thinking,
understanding the world around us. We are also able to choose how we partake in any cognitive
action merely by deciding what are the principles by which we choose to live. These principles
over time, even without full knowing, learning, and understanding become a philosophy or a part
of a philosophy. Without such a process even in the simplest form an individual may go about
life just passing through without acknowledging an ultimate purpose. Undoubtedly therefore,
having a philosophy is not only pertinent but also prudent.
As established, it is possible to identify a philosophy on all of life’s topics. Education
being among the most important also has varying philosophies as such, a teacher must know
what is to be achieved, the principles by which he/she will be guided and how to approach the
process of education that is, in intentional manner. What therefore is a philosophy on education?
Simply, it influences how students are taught; it answers questions about the purpose of
schooling, the teacher’s role, what should be taught and by what methods. The four major
philosophies that have gained relevance in the education system that guides curriculum
development and determines the nature of teaching are: perrenialism, essentialism, progressivism
and social reconstructivism.
The teacher-centered approaches to learning as well as the constructivism theory are
particularly interesting.
A teacher-centered philosophy tends to be more authoritarian and
conservative, emphasizing the values and knowledge that have survived through time. The major teachercentered philosophies of education are perennialism and essentialism. The term perrenialism means
everlasting; it is derived from the concepts of idealism and realism, and is an old educational
theory that has shaped the development of European universities. It deals with knowledge that
has endured time. The perennialist is believed to have interests peaked from spiritual knowledge
and ideas that are so inspiring they reflect a higher intelligence. The perennialists study the
physical world using their senses and rationality. A teacher with similar guiding principles must
therefore be in control of the classroom not allowing students to determine what they should be taught or
how they should learn. The teacher armed with knowledge and experience recognizes what the student
needs and how to get that information across to the student. In today’s classrooms if a student-centered
approach is taken in most instances, the material is not accurately, if at all imparted as the class becomes
chaotic and distracted. The onus is therefore, on the teacher to properly guide students to the desired goal.
The constructivism approach has its roots in cognitive psychology, and is based on the idea that
people construct their understanding of the world. A constructivist teacher gauges a student’s prior
knowledge, and then carefully orchestrates cues, classroom activities, and penetrating questions to push
students to higher levels of understanding. Discovery learning is a technique of inquiry-based learning
and is considered a constructivist based approach to education. It is supported by the work of learning
theorists and psychologists Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, and Seymour Papert.
Philosophy of education is therefore very beneficial as having a clearly identified goal at the fore
front will help students to achieve their personal objectives, those of the syllabus and master the learning
outcome. This produces better academic results for students, as well as good student behavior. It may be
interpreted that having a teacher-centered philosophy means not caring about the students but,
controversially that is not so. The fact is the teacher accountability to the student pushes him/her to take
control of the outcome of the lesson. The future of a student takes precedency over everything else.
My personal thoughts on the Perspective on Education course included a very basic view on
education. I regarded education simply as the advance needed by the society based on the standards that
society itself has set for individuals. Seemingly for me, knowledge was not necessarily needed for any
deeply rooted desire but, simply to get a job, provide for the family and exist. The sense of countryman
has never been a driving force in decisions made, especially to pursue an education it was merely about
what was needed at that particular time. During and after this course, learning about the history behind
my country and its people, seeing how people had to struggle for an education while, I more or less take it
for granted, I have come to appreciate the Jamaican education system and the people who have fought to
make it what it is today. To be able to get free education and training from places like the HEART NTA is
something to be proud of and to take seriously. I now identify the different philosophies that govern the
classroom and have an understanding of how they have evolved as over time. This course has also given
me an opportunity to formulate my own views and analyze the role they have played in my own
educational advancement and concluded that I may have been wrong and by extension negatively
impacted my own education. It is now my goal to make the best of my educational opportunities I now
have a better understanding of why education is important in my life, not just for the purpose of a job but,
for broader knowledge of the world around me, the history and personal fulfillment. Education is now my
vehicle of change and I am better poised and able to accept the changes that occur in the cycle. My
students will in time benefit from the knowledge I have gained from this course through the teaching
strategies that I will implement in the classroom and the different modes of learning that will emerge. It is
my goal to portray the shared rational “every child can learn and every child must learn”, because it is a
fact and it my duty as a teacher to find different ways of reaching each child and facilitate their learning
process. It is my intention to educate my colleagues on this new way of looking at education, so we can
all do better by our students and in turn our country.
References
Holzl, (2011), Discovery learning taken from:
http://www.slideshare.net/holzl/discovery-learning-presentation-6898762
Cohen, M (1999), Philosophical Perspectives in Education, taken from:
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html