I tend to follow the philosophy of a progressivist. I feel that education is a life long experience. A childs education needs to be linked to their lifestyle. Incorporate emotion, body, and spirit into the educational setting. Progressivist are active learners and active members of society. Content is better comprehended when it relates to their being.
I follow the philosophy of the essentialist. With the demands of the SOLs(although they are just the minimum requirements), the student really needs to conform to the curriculum and not the other way around.
I am definitely a constructivist. (I actually wrote a paper about this in undergrad 9 years ago, and I still agree.) I feel very strongly of the need for students to take responsibility for their own learning, and for the teacher to facilitate that learning (not dictate) by providing opportunities for students to learn by doing. I do not subscribe to any one method of instruction, I just use what I need to use when the situation calls for it. My ultimate desire is to educate children to be able to gain the knowledge, but more importantly to be able to use that knowledge as a responsible, well-educated member of society.
I think that the philosophy of progressivism best relates to my beliefs about education. I feel that children learn best when they are actively experiencing the world around them. It is important for them to relate to what is being taught and make meaningful connections. I believe that education should be student-centered, regardless of the ability levels of students. Learning is a life long process and we must continue to be avid thinkers and learners our whole lives.
I think the philosophy the best suits my beliefs is the philosophy of progressists. I think that learning is a life long process. We can't teach each child the same, therefore we must provide for individual differences in learning. Progressivist show concern for the student, society, and subject matter while placing the student at the center of the learing process.
I would have to say that I follow the progressivist philosophy. I believe that children learn by doing and experiencing things "hands on." Experience is the greatest education in life and that is why I think that learning is a life long process. I also feel that a teachers job goes beyond teaching. We serve as counselors and facilitators to the students.
I believe that I follow the progressivism philosophy. I believe that a student will learn the most from hands on experience. It also provides instant feedback to the student and they are able to correct what they need to on thier own.
I am a cross between a progressivist and an essentialist. Again, I think it depends on the situation. Most of the time, I am a progressivist. I am child-centered and strongly believe that education is not a product to be learned but a process that continues as long as one lives, however, I believe that there are some skills that are being lost in todays education. I believe that there are some things that students need learn by memorization or by rote like their math facts. Many students, today, don't know them. I think, again, there is a time and a place for everything. Balance. I'm an advocate for Progressivism with a "hint" of Essentialism.
I am a progressivist. I feel that it is our duty as educators, to prepare our students to want to always learn new things. As everything changes, so must the learner. With technology for example, most of us grew up understanding what we needed to, but with the technology still changing and improving, we constantly need to learn about it and the changes in order to help teach someone else about it. We need to help our students understand that even if they do not realize it, they to will need to learn about things that will forever be changing. Learning is a never ending process that we all experience everyday.
I feel that I want to be more progressivist; however, as someone mentioned in an earlier post, SOLs seem to mandate that classroom teachers be essentialists. I do believe that learning must be child-centered, and I do believe that even in an essentialist instructional setting, one can still pursue a type of progressivism. For example, while going over something that is 'ON THE TEST,' one can see an area in which a child is taking interest and take a few moments to delve deeper into that subject to further peak the child's interest. After doing that, one can help the child, through a type of guided discovery, pursure his/her interest further (a little later on because, ultimately, one must return to one's SOL instruction). Therefore, I am a 'progressive' essentialist!
I really like the philosophy of reconstructionism and would love to see it in action. Youth will shape and run this world - why shouldn't they take on pressing social ills and problems that will impact their lives? Could they do anything worse that what we've been doing? Okay, okay. Not practical, I guess. Progressivism would be closest, then, to my beliefs in that education is not just "of the moment" - we should be prepared to learn throughout our lives.
For me the philosophy would be "progressivism", being a special education teacher I feel that the students needs should be given to them by the school to provide for learners' individual differences in the sense of the term, encompassing mental, physical, emotional, spiritual social, and cultural differences.
I would be what the author would call a progressive essentialist. It is important to be student centered, but there are essential goals we have for education that are not necessarily changed for each child. My lean towards essentialism probably has to do with the level I teach. As the author eluded, part of the lean towards essentialism is how difficult it is for a secondary teacher with 100+ students a day to be student centered. I would guess that in general you would find more progressism in elementary school teachers and essenialism in secondary school teachers simply because of the number of students they see each day.
I believe that I am a essentialist but it seems hard to fit into a category. The thing that stood out for me was the essentialists seek to adjust men and women to society. We need to try to create students who can operate in our society as it exists. Society does not seem to want to change to fit our students. I can find value in all four approaches though.
I believe my personal philosophy would be progressivism. I believe that education continues throughout one's entire life. I also believe that you learn by doing. If they can make a connection to real life situations, things stick with them better.
I agree with James on being a progressive essentialist. I would say that I am leaning more toward being an essentialist with a little progressivism on the side. Societal changes mostly occur over an extended period of time, therefore, I believe for students to be successful in today's society, they would have to conform to some extent. But teaching should be student centered and learning is a life-long process.
I believe that I relate most to a progressivist philosophy. I feel that education does continue as long as one lives due to the ever-changing world around us and we feel that we must keep up. I feel that the student should be placed at the center of the learning process for the reason that we are educators is to promote the success of all students. As a teacher, I see myself as a facilitator of learning.
My personal philosophy relates to the progressivism philosophy. I believe that education is a life long journey and people learn best when the learning can be related to their life experiences. The needs of the learner must be put first in order for the learner to learn effectively. The learner should be the center of the learning process.
My thought change I read each post. Being a lower elementary teacher for a long time I agree with the progressivism philosophy. We need to be child centered and meet students at their individual levels. However, after one year in fifth grade I am seeing more of the essentialist. I feel that sometimes we set students up for an "all about me society." Students can't feel as if things are always going to adjust to their needs. They will sometimes have to be the ones to conform.
I believe my philosophy is more along the lines of progressivism. I feel the statement that "the good school is concerned with every kind of learning that helps students, young and old, to grow. No single body of content, no system of course, no universal method of teaching is appropriate" sums up how we should meet the individual needs of all students for them to be successful with their learning.
Actually, when I first started in education, I did believe in the progressive philosophy. However, after working in education for the past 7 years and being in a school division that was low-performing, and being a part of the faculty and leadership that has turned our division into a high-performing school due to Effective School Research and professional develop, I now find myself leaning toward the Essentialist model due to the fact that I believe in preserving the diverse culture of the individual student, meeting them where they are according to instruction, and moving them toward achievement and success based on the curriculum framework that incorporates the knowledge and skills the student must have in order to meet the state mandates and be successful at that grade level.
I most align myself with the Gestalt philosophy. This is mostly true based on my background as a School Social Worker. I believe that learning should encompass "the whole child" by using a holistic approach. Unfortunatley, with standardized testing, educators are less likely to use this approach because it is not fact driven.
I related to combination of philosophies called progressive essentialist. I like the progressivism ideas to measure growth and progress as it relates to an individual, to care for the individual and their needs, and not to dictate everyone learn the same thing at the same time. But I am also a realist, and I know that there is essential knowledge. I like the perspective of combining the two.
I am definitely a progressivist. Education is a life long journey. Children have to be active learners if they want to get to know the answers to all/many of their questions they will have in life.
My personal philosophy is progressivism. Several of the key points related to my belief. Needs and interests of learners should be considered by understanding that our students come in with bodies, emotions and spirits to school along with their minds. However, the major aspect that I believe is that education is not a product to be learned, but a process that is life-long.
My philosophy relates to the essentialism philosophy. Essentialism emphases that students should be disciplined, focused, and motivated in core knowledge subjects in order to be productive citizens of society. My philosophy contains many of same beliefs.
Donna Fortune I enjoyed reading the different philosophies. I, too, would be what the author would call a progressive essentialist. I feel it is important to teach the whole child, but I also see the value of the missing rote learning in todays classrooms. Every person is different, we all have our own learning styles, experiential backgrounds and experiences. Teaching skills to the whole child can be done, it just takes more time and preparation on the part of the teachers.
I think that my personal philosophy would best be categorized as progressive. Not only do I believe that children should be life-long learners, but I have taken that philosophy for myself. Learning information does us no good unless it is applied to and throughout our lives.
Student focus should be the goal of all educators. I often get upset when I hear educators say things like, " I'm not concerned about what happens on the bus...that is not my problem." It is if we think of the "whole-child" and not just the body that is in our classroom for the instructional day.
As a first grade teacher, I lean towards progressivism. It is so important that the students I am teaching acquire the basic skills to read and write and that requires me to meet them on their level and begin with the skills that they already have. By meeting the students were they are when they enter my room, I am able to make school more personal for them, which helps them to be mre comfortable and more likely to want to learn and do better.
I tend to be a progressive, but I have some essentialist tendencies. I believe in the education of the whole child and developing the child as a learner, for learning never stops. As an essentialist, I believe that there are universal truths and a focus on the basics that all students need. It is part of the role of education to transmit culture.
In teaching aspects in my classroom I often try to begin as an essentialist and end in the progressive theory. One of the most vital teaching components is making the curriculum relevant for the students, which is precisely what the progressive view does.
In order to meet certain objectives I am an essentialist. Certain things need to be assigned-studies-Recited and tested (i.e. multiplication facts). On the other hand, progressivism promotes a higher level of learning and the independent learner. The student that seeks the answers without being prompted. When I deliver instruction, I try to balance the two philosphies as they are both effective.
In reading chapter 6 in the text, I think my philosophy goes along with the progressivism ideology. The learning process is continual and should be an active process with the student at the center.
I am definately motivated more toward the progressivist position. I have learned to understand students bring in their body, mind, emotions and spirits into the classroom. As a high school teacher I am constantly dealing with the emotions of your typical teenager. There have been times where I have had to deal with students who have just broken up with their boyfriend/girlfriend, athletic injuries that require assistance in the classroom (either help with getting them to and from class or even elevating their leg for ice), and most unfortunately deaths that they may be mourning. I understand that educating my students is my main priority but I feel that creating a strong rapport with my students aids me in creating an efficient partnership. I beleive that we (adults and youths) are constantly learning from each other, it may be in Geometry class or it may be in the office consoling a student. This is why I agree with the statement "Education is life."
I lean towards progressivist AND essentialist viewpoints. Like the progressivists, I believe that education is not a product to be learned but a process that continues throughout life. Like the essentialists, I believe that education helps prepare us for life.
Being an alternative teacher, I feel that I lean toward the progressive philosophy of education. The classroom has to be child-centered and consider the needs of the child, because the environment and children are constantly changing in this type of setting.
I change every day, and I think for good reasons. Today, I'm a constructivist. Education is at its best (or its only) when ownership is taken by each learner.
My philosophy leans towards an Essentialist. I truly believe education prepares us for life. With the economy is such a rough shape and finding a job becomes harder on a yearly basis, it is essential that someone has an extended education. It is getting to the point to where you not only have trouble finding a job with a college degree, but it is becoming even harder if you do not have a masters.
When considering the four philosophies of education, my educational philosophy most closely resembles that of the Essentialists. Essentialists believe that there is a common core of knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in a systematic way. The emphasis is on intellectual and moral standards. The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and skills with academic rigor. Schools should prepare students to become valuable members of society while focusing on the basics.
For my philosophy of education, I feel like I make my best attempt to combine the methodologies of essentialism and progressivism. I make my best attempt to work with quantitative measurable goals in mind as well as provide highly efficient instruction in a least restrictive,student centered learning environment. It is under this premise that I think I work within both schools of thought.
I believe that my philosophy is that of a progressivist. I feel that in the field of business education it is vital to make things that we do in class translate to real world events. I believe that an education is a life-long process, and if I can get my students to make the connection between what we do today and the things they will do tomorrow, they will be much better students and learners.
I tend to follow the philosophy of a progressivist. I feel that education is a life long experience. A childs education needs to be linked to their lifestyle. Incorporate emotion, body, and spirit into the educational setting. Progressivist are active learners and active members of society. Content is better comprehended when it relates to their being.
ReplyDeleteI follow the philosophy of the essentialist. With the demands of the SOLs(although they are just the minimum requirements), the student really needs to conform to the curriculum and not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a constructivist. (I actually wrote a paper about this in undergrad 9 years ago, and I still agree.) I feel very strongly of the need for students to take responsibility for their own learning, and for the teacher to facilitate that learning (not dictate) by providing opportunities for students to learn by doing. I do not subscribe to any one method of instruction, I just use what I need to use when the situation calls for it. My ultimate desire is to educate children to be able to gain the knowledge, but more importantly to be able to use that knowledge as a responsible, well-educated member of society.
ReplyDeleteI think that the philosophy of progressivism best relates to my beliefs about education. I feel that children learn best when they are actively experiencing the world around them. It is important for them to relate to what is being taught and make meaningful connections. I believe that education should be student-centered, regardless of the ability levels of students. Learning is a life long process and we must continue to be avid thinkers and learners our whole lives.
ReplyDeleteI think the philosophy the best suits my beliefs is the philosophy of progressists. I think that learning is a life long process. We can't teach each child the same, therefore we must provide for individual differences in learning. Progressivist show concern for the student, society, and subject matter while placing the student at the center of the learing process.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I follow the progressivist philosophy. I believe that children learn by doing and experiencing things "hands on." Experience is the greatest education in life and that is why I think that learning is a life long process. I also feel that a teachers job goes beyond teaching. We serve as counselors and facilitators to the students.
ReplyDeleteI believe that I follow the progressivism philosophy. I believe that a student will learn the most from hands on experience. It also provides instant feedback to the student and they are able to correct what they need to on thier own.
ReplyDeleteI am a cross between a progressivist and an essentialist. Again, I think it depends on the situation. Most of the time, I am a progressivist. I am child-centered and strongly believe that education is not a product to be learned but a process that continues as long as one lives, however, I believe that there are some skills that are being lost in todays education. I believe that there are some things that students need learn by memorization or by rote like their math facts. Many students, today, don't know them.
ReplyDeleteI think, again, there is a time and a place for everything. Balance. I'm an advocate for Progressivism with a "hint" of Essentialism.
I am a progressivist. I feel that it is our duty as educators, to prepare our students to want to always learn new things. As everything changes, so must the learner. With technology for example, most of us grew up understanding what we needed to, but with the technology still changing and improving, we constantly need to learn about it and the changes in order to help teach someone else about it. We need to help our students understand that even if they do not realize it, they to will need to learn about things that will forever be changing. Learning is a never ending process that we all experience everyday.
ReplyDeleteI feel that I want to be more progressivist; however, as someone mentioned in an earlier post, SOLs seem to mandate that classroom teachers be essentialists. I do believe that learning must be child-centered, and I do believe that even in an essentialist instructional setting, one can still pursue a type of progressivism. For example, while going over something that is 'ON THE TEST,' one can see an area in which a child is taking interest and take a few moments to delve deeper into that subject to further peak the child's interest. After doing that, one can help the child, through a type of guided discovery, pursure his/her interest further (a little later on because, ultimately, one must return to one's SOL instruction). Therefore, I am a 'progressive' essentialist!
ReplyDeleteI really like the philosophy of reconstructionism and would love to see it in action. Youth will shape and run this world - why shouldn't they take on pressing social ills and problems that will impact their lives? Could they do anything worse that what we've been doing? Okay, okay. Not practical, I guess. Progressivism would be closest, then, to my beliefs in that education is not just "of the moment" - we should be prepared to learn throughout our lives.
ReplyDeleteFor me the philosophy would be "progressivism", being a special education teacher I feel that the students needs should be given to them by the school to provide for learners' individual differences in the sense of the term, encompassing mental, physical, emotional, spiritual social, and cultural differences.
ReplyDeleteI would be what the author would call a progressive essentialist. It is important to be student centered, but there are essential goals we have for education that are not necessarily changed for each child. My lean towards essentialism probably has to do with the level I teach. As the author eluded, part of the lean towards essentialism is how difficult it is for a secondary teacher with 100+ students a day to be student centered. I would guess that in general you would find more progressism in elementary school teachers and essenialism in secondary school teachers simply because of the number of students they see each day.
ReplyDeleteI believe that I am a essentialist but it seems hard to fit into a category. The thing that stood out for me was the essentialists seek to adjust men and women to society. We need to try to create students who can operate in our society as it exists. Society does not seem to want to change to fit our students. I can find value in all four approaches though.
ReplyDeleteI believe my personal philosophy would be progressivism. I believe that education continues throughout one's entire life. I also believe that you learn by doing. If they can make a connection to real life situations, things stick with them better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James on being a progressive essentialist. I would say that I am leaning more toward being an essentialist with a little progressivism on the side. Societal changes mostly occur over an extended period of time, therefore, I believe for students to be successful in today's society, they would have to conform to some extent. But teaching should be student centered and learning is a life-long process.
ReplyDeleteI believe that I relate most to a progressivist philosophy. I feel that education does continue as long as one lives due to the ever-changing world around us and we feel that we must keep up. I feel that the student should be placed at the center of the learning process for the reason that we are educators is to promote the success of all students. As a teacher, I see myself as a facilitator of learning.
ReplyDeleteMy personal philosophy relates to the progressivism philosophy. I believe that education is a life long journey and people learn best when the learning can be related to their life experiences. The needs of the learner must be put first in order for the learner to learn effectively. The learner should be the center of the learning process.
ReplyDeleteMy thought change I read each post. Being a lower elementary teacher for a long time I agree with the progressivism philosophy. We need to be child centered and meet students at their individual levels. However, after one year in fifth grade I am seeing more of the essentialist. I feel that sometimes we set students up for an "all about me society." Students can't feel as if things are always going to adjust to their needs. They will sometimes have to be the ones to conform.
ReplyDeleteI believe my philosophy is more along the lines of progressivism. I feel the statement that "the good school is concerned with every kind of learning that helps students, young and old, to grow. No single body of content, no system of course, no universal method of teaching is appropriate" sums up how we should meet the individual needs of all students for them to be successful with their learning.
ReplyDeleteActually, when I first started in education, I did believe in the progressive philosophy. However, after working in education for the past 7 years and being in a school division that was low-performing, and being a part of the faculty and leadership that has turned our division into a high-performing school due to Effective School Research and professional develop, I now find myself leaning toward the Essentialist model due to the fact that I believe in preserving the diverse culture of the individual student, meeting them where they are according to instruction, and moving them toward achievement and success based on the curriculum framework that incorporates the knowledge and skills the student must have in order to meet the state mandates and be successful at that grade level.
ReplyDeleteI most align myself with the Gestalt philosophy. This is mostly true based on my background as a School Social Worker. I believe that learning should encompass "the whole child" by using a holistic approach. Unfortunatley, with standardized testing, educators are less likely to use this approach because it is not fact driven.
ReplyDeleteI related to combination of philosophies called progressive essentialist. I like the progressivism ideas to measure growth and progress as it relates to an individual, to care for the individual and their needs, and not to dictate everyone learn the same thing at the same time. But I am also a realist, and I know that there is essential knowledge. I like the perspective of combining the two.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a progressivist. Education is a life long journey. Children have to be active learners if they want to get to know the answers to all/many of their questions they will have in life.
ReplyDeleteMy personal philosophy is progressivism. Several of the key points related to my belief. Needs and interests of learners should be considered by understanding that our students come in with bodies, emotions and spirits to school along with their minds. However, the major aspect that I believe is that education is not a product to be learned, but a process that is life-long.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy relates to the essentialism philosophy. Essentialism emphases that students should be disciplined, focused, and motivated in core knowledge subjects in order to be productive citizens of society. My philosophy contains many of same beliefs.
ReplyDeleteDonna Fortune
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the different philosophies.
I, too, would be what the author would call a progressive essentialist. I feel it is important to teach the whole child, but I also see the value of the missing rote learning in todays classrooms. Every person is different, we all have our own learning styles, experiential backgrounds and experiences. Teaching skills to the whole child can be done, it just takes more time and preparation on the part of the teachers.
I think that my personal philosophy would best be categorized as progressive. Not only do I believe that children should be life-long learners, but I have taken that philosophy for myself. Learning information does us no good unless it is applied to and throughout our lives.
ReplyDeleteStudent focus should be the goal of all educators. I often get upset when I hear educators say things like, " I'm not concerned about what happens on the bus...that is not my problem." It is if we think of the "whole-child" and not just the body that is in our classroom for the instructional day.
As a first grade teacher, I lean towards progressivism. It is so important that the students I am teaching acquire the basic skills to read and write and that requires me to meet them on their level and begin with the skills that they already have. By meeting the students were they are when they enter my room, I am able to make school more personal for them, which helps them to be mre comfortable and more likely to want to learn and do better.
ReplyDeleteI tend to be a progressive, but I have some essentialist tendencies. I believe in the education of the whole child and developing the child as a learner, for learning never stops. As an essentialist, I believe that there are universal truths and a focus on the basics that all students need. It is part of the role of education to transmit culture.
ReplyDeleteIn teaching aspects in my classroom I often try to begin as an essentialist and end in the progressive theory. One of the most vital teaching components is making the curriculum relevant for the students, which is precisely what the progressive view does.
ReplyDeleteIn order to meet certain objectives I am an essentialist. Certain things need to be assigned-studies-Recited and tested (i.e. multiplication facts). On the other hand, progressivism promotes a higher level of learning and the independent learner. The student that seeks the answers without being prompted. When I deliver instruction, I try to balance the two philosphies as they are both effective.
ReplyDeleteIn reading chapter 6 in the text, I think my philosophy goes along with the progressivism ideology. The learning process is continual and should be an active process with the student at the center.
ReplyDeleteI am definately motivated more toward the progressivist position. I have learned to understand students bring in their body, mind, emotions and spirits into the classroom. As a high school teacher I am constantly dealing with the emotions of your typical teenager. There have been times where I have had to deal with students who have just broken up with their boyfriend/girlfriend, athletic injuries that require assistance in the classroom (either help with getting them to and from class or even elevating their leg for ice), and most unfortunately deaths that they may be mourning. I understand that educating my students is my main priority but I feel that creating a strong rapport with my students aids me in creating an efficient partnership. I beleive that we (adults and youths) are constantly learning from each other, it may be in Geometry class or it may be in the office consoling a student. This is why I agree with the statement "Education is life."
ReplyDeleteI lean towards progressivist AND essentialist viewpoints. Like the progressivists, I believe that education is not a product to be learned but a process that continues throughout life. Like the essentialists, I believe that education helps prepare us for life.
ReplyDeleteBeing an alternative teacher, I feel that I lean toward the progressive philosophy of education. The classroom has to be child-centered and consider the needs of the child, because the environment and children are constantly changing in this type of setting.
ReplyDeleteI change every day, and I think for good reasons. Today, I'm a constructivist. Education is at its best (or its only) when ownership is taken by each learner.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy leans towards an Essentialist. I truly believe education prepares us for life. With the economy is such a rough shape and finding a job becomes harder on a yearly basis, it is essential that someone has an extended education. It is getting to the point to where you not only have trouble finding a job with a college degree, but it is becoming even harder if you do not have a masters.
ReplyDeleteWhen considering the four philosophies of education, my educational philosophy most closely resembles that of the Essentialists. Essentialists believe that there is a common core of knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in a systematic way. The emphasis is on intellectual and moral standards. The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and skills with academic rigor. Schools should prepare students to become valuable members of society while focusing on the basics.
ReplyDeleteFor my philosophy of education, I feel like I make my best attempt to combine the methodologies of essentialism and progressivism. I make my best attempt to work with quantitative measurable goals in mind as well as provide highly efficient instruction in a least restrictive,student centered learning environment. It is under this premise that I think I work within both schools of thought.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my philosophy is that of a progressivist. I feel that in the field of business education it is vital to make things that we do in class translate to real world events. I believe that an education is a life-long process, and if I can get my students to make the connection between what we do today and the things they will do tomorrow, they will be much better students and learners.
ReplyDelete