Running head: PHILOSOPHY PAPER
University of Redlands
Education 401
Rubric
Philosophy Paper
1
Name: Laura Cortés
A 4.0 paper meets all of the following criteria

Is between 3 and 5 pages (double spaced, font 12 –Times New Roman, margins 1.5” x1” x1”
x1”) you do need a title page.

Is professionally presented and this rubric is attached

Describes the student’s educational philosophy

Contains at least six citations in APA style
o Three must be from Dr. Mirci’s paper or the text
o One must be from an additional source on essentialism
o One must be from an additional source on progressivism/pragmatism
o One must be from an additional source on social reconstruction

Has a “Sources Cited” (Bibliography) page at the end in APA style
o The additional sources cannot be from Wikipedia or any encyclopedia-type source
o Check OWL.edu APA style, you do not need end or footnotes

Has been edited by an outside reader (his/her signature: ________Charlotte Gordon_______)

Reflects excellent writing style, spelling and conventions of grammar

Introduces the writer’s thesis (in general terms) in the first paragraph

Discusses the following in subsequent paragraphs (one paragraph each)
o
The role of education
o
The role of the teacher
o
The student’s tenets (the student is you)
o
The student’s philosophical framework (from Chapter 3 or Dr. Mirci’s paper)
o The differences between essentialism, progressivism/pragmatism, and social
reconstructivism
o
Philosophers that have influenced the student (you)
PHILOSOPHY PAPER
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Philosophy Paper
Laura D. Cortés
2/19/15
401 Educational Foundations
University of Redlands
PHILOSOPHY PAPER
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The world is far more complicated than it seems. Education is arguably one of the most
underappreciated professions in the United States. There is a lot of thought behind every decision
made whether it is the standards, the curriculum, or the instruction. What many might not know
that there are different educational philosophies that teachers, in particular, live by when they
teach in their classroom. The four main philosophies are Essentialism, which focuses on natural
laws and a good environment; Perrenialism, which is teacher-based and has an emphasis on
intellectual and moral qualities; Pragmatism/Progressivism, which strives for experiential
learning and research based learning; and Social Reconstructionism which looks at
multiculturalism and is mainly project-based learning. The role of education is to help students
learn about the world around them, the role of the teacher is to make sure the students
comprehend the subject taught, the role of the my tenets is to light a passion and interest in
students for the subject, my philosophical framework is made up of all four philosophies, and,
finally, the philosopher who influences me is John Dewey.
The role of education is to help students gain knowledge so they can be productive
citizens. This idea borrows from Social Reconstructionism, and in Philip Mirci’s paper on
educational philosophies he indicates that George Counts and his followers “sought systemic
changes of social conditions that would reconstruct society and fashion a new social order
necessary for a democracy” (Mirci, p.25). Building on that idea, I think that the role of education
means that the curriculum should not only challenge students to work hard, but it should also
teach them important skills that they can apply to the real world. However, this greatly contrasts
with
the
essentialist
ideal
where,
as
the
article
‘Essentialism
in
Education’
explains, “Essentialism… allows students to learn things slowly progressing from less difficult to
PHILOSOPHY PAPER
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more difficult. It believes that the students should have a solid education base on which they can
build up their knowledge” (Essentialism in Education, 2015). In terms of history, I believe
students should be educated specifically on governments and how they have worked throughout
history because then they can understand better how the United States government, in particular,
functions the way it does. In addition, when students take United States history they should be
thoroughly educated on the Constitution and the rights given as well as pertinent Supreme Court
cases because that allows them to take something, specifically rights, and apply them to the
world they live in. In addition to learning about the governments of history, I think that students
should learn about how we, as humans, have grappled with the issue of injustice throughout
history. It is important that students recognize the world around them and the way they can start
doing that is by recognizing the world that was around before they were around.
The role of the teacher is to help the students understand the subject at hand and why it is
important. Unfortunately, a subject like history is very perennial because it is forced to be very
teacher-based because “Perennialists believe that the focus of education should be the ideas that
have lasted over centuries” (James, 2012). Thus, the role of the teacher is to instill “enduring
ideas, universal truths, and classic intellectual achievements” (Oakes, 1999). So, history is
inevitably taught through lectures because that is the most effective way to communicate the
information. However, the teacher can take the opportunity to convert history into a Social
Reconstruction subject as well as a Pragmatic subject through projects and research papers
respectively. With the pragmatic approach, “teachers … had to be far more effective in working
with students because their responsibility was helping students learn how to problem-solve
beyond predetermined answers” (Mirci, p.17). This is extremely effective when students ask
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historical questions that do not necessarily have a clear, straightforward answer. In Social
Reconstructionism, “role of the teacher is to interact with students in empowering ways over
societal issues and student interests. The teacher interacts with students in ways that promote a
classroom environment of mutual civility and respect. This includes the use of problem posing
and responding” (Mirci, p.26). This approach is useful for teachers because then students learn
the importance of diversity and tolerance. To create variety in the instruction, the teacher must
incorporate these different philosophies with perennialism so that the students learn the material
and then reinforce the material. If the teacher does not recognize the need for more than one
method of teaching, then he or she is not doing the job correctly because not every student will
comprehend history if the teacher only teaches it through the lens of perennialism.
When I teach, I have to infuse a passion to the subject I am teaching because if I hate the
subject I teach, then my students will too. However, that does not mean that my personal beliefs
can trickle into my teaching. With controversial issues, I have to try and stay as neutral as
possible so that my students can process the information without my biased opinion. Still, if I do
let my biases once in a while, that does not mean I am a terrible teacher. By letting a little bias
every once in a while I will the children the ability to build their own bias and form their own
opinion, though I should try to refrain from showing bias on a regular basis. In the physical
world I live in, I see the societal and environmental problems that we, as a world, face, and I can
raise the moral question to my students and be that moral compass to an extent; allowing my
students to form their own opinions. My emotional world is driven by my passion and my strong
sense of morality and justice. The injustice and oppression throughout history greatly frustrates
me. Now, when I teach about a subject like slavery or women’s rights I give the students the
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information that slavery was bad and women’s rights should be granted, but it is not my place to
tell a student they are wrong if they have a different opinion. So, as DeMar indicates in his book
on Behaviorism, Skinner believed that behaviorism itself “seeks not merely to understand human
behavior, but to predict and control it… By controlling rewards and punishments, you can shape
the behavior of another person” (DeMar, 1989). Finally, when it comes to my spiritual world, I
cannot, under any circumstances, let the history I teach be changed by my beliefs. Thankfully, I
have studied different religions for years and I have taken themes and ideas from the major
religions and integrated them into my own spirituality. For my students I am required to state the
facts about different religions and if the facts are a little obscure, then I have to differ to other
teachers or the curriculum to be able to address the subject appropriately.
My philosophical framework is a combination of all four of the educational philosophies.
I think that in history, students should learn the basics including geography and civics.
Geography and civics will help students orient themselves when studying about the history of
different places and the way those societies worked in history. As Oakes and Lipton describe in
their chapter about Politics and Philosophy, essentialism is the “preferred curriculum is
knowledge and basic skills necessary to preserve the culture and to enable constructive
participation in it” (Oakes, 1999). Since history classes are structured toward perennialism, I will
use it often in my teaching method. However, I think it is very important that students not only
have lectures, but they also apply the lessons to their own lives and current day. This is why
Pragmatism is very important. Research is necessary for students to have the chance to go in
depth on a subject that would otherwise be overlooked. Finally, I can use Social
Reconstructionism as a way to teach about multiculturalism and social issues. I believe that this
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approach will help students become aware of different cultures and the world around them
through projects instead of exams. All these philosophies can be integrated in my teaching style
because I think it is incredibly important to have a variety of philosophies when teaching, so that
students have a variety of ways to learn and be assessed.
When looking at philosophies that I would use in the classroom, a prominent educational
philosopher who has influenced my view of teaching is John Dewey who developed
Pragmatism/Progressivism. Dewey’s philosophy largely focused on human experience and
Dewey himself was inspired by the writings of William James (Dewey, 2015). Dewey believed
that, “As man struggled to understand the results of change, he was forced to think creatively in
order to resume control of his shifting environment”. In a classroom, a teacher must adapt as
such, to remain control of the classroom and educate the children properly. In terms of education,
Dewey thought that “a universal education was the key to teaching people how to abandon their
habits and think creatively” (Dewey, 2015). Dewey has influenced my views on education in the
classroom and my attitude to teaching. I plan to encourage my students to think creatively,
because it is important for students to be able to take what they have learned and add to the
discussion, find a new dimension to a problem, and formulate their own opinion. In order to truly
think creatively, students need to draw on their own experiences and learn ways to use their
knowledge to help them out of tough situations. As a student, I made mistakes when I could not
apply my education to everyday events, so I hope to continue to draw on my experiences when I
become a teacher to help students survive and thrive in their education.
All in all, my philosophical framework is made up of the four main philosophies, my
tenets can ignite passion in my students but I have to make sure it is as unbiased as possible, the
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teacher’s role is to coherently teach the students, and the education’s role is to prepare students
for the world. The philosophies are there to help me teach and help me learn as well. Yet, most
of this preparation will go unnoticed by the students and parents. So, as with most things, there is
more to education than meets the eye.
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University of Redlands
Foundations of Education
Philosophy Worksheet
Tenets – How I see the physical world
I see the physical world in both society and
the environment
I know that there are societal problems and I
am very passionate about certain social
isssues
However, I am also very aware that we need
to protect the environment
My Educational
Philosophy
Essentialism: basics of history,
geography, civics
Perrenialism: history classes are
lecture-based and teacher-based,
with intellectual and moral
qualities
Tenets—How I see my emotional world
My emotional world is driven by passion and a strong
sense of morality and justice
Pragmatism/Progressivism:
research papers for the students
(research paper on historical
figure, place, ECT), personal
history (artifact box, immigration
project)
Social Reconstructionism: the
social issues and the multicultural
issues throughout history
Tenets – How I see my spiritual world
Because I have studied different religions for years, I
have taken the themes/main ideas from the major
religions and I have integrated them into my own sort
of religion. This is because there are certain aspects
in each religion that I really like and they make sense
to me.
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References:
DeMar, G. (1989, April 1). Behaviorism. Retrieved February 17, 2015, from
http://forerunner.com/forerunner/X0497_DeMar_-_Behaviorism.html
Dewey, John (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 06:47, Feb 18, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/john-dewey-9273497.
Essentialism in Education. (2015, January 1). Retrieved February 17, 2015, from
http://www.eddirect.com/resources/education/essentialism-in-education
James, R. (2012, January 1). Theories of Education: Perennialism. Retrieved February 17,
2015, from
http://education101intrototeaching.pbworks.com/w/page/10076924/Theories%20of%
20ducation%3A%20%20Perennialism
Mirci, P. S. (Date unknown). Philosophy of Education: Identifying the Core Philosophies of
Education. Unpublished manuscript.
Oakes, J., & Lipton, M. (1999). Politics and Philosophy. In Teaching to change the world (4th
ed., p. 452). Boston [Mass.: McGraw-Hill College.