PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1

Philosophy of Education

Educating adolescents is a significant endeavor that requires a clear philosophy held by

the educator. I ascribe to the Perennialist philosophy as posited by Mortimer Adler and Robert

Hutchins, but I think that Progressivism, as outlined by John Dewey, can be combined with the

former to put a greater focus on the students. Perennialism is rigid, but its fundamentals are

invaluable: a focus on the Great Books along with encouraging students to enjoy learning as a

process, rather than a means to an end, are especially appealing in our career-focused landscape.

I do, however, believe in ameliorating that rigor with Progressivist ideals such as group work and

real-life experience. Combining these two philosophies maximizes the potential for learning

academic content in ways that appeal to individual learners.

Because I am preparing to teach secondary level English, I deeply value the Great Books.

My goal is to give students the opportunity to appreciate literature, learn to write effectively, and

form a robust intelligence. I want to accomplish these Perennialist goals using a Progressive

approach to ensure that each student is engaged in his or her education, thus supporting the needs

of diverse learners. John Banks approach to multicultural education is one way that I plan to

incorporate multiculturalism in my classroom; there are many works written by underrepresented

groups that I intend to teacheven if they are not considered Great Books. Literature lends itself

to group discussion and personal connection as well because it is rooted in humanity,

encouraging the use of a Progressive approach that asserts the importance of the human

experience. I hope to create an environment in which students find the Great Books relevant to

themselves and are willing to share each of their responses to them, gleaning a more critical

understanding. By offering personal reactions, the emphasis is put on the students lives. This

inherently supports students individually, creates an environment in which diversity is valued,

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 2

and provides each student with a pertinent role in the classroom dynamic.

Another aim of mine is to collaborate with those outside the immediate classroom, such

as: families, community, and colleagues. I plan to form a dialogue between parents and myself

by keeping contact with them through phone calls and emails about their childrens progress and

experiences. I will continually reflect on my own practice by conversing with fellow educators

both in my school and out by attending workshops and creating a personal learning network in

which I can glean ideas from multiple educators from a variety of backgrounds. I want to

incorporate values of the community by learning about the cultures that reside within it. This is

beneficial, not only for students, but for myself as a lifelong learner. This exploration will enrich

my knowledge and continually strengthen my teaching abilities in the future. By expanding my

spheres of interaction to include families, community members, and other educators, I hope to

foster a classroom setting that is representative of the lives of my students. Focusing on students

lived experiencesusing these channelsin conjunction with studying the Great Books, will

form a synergy between Progressivism and Perennialism that encourages a love of learning. We

cannot fully appreciate literature without also appreciating the human element that made it and

experiences it.

I am sensitive to the fact that every individual learns differently. Gardner suggests that

there are at least eight different intelligences, ranging from Logical-mathematical, to

Naturalist. My aim is to provide students with a variety of educational experiences that nurture

multiple ways of learning through the use of technology, hands-on activities, and experiences,

such as field trips and outside lessons. Overall, my ambition is to enrich the lives of students

through education that works for each of them. I plan to use Progressive ideals to meet

Perennialist goals that will give my students a useful and meaningful education.