The History of American Education - The Ism's

Idealism:
This way of thinking is considered the oldest philosophy where the primary concerns are reason and ideas, consistently using the idea of mind over matter. The idealist connects the ideas of mind, soul, and spirit into one self. This kind of thinker believes that knowledge includes grasps of ideas and concepts and that it is especially important to master the science of logic. Idealists also believe that order is an important element of reality and is also the basic to understanding the nature of values, which also can and should be ordered. As far as educational implications are concerned, for the idealist the purpose of schooling is basically to encourage spiritual and intellectual development. The type of curriculum that this type of thinker responds best to is one that explores ideas from the past and gives many chances to discuss and think through those ideas and concepts. The idealist as a teacher would be incredibly full of knowledge that pertains to any classic concepts or books and encourages the idea that the teacher is the source of authority for students.

Realism:
Another older philosophies, realism contrasts idealism in many ways. Realism supports the idea that the world of things is superior to the world of ideas, which is opposite of idealism. Although realists believe reality is made up of both mind and body, it is explained that the physical aspects are not believed to be possible without them being created or recognized by the mind. The belief is that reality is external. Realists believe that knowledge comes through the senses and use rational thinking, sensing, and perception to know and understand the things around them. Other concepts like deductive logic and the scientific method are practiced by realists. Realists also take on the belief that values come from nature and are a reflection of orderliness and rationality. With that said, realists believe schooling is basically for teaching moral and intellectual virtue and helping students build their power of reasoning. This theory is represented best in a curriculum full of focus on natural laws and basics (mathematics, science, language, literature, and history) taught through a variety of instructional methods. Realists consider the teacher and students both as learners, with learning being an unending process. Their belief is that the teacher's purpose is to be a model of the concepts of belief and to teach students how to think clearly and understand the material world.

Pragmatism:
This way of thinking is based on experience. Reality is something that is subject to change at anytime. For a pragmatist, knowledge is from scientific inquiry, testing, questioning, and retesting and never has a true conclusion. Values are constructed by experience and are tentative. The pragmatist deals with concerns for social consequences, what can a larger body of people benefit from. Pragmatists determine beauty by what is felt, seen, and touched. This set of ideals believes that the purpose of education is a combination of modeling a progressive democratic society and promoting experience through problem solving and the use of the scientific method. A curriculum that works best for a pragmatist is one that works with subject integration and student experience in the form of problem solving, experimentation, collaborative learning, hands-on learning, as well well as social interaction and group learning. Pragmatism supports the belief that the teacher's main purpose is to model experimental knowledge while working to be a form of project director in the classroom. The teacher should model reflective thinking and the application of the scientific method.

Existentialism:
This philosophy is the latest set of ideas that basically started as a revolt against the previous philosophies. The focus of this concept is on personal and subjective existence, encouraging people that we are not put on the planet for a specific purpose or meaning, and we must create our own meaning. This entire system of beliefs is focused on the individual. Each person must decide their fate, values, truth, and boundaries, and each person is his or her own authority. Choice is a standing theme for all concepts, without norms or standards - also referred to as free will. As far as the concept of school is concerned, existentialists believe that school is basically to prepare students for decision making and to take responsibility for and deal with the results of those choices and their actions. Education is meant to foster self-discovery, which is best done through a curriculum that emphasizes individual and personal learning with student-centered planning. The students should be trusted with the ability to make authentic and responsible decisions, leaving the teacher to basically help and guide students to their potential. These student-teacher relationships are more personal and interactive than others and are even better with teachers that display qualities like imagination and insight.


Reflection:
The philosophy that I fall under is existentialism. The first thing I noticed about this particular philosophy on the chart was that it was under the term "nonauthoritarian" which I found relatively truth to my personality. I do not believe in standing in front of the class and being the sole authority figure, demanding quizzes and tests, and forcing a fake version of respect between themselves and myself. My beliefs lie in existentialism mostly because of the idea of student-centered learning. Who knows themselves better than the students themselves? The best way to reach them, is to guide them to reaching themselves, teaching themselves. They know better than I do in the beginning which ways they like learning, learn best, feel connected to the subjects, and why they get thrown off or disconnected from the classroom. I can learn the most about how to teach the students from the students themselves, which is a concept completely supported by existentialism. In viewing the definitions of constructivism and reconstructionism I found that constructivism is "a theory of knowledge which argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences" and reconstructionism is " a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy" - each of these theories have a highlight of my personal beliefs. For constructivism, I definitely believe that students will always learn best from experience, that is something I intend to promote thoroughly in my classroom. For reconstructionism, I believe that students should be working towards bettering our society, beginning at a young age and time. This element is incredibly important for them to be adapting to ways that they can move forward and connect with and make changes in society. Giving them those connections early on will give them the confidence that they need to make changes.