I learned in my Instructional Design class that there are four main educational philosophies: Essentialism, Progressivism, Perennialism, and Existentialism.
In this article, I would like to share the key points that struck me the most:
- Each of us belongs to a certain philosophical group, albeit you can be eclectic.
- The five can be mashed-up to form a super team — where each can display their strength by playing a certain role at any given task.
- Philosophy facilitates or suggests a personal learning process!
- Somehow, your personality is related to your philosophy.
- It is not helpful to box yourself within the walls of a philosophical group which you classified yourself into.
First, let’s take a look at the aspects of learning which are Metaphysics, Epistemology and Axiology.
The main components of an educational system are the curriculum, the methods of instruction and behavior. As you answer the quiz, you would notice your preference for one description over the other. By this time, you sort of know what works best for you.
Let’s identify the four main world philosophies and their educational nature:
1) Idealism believes that the world of mind, ideas and reasons are primary. Mind over matter.
Metaphysics: Their preferred subjects would include those that survived the test of time and combine the symbols and ideas of literature, history, mathematics and sciences of the physical world.
Epistemology: Aim to master a subject which was prescribed to them, usually through personal hard effort, or when taught as a demonstration.
Axiology: They learn by grasping ideas and concepts in order to know the truth, and when they do this, they tend to lean on fundamental knowledge related to the outside world.
2) Realism feels that the universe exists whether the mind perceives it or not. Reality for them is composed of matter (BODY) and form (MIND).
Metaphysics: Their desired curriculum concentrates them on subject matters like English, languages, history, mathematics, natural sciences, fine arts and also philosophy.
Epistemology: They value intellect thus they are the ones that prefer great books, lectures, and discussions as teaching methods.
Axiology: Like idealism, their objective is to know the truth but this is through using their senses and leaning on natural laws.
Pragmatism values experience through experimentation, especially testing if a certain technique works. For them, reality is relative and considered an event whose meaning depends to how they experience it.
Metaphysics: Their curriculum concentrates on problem-solving activities in the social studies, empirical sciences and vocational technology.
Epistemology: Pragmatics love to arrived to a conclusion by inquiry, testing and questioning and re-testing again. All these, they believe, can be achieved by doing guided projects.
Axiology: They love to do things with practical use. Therefore, they see education as a way to grow and it should vary according to the unique needs of an individual. They prefer a cooperative environment rather than a competitive one.
Existentialism focuses on personal and subjective existence. Reality for them is also relative but they find no purpose or meaning to the universe. They just exist as they are, and they believe that truth is subjective.
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism.’’ — Jean Paul Sartre
Metaphysics: As liberals, they choose which principles to follow and not. Their curriculum concentrates them to humanities, history, literature, philosophy and art.
Epistemology: Socratic dialogue is their way of learning.
Axiology: Education is a choice. The learner is a unique, free choosing and responsible creature made up of intellect and emotion. It’s like they are some form of art — they love to be creative and wouldn’t care if they don’t follow the public norm. Education, for them, should develop the uniqueness of a student, a journal toward self-realization.
My mentor pointed out that basing on the characteristics for each of them, we can effectively know which person in a certain group can draw out his/her strength for a certain task:
- For goal setting = “aim higher” = idealists
- For feasibility = “grounded on stable foundation ‘natural law’” = realists
- In choice of means = “utility and practicability” = pragmatists
- In choice of manner = “respect individual freedom” = existentialists
In your case, what role do you play the best in a team?
If you still up for more reading, Let’s continue to part 2!
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