This document discusses four major educational philosophies - Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Reconstructionism - and how they influence curriculum. Perennialism advocates teaching timeless concepts and values through subjects like history, literature and philosophy. Essentialism focuses on teaching core academic subjects and traditional values. Progressivism emphasizes experiential, student-centered, collaborative and real-world learning. Reconstructionism believes education should analyze and address social problems to rebuild society.

2. PHILOSOPHICAL
FOUNDATIONS
AND
CURRICULUM

3. What is Philosophy?
The word philosophy is a combination of the Greek word
“philos” (love) and “sophia” (wisdom) which translated
means “love of wisdom”. Philosophers are people who
seek after wisdom and curious about the world seeking
to understand the nature of things. Oftentimes, the
result of philosophy is not so much putting forward new
philosophies or propositions but making existing
philosophies or propositions clearer.

4. • Philosophers study the works of other
philosophers and state anew what others have
put forward as well as proposing new
philosophies. A philosopher can be a person
who knows philosophy even though he or she
engages in little or no philosophising. Philosophy
also refers to the collective works of other
philosophers. It can mean the academic
exploration of various questions raised by
philosophers.

5. Philosophical Foundations
 Philosophy gives direction to curriculum in
terms of its goals and objectives;
 The schools underlying beliefs and values
have impact on curriculum content and
choice of appropriate instructional strategies
and learning activities in implementing the
curriculum.
Some philosphical beliefs that undergird
the curricula of schools are as follows:

6. Educational philosophies
Although aspects of educational philosophy
can be derived from the roots of idealism,
realism, pragmatism and existentialism, a
common educational philosophies for their
implications in the area of curriculum
development.
• i) Perennialism
• ii) Progressivism
• iii) Essentialism, and
• iv) Reconstructionism.

7. Basic Philosophical Fundamental Idea(s) Curricular Implications
System
Idealism (Plato)  Importance of mind Subject matter/Content focused
and spirit and of on believing that this is essential
developing them in to mental and oral development
the learner
 Reality is in the ideas
independent of sense
and experience
Realism (Aristotle)  Truth can be Curriculum is a subject-centered,
tested/proven organized from simple to
 Knowledge is derived complex and stressing to
from sense mastery of facts and dev’t of
experience process and objective skills and
focused to Science and Math.
Pragmatism  The world is a world  Provisions for direct
(Dewey, Rousseau,  of change; experiences
man can know  Activity /learner-
W. James) anything within his centered
experience  Basis- problems of
 Belief in “learning by democratic society
doing”

8. Basic Philosophical Fundamental Idea(s) Curricular
Systems Implications
Perennialism Human beings are Subject matter consists
rational and their of perennial basic
existence remain the education of rational
same throughout men: history, language,
differing environments math, logic science, arts
.
Existentialism Reality is a matter of  curriculum stresses
individual existence. activity.
 recognition of individual
Focus on conscious differences
awareness of choice.  opportunities for making
choice
Essentialism There are certain ideas  Curriculum focused on
that men should know assimilation of
for social stability prescribed basic subject
matter
 3Rs,
 history, science math
Reconstructionism Schools are the chief Curriculum shd include

9. Perennialism
• What is Perennialism?
Perennial means "everlasting," like a perennial flower that
blooms year after year.
Perennialism, the oldest and most conservative educational
philosophy has its roots in the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle.
Two modern day proponents of perennialism are Robert
Hutchins and Mortimer Adler. The perennialists believed that
humans are rational and the aim of education is “to improve man
as man” (Hutchins, 1953). The answers to all educational
questions derive from the answer to one question: What is
human nature? According to them, human nature is constant
and humans have the ability to understand the universal truths of
nature. Thus, the aim of education is to develop the rational
person and to uncover universal truths by training the intellect.
Towards developing one’s moral and spiritual being, character
education should be emphasised.

10. • The perennialists believed that these are
history's finest thinkers and writers. Their
ideas are profound and meaningful even
today as when they were written. When
students are immersed in the study of
these profound and enduring ideas, they
will appreciate learning for its own sake as
well as develop their intellectual powers
and moral qualities.

11. • Perennialists were not keen on
allowing students to take electives
(except second languages) such as
vocational and life-adjustment
subjects. They argued that these
subjects denied students the
opportunity to fully develop their
rational powers.
•The perennialists criticised the vast amount of
disjointed factual information that educators have
required students to absorb. They urge that teachers
should spend more time teaching concepts and
explaining how these concepts are meaningful to
students.

12. It advocates the permanency of knowledge that has
stood the test of time
and values that have moral and spiritual bases. The
underlying idea is
that education is constant, absolute and universal.
Obviously,
"perennialism" in education is born of "idealism" in
general philosophy.
The curriculum of the perennialist is subject-centered. It
draws heavily
on defined disciplines or logically organised bodies of
content, but it
emphasizes teachinglleaming of languages, literature,
sciences and arts.
The teacher is viewed as an authority in a particular
discipline and
teaching is considered an art of imparting
inforrnationlknowledge and
stimulating discussion.

13. Essentialism
• What is Essentialism?
Essentialism comes from the word ‘essential’
which means the main things or the basics. As
an educational philosophy, it advocates
instilling in students with the "essentials" or
“basics” of academic knowledge and character
development. The term essentialism as an
educational philosophy was originally
popularised in the 1930s by William Bagley
and later in the 1950s by Arthur Bestor and
Admiral Rickover.

14. • Essentialism was grounded in a conservative philosophy that
argues that schools should not try to radically reshape society.
Rather, they should transmit traditional moral values and
intellectual knowledge that students need to become model
citizens. Essentialists believe that teachers should instill
traditional virtues such as respect for authority, fidelity to duty,
consideration for others and practicality. Essentialism placed
importance on science and understanding the world through
scientific experimentation. To convey important knowledge about
the world, essentialist educators emphasised instruction in
natural science rather than non-scientific disciplines such as
philosophy or comparative religion.

15. The Essentialist Curriculum
- Based on the beliefs of essentialism, the
curriculum proposed has the following
characteristics:
• The ‘basics’ of the essentialist curriculum are
mathematics, natural science, history, foreign language,
and literature. Essentialists disapprove of vocational, life-
adjustment, or other courses with "watered down"
academic content.
• Elementary students receive instruction in skills such as
writing, reading, and measurement. Even while learning
art and music (subjects most often associated with the
development of creativity) students are required to
master a body of information and basic techniques,
gradually moving from less to more complex skills and
detailed knowledge. Only by mastering the required
material for their grade level are students promoted to
the next higher grade.

16. • Essentialist programs are academically rigorous, for both slow and
fast learners. Common subjects for all students regardless of
abilities and interests. But, how much is to be learned is adjusted
according to student ability.
• It advocates a longer school day, a longer academic year, and
more challenging textbooks. Essentialists maintain that classrooms
should be oriented around the teacher, who serves as the
intellectual and moral role model for students.

17. • Teaching is teacher-centered and teachers decide what is most
important for students to learn with little emphasis on student interests
because it will divert time and attention from learning the academic
subjects. Essentialist teachers focus heavily on achievement test scores
as a means of evaluating progress.
• In an essentialist classroom, students are taught to be "culturally
literate," that is, to possess a working knowledge about the people,
events, ideas, and institutions that have shaped society. Essentialists
hope that when students leave school, they will possess not only basic
skills and extensive knowledge, but also disciplined and practical minds,
capable of applying their knowledge in real world settings.

18. This philosophy, rooted partly in idealism and
partly in realism, evolved mainly as a critique of
progressive thought in education. Yet, the
proponents of essentialism do not totally reject
progressive methods as they do believe that
education should prepare the learner to adjust to a
changing society. Thus, in essentialism learning
should consist in mastering the subject matter that
reflects currently available knowledge in various
disciplines. Teachers play a highly directive role by
disseminating information to students. According to
this viewpoint, the main arms of the institution (be it a
school or a college) get sidetracked, when, at the
expense of cognitive needs, it attempts to pay
greater attention to the social and psychological
problems of students. The Field of Curriculum

19. In recent years, the essentialist position has been stated
vociferously by critics who claim that educational standards
softened during the 1960s and early 1970s. The most
notable achievements of the essentialists have been the
widespread implementation of competency based
programmes, the establishment of grade-level achievement
standards, and the movement to reemphasize academic
subjects in schools/colleges. In many ways, the ideas of
essentialism lie behind attacks on the quality of education
by the media and by local pressure groups, which includes,
to a good extent, attaces on distance education.

20. Progressivism
• What is Progressivism?
Progressivism is a philosophical belief that argues that
education must be based on the fact that humans are by
nature social and learn best in real-life activities with
other people. The person most responsible for
progressivism was John Dewey (1859-1952). The
progressive movement stimulated American schools to
broaden their curriculum, making education more
relevant to the needs and interests of students. Dewey
wrote extensively on psychology, epistemology (the
origin of knowledge), ethics and democracy.

21. • According to Dewey, the role of education
is to transmit society’s identity by
preparing young people for adult life. He
was a keen advocate of democracy and
for it to flourish, he felt that education
should allow learners to realise their
interests and potential. Learners should
learn to work with others because learning
in isolation separates the mind from
action.

22. • According to him certain abilities and skills can
only be learned in a group. Social and
intellectual interaction dissolves the artificial
barriers of race and class by encouraging
communication between various social groups
(Dewey, 1920). He described education as a
process of growth and experimentation in
which thought and reason are applied to the
solution of problems.

23. Children should learn as if they were scientists
using the scientific method proposed by Dewey
(1920):
• To be aware of the problem (eg. plants need sunlight to
grow)
• Define the problem (eg. can plants grow without sunlight)
• Propose hypotheses to solve it
• Test the hypotheses
• Evaluate the best solution to the problem

24. The Progressive Curriculum
• Progressivists emphasise the study of the
natural and social sciences. Teacher
should introduce students to new
scientific, technological, and social
developments. To expand the personal
experience of learners, learning should be
related to present community life.
Believing that people learn best from what
they consider most relevant to their lives,
the curriculum should centre on the
experiences, interests, and abilities of
students.

25. • Teachers should plan lessons that arouse
curiosity and push students towards higher
order thinking and knowledge construction.
For example, in addition to reading textbooks,
students must learn by doing such as fieldtrips
where they can interact with nature and
society.

26. This emerged as a protest against perennialist
thinking in education. It was considered a
contemporary reformist movement in educational,
social and political affairs during the 1920's and 30's.
According to progressivist thought, the skills and tools
of learning include problem solving methods and
scientific inquiry. In addition, learning experiences
should include cooperative behaviour and self-
discipline, both of which are important for democratic
living. The curriculum, thus, was interdisciplinary in
nature and the teacher was seen as a guide for
students in their problem-solving and scientific
projects.

27. Reconstructionism
• What is Reconstructionism?
Reconstructionism was a philosophy uniquely popular in
the U.S. during the 1930's through the 1960's. It was
largely the brain child of Theodore Brameld from
Columbia Teachers College. He began as a communist,
but shifted to reconstructionism. Reconstructionists favor
reform and argue that students must be taught how to
bring about change. Reconstructionism is a philosophy
that believes in the rebuilding of social and cultural
infrastructures. Students are to study social problems
and think of ways to improve society.

28. The Reconstructionist
Curriculum
• In the reconstructionist curriculum, it was not
enough for students to just analyse interpret
and evaluate social problems. They had to be
committed to the issues discussed and
encouraged to take action to bring about
constructive change.

29. • The curriculum is to be based on social
and economic issues as well as social
service. The curriculum should engage
students in critical analysis of the
local, national and international
community. Examples of issues are
poverty, environment degradation,
unemployment, crime, war, political
oppression, hunger, etc.

30. • There are many injustices in
society and inequalities in
terms of race, gender, and
socioeconomic status.
Schools are obliged to
educate children towards
resolution of these injustices
and students should not be
afraid to examine
controversial issues.
Students should learn to
come to a consensus on
issues and so group work
was encouraged.

31. • The curriculum should be constantly
changing to meet the changes in society.
Students be aware of global issues and
the interdependence between nations.
Enhancing mutual understanding and
global cooperation should be the focus
of the curriculum.

32. • Teachers are considered the prime agents of
social change, cultural renewal and
internationalism. They are encouraged to
challenge outdated structures and entrusted with
the task of bringing about a new social order
which may be utopian in nature.
• In general, the curriculum emphasised the social
sciences (such as history, political science,
economics, sociology, religion, ethics, poetry, and
philosophy), rather than the sciences.

33. It views education as a means of reconstructing society.
The
reconstructionists believe that as school/college is attended
by virtually
all youth, it must be used as a means to shape the attitudes
and values of
each generation. As a result, when the youth become adults
they will
share certain common values, and thus the society will have
reshaped
itself.

34. As for the curriculum, it must promote new social,
economic and
political education. The subject matter is to be used as a
vehicle for
studying social problems which must serve as the focus of
the
curriculum.
The following gives you a view of the reconstructionist
programme of
education:
critical examination of the cultural heritage of a society as
well as the
entire civilization;
scrutiny of controversial issues;
commitment to bring about social and constructive change;
cultivation of a planning-in-advance attitude that
considers the

35. Stemming from this view, reconstruction expands the field
of curriculum
to include intuitive, personal, mystical, linguistic, political
and social
systems of theorizing. In general, the curriculum
advocated by
reconstructionists emphasizes the social sciences-history,
political
science, economics, sociology, psychology and philosophy-
and not the
pure sciences.

36. The thrust is on developing individual self-realization and
freedom through cognitive and intellectual activities, and
thus, on
liberating people from the restrictions, limitations and
controls of
society. The idea is that we have had enough of discipline-
based
education and narrow specialization, and that we don't
need more
specialists now, we need more "good" people if we want to
survive.

37. THANK YOU AND GOD
BLESS US ALL! 
MABUHAY!
2013
DELIA R. AGUILAR
Reporter