Journal #3 1

Journal #3
Kyndahl Sabin
University of Cincinnati

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Personally, I believe that education should change based on who is being taught.
However, the theory should be consistent. There are several factors that can influence the form of
education including age, race, type of schooling, and background. The overall purpose of
education is to prepare for life by teaching discipline, truth, moral values, and experiences real
life situations. I believe that teaching should be taught by perennialism, or idealism.
Perennialists consider the purpose of schooling is to teach the eternal truths, cultivate the
rational intellect, and develop the spiritual nature of the individual. For the ecclesiastical
perennialists, the highest goal of education is union with God. They also believe that education is
preparation for life- and that- although formal education may end-learning is a lifelong process
(Web, Martha, and Jordan, 2013, p. 77).
The teachers role in education should be to be the main authority. Perennialists are
concerned with training not only the intellect, but also the will. They believe that the teacher has
the obligation to discipline the student in order to train the will (Web, Martha, and Jordan, 2013,
p. 78). There should be discussion within the classroom based on what is being taught. With
discussion, the students minds will open up to outsiders ideas. Along with authorizing and
discussion, teachers should use intellectual questioning. If a student is really focused in the
classroom, they will be truthful about their ideas and beliefs. Teachers should educate using the
didactic model, assessing students on the information they learn after. With testing students, they
will be forced to learn and value what they are taught in the classroom.
Curriculum in the classroom should be based around the same subjects overall, but
should be able to be branched off based on age, background, and interest. Overall, students

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should learn about language and literature, history, mathematics, and science. As stated
previously, students and teachers should have a guide of what should be taught in the classroom,
but should also be able to branch off information based on where the students would like to go
with it. Personally I believe that socratic seminars are good for discussion. Lecturing using
different techniques is nice, but switching things up every now and then is nice too. With socratic
seminars, students get a chance to voice their opinions and learn to cope with hearing and
admiring others views as well.
Previously, when I have been tested on information I observed in a classroom and
discussed with my classmates, I tended to do better on tests that when I taught myself. Everyone
is different and all students learn better from different ways, but I still feel as if teaching and then
testing works the best. I seem to be able to associate discussions from in the classroom and
lecture to test questions, making the information easy to obtain.
Parents and students should both be interested in a childs learning. Teachers benefit with
support from at home because it pushes a child to have the will to succeed. If the majority of kids
want to succeed, a teachers job will be easier and more beneficial.
If I had to pick one theory that I disagree with the most, I would pick existentialism. This
theory states that a teacher's role should be to council, facilitate, and help understand. I disagree
with this because I feel as if the most important role in a classroom is structure. To me, it is not
helpful to learn in a disorganized setting. If there are not boundaries set, how is a student
supposed to know what is too much, and what is not enough?

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References
Webb, L.D., Metha, A., & Jordan, K. F. (2013). Foundations of American Education. Columbus,

OH: Pearson Education, Inc.