Within the epistemological realm of knowledge and how humans come to learn new things within a particular duration, several philosophies of education explain the various aspects surrounding acquiring knowledge between different stages of life. Most of these educational philosophies are currently actively used in multiple settings, including classrooms, focusing on the ideal things taught in classrooms and perhaps applied in the curriculum aspect. These philosophies are idealism, perennialism, experimentalism, realism, and existentialism; and, they differ in three significant aspects, including epistemology, metaphysics, and axiology. Although there's not much literature covered concerning educational philosophies, this paper incorporates several sources to provide an in-depth evaluation and description of the above-mentioned educational philosophies.
Idealism – The concept of idealism refers to a metaphysical view that associates reality to mind-based ideas and thoughts rather than to material objects or material possessions. The latter focuses more on the subject-matter curriculum with more practicability of the cultural aspect to ponder ideas and make them a whole through actualization. According to “ Child Development”, (2021), idealistic persons regard thoughts of the mind and spirit as the most critical aspect of a human being. Ideas presented concerning idealism relate it to a religious view, where there's a belief in a supernatural being and divine reality that transcends an individual's inherent sensory awareness and understanding.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Perennialism - This educational philosophy advocates for students to majorly understand all events surrounding western civilization as the ideas are capable of providing long-lasting solutions in any given era. Consequently, the philosophy's focus is to teach every student long-lasting concepts which they can seek enduring truths that remain constant all the time as the human and natural worlds remain at their basic levels without changing (“ Child Development”, 2021 ). The philosophy argues in favor of general teaching of unchanging principles, including the rationality of life and the mind's development as a prerequisite to standard and quality living. The fundamental reason behind educational processes Is the cultivation of the intellectual capacity to make critical decisions wisely in the future.
Experimentalism – This educational philosophy agues on the validity and truth presented through empiricism and experiments. The philosophy argues that an investigation is necessary for sentiments to be regarded as true or false where every theoretical perspective Is evaluated based on its usefulness and applicability in real-life instances (Witty, 1933). The experimentalism concept theory is considered knowledgeable, informative and focuses primarily on direct action and scientific control. The experimentalism concept is not commonly applicable due to its complexity and belief that the nature of an experience is designed so that for constructive learning to take place, freedom of purposeful activity is a necessity.
Realism – According to Realism educational philosophy, education's primary role is to help a learner understand human society, nature, motives, institutions, and how these different entities cooperate to give humans a joyful experience. In general, education ought to explain to students and pupils how they are directly related to the world, associate together, and work in conjunction with the world of nature. The philosophy maintains that people should seek to study and embrace critical thinking, logic, and the scientific method that quickly helps one understand and appreciate nature. The theory emphasizes teaching by real-life examples rather than theoretical forms where processes are explained in diagrams.
Existentialism – Existentialism educational philosophy declines the presence or existence of authoritative truths concerning metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology. The philosophy argues that every individual is responsible for making personal decisions and perhaps answerable for all vices and shortcomings experienced at any point in life. According to “ Child Development”, (2021), An existentialist does not believe in the right perspective of perceiving things and a universal form of human nature but holds that people have individual capabilities to make critical decisions on what is "good" or "bad," "beautiful" or "ugly." For example, in an existentialist classroom, the subject matter only takes the second place while explaining and ensuring students understand and appreciate themselves as exceptional versions of human beings.
The above-mentioned educational philosophies share common characteristics where students are encouraged to seek new information and expand personal knowledge. My beliefs are reflected in each of these theories in one way or another. Idealism and perennialism educational philosophies reflect my beliefs. The philosophies champion knowledgeability amongst classrooms; this entails a situation where students are taught about western civilization and relate with real-life scenarios in making critical-decisions. On the other hand, realism and experimentalism refer to the actualization of spoken ideas to ascertain their validity and credibility. As such, the philosophy reflects my beliefs in that I trust opinions should be made practical to determine their usefulness. Some ideal when actualized reveal their void nature and can be easily eliminated when making useful choices.
Among all the above discussed educational philosophies, realism most reflects my beliefs and understanding concerning life's nature. Realism educational philosophy advocates for the general provisioning of education to everyone; this helps students understand their roles in life, their relation with the natural environment, and their responsibilities regarding co-existence with the natural environment. The specific argument of the philosophy making it correspond to my beliefs is that pupils and students should be taught the essentiality of thinking logically and rationally and making critical decisions by themselves. I strongly concur with realism educational philosophy for its practicability and ease of application, unlike some educational philosophies that dwell on theoretical explanations. The realism theory advises individuals to think logically and engage all senses before coming-up with a final decision. Besides, this theory suggests teachers ensure students are informed of the importance and usefulness of critical-decision making skills in life.
References
Child Development. (2021). What Are Educational Philosophies? Retrieved 26 February 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-hostos-child-development-education/chapter/what-are-education-philosophies/.
Witty, P. A. (1933). Educational philosophy and experimentalism ∗ . Religious Education, 28(4), 303–306. doi:10.1080/0034408330280413
