All publishers have a philosophy of education. So do teachers. So do parents – even if you don’t realize it! It is simply your view of education and what you want education to accomplish in your child’s life.
Some states require a Philosophy of Education as part of the homeschool regulations. In this case, they want a formal statement of purpose, a written paragraph that briefly describes your reason for homeschooling. A philosophy of education involves three basic questions:
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What is the role of education?
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What kind of training do we want to provide our children?
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What’s the best way to provide that kind of training?
There are four generally recognized educational philosophies that determine what gets taught and how it is presented. Every textbook, curriculum design, teaching method, and supplementary activity is based on one of these philosophies – whether or not it is obvious to the user.
Essentialism
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is the most commonly held view, represented by “traditional” education
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The role of education is to teach facts, knowledge and skills.
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It assumes there is a set of basic information that is essential for every person to learn.
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This bank of knowledge is divided into subjects and proceeds in sequential manner, building
on previous levels (described in a scope & sequence).
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It is heavily grade-oriented, with grade levels based on chronological age instead of
developmental readiness.
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Books that list core curriculum or what needs to be learned when are based on this view.
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Over the last couple of decades there has been a shift in this approach from what is essential
for all students to what is viable for each student. The core curriculum is reduced to the
basics in order to make room for the student to pursue talents, interests, and abilities. It
is seen in the rise of vocational and technical schools, and charter schools that focus on
the arts or sciences.
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In the last few years, there has been a shift back to redefining what is essential. The new
push for higher standards, particularly in science and math, is based on concerns for a trained
workforce that can use the latest technology.
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The focus is on the skill rather than the student’s ability to learn it.
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The key to this view is who defines what is essential and how is it determined.
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The vast majority of curriculum programs follow this approach; the Classical approach to
homeschooling uses this view in the First Stage or Grammar Stage (the Second and Third
Stages follow the Perennial view of education).
Perennialism
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This is a reaction to the emphasis on detailed skills and rote learning of facts.
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It believes traditional education is so focused on the trees that it cannot see the
forest – there is too much emphasis on details that will soon be forgotten instead of
the key ideas, principles, or reasons why events happened.
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It assumes there are ideas and principles guiding human existence that are seen to impact
events and cultures over and over – hence the name perennial.
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This bank of knowledge depends on understanding the underlying reasons behind history,
recognizing the principles involved, and carrying these ideas forward into one’s own world.
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It focuses less on separate, isolated subjects and more on synthesizing information.
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Books highlight principles based on specific themes such as the scriptures, historical
themes, America’s Christian heritage, or underlying threads and ideas that tie information
together into a meaningful whole.
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The focus is on thinking skills, with assignments based on essays, open-ended questions,
discussions, group interactions, and debate.
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The key to this view is how widespread the principles are and to what extent they impact
every area of life and every subject.
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There are only a few curriculum programs that feature this approach, although traditional
textbooks are doing more to highlight historical trends and ideas since information is
mushrooming so quickly. The Principle Approach to homeschooling and Bill Gotthard’s Institute
of Basic Life Principles use this view of education.
Progressivism
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This is a reaction to the industrialization of the nation and the need for a pliable work
force.
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Rather than emphasizing knowledge of information or principles, its purpose is training an
individual for employment.
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It sees the role of education as a means of moving the individual and society forward,
progressing toward greater achievements and common goals. As such, it tends to see the
individual in a positive light, without a fallen nature, and that all a person needs is
the right kind of education to make things better in life. At the same time, society as
a whole and a sense of community are more important than individualism.
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It tends to focus on end results, rather than knowledge for knowledge’s sake. It
encourages an individual to learn only what is useful or meaningful – however that
is defined.
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It highlights training for specific skills rather than a broad-based “liberal arts”
education. The idea is to help the individual get a job and be successful. The emphasis
on a college education, even when a student does not know what field to pursue, is a
result of this view of education.
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Examples are the School-to-Work initiatives, Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), tolerance
classes, and “global village” concepts. Many state curriculum assessments and educational
standards are based on this view, with the idea of teaching children certain views or
opinions rather than facts and figures.
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Emphasis is on mastering a specific curriculum rather than general knowledge.
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Many of the “new” curriculum models, including “new math” and the new cultural emphasis
in history/social studies reflect this view. There is less of an emphasis on trying to
maintain objectivity within the curriculum and more of an emphasis on so-called “critical
thinking” exercises. These exercises push a certain way of thinking rather than teaching
how to think independently.
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The key to this view is how progress is defined and what values or goals are to be taught.
Existentialism
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This is a reaction to the elevation of society over the individual as well as the emphasis
on knowledge for knowledge’s sake.
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This view sees the role of education as assisting each person to be the best he or she can
be, realizing the individual’s potential.
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It stresses an individual’s purpose in life and reason for existing. It focuses less on
“doing” and more on “being.”
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Education is seen as a tool in the self-discovery process. Mastering a bank of information
or completing a set curriculum is not as important as self-fullfillment.
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Those who still have a sense of community believe the individual can then impact society for
the better.
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This approach was popular during the 1960s when “self-expression” was idealized. It was the
reason for the “open classroom” designs. Learning centers, the Montessori approach, relaxed
homeschooling, and unschooling fit this view.
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It is based on readiness rather than grade-levels.
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Given the emphasis on learning through discovery and real-life experiences, it is not surprising
that there is very little curriculum available that supports this view. In fact, the whole idea
of a set curriculum is shunned by this approach.
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The key to this view is the lack of structure – it is seen as its strength by proponents and its
weakness by detractors.
Why It Is Important
Hopefully by reading through these descriptions, you can see that a philosophy of education influences what type of curriculum is used, what goals are set, what is emphasized, what is included and what is not included in the program, the teaching method, and how the student is evaluated. In short, it influences the type of learning environment you create.
You may find it hard to describe your philosophy of education at first because what most of us think of as “learning” comes from our own educational experience. But you probably do have some ideas, if only from your own experiences in school and in pursuing interests beyond the standard academic setting.
The first step in developing a philosophy of education is to take some time to think about your experiences. What sparked your interest? What teachers did you like or dislike, and why? When did you feel “real learning” took place – in the classroom, during a lecture, while completing a project, on a field trip, or in some activity totally outside of class? What areas of learning helped you most in your adult life? In your job? In relating to others? In managing a household?
As you jot down your thoughts, think about answering this question: What is “learning” to us? Is it the accumulation of knowledge? Is it understanding key principles? Or is it the ability to research information, analyze it, and then apply it to what is already known? Is it a set time of learning basic skills and then developing talents, or is it a lifestyle of being “teachable?”
Which View is Right?
We can see in the descriptions how ideas come and go like fashion trends. Why do some ideas seem to “catch on” while others fade? I believe the reason is that they contain an element of truth - otherwise people would not be attracted to them. The view of education has to make sense in some way. Unfortunately, what often happens is that the kernel of truth becomes magnified and elevated above other truth. The result is imbalance.
From a biblical perspective, there is an element of truth in each of these philosophies. The Bible teaches that there are basic laws and principles (see Deut. 6:6-9; 30:15-20) that govern God’s universe – a set bank of knowledge or core curriculum of sorts (essentialism). It tells us to seek after wisdom and understanding (see Prov. 4:5-7; Phil. 2:12), to apply biblical principles to our everyday life, and to “work out” our salvation (perennialism). It encourages us to progress in our Christian walk and witness (see 2 Peter 1:3-11) in order to see God’s kingdom on earth (progressivism). Finally, much of the book of Ephesians is devoted to admonishing the individual to find one’s place in the Body of Christ for the benefit of all (existentialism).
The point is this: there is no right philosophy of education. Only you can determine what you believe is the purpose of your family’s education. But decide you must – or you run the risk of having others determine it for you who have a different perspective and worldview.
KEY WORDS: philosophy, view, education, approach, method
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