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FOUNDATIONS: Educational Philosophies that Guide Curriculum and AIG Students
- 1. FOUNDATIONS: Curriculum and Philosophy By Tammy Lance and Shelly Ramseur
- 2. What is Philosophy and Curriculum? Curriculum is “what” is taught each day in classrooms, and the reasons why it is done. Curriculum can be thought of as a map that lists goals which must be reached by students along their educational journey. However, philosophy is the driving force behind curriculum that motivates and prepares both the teacher and students for success. Philosophy is not only what is done in our classrooms, but more specifically “how” it is done. Philosophy is also what educators believe about themselves, either positively or negatively, and they bring these beliefs into the classrooms. These beliefs also effect students and their educational outcomes. The U.S. educational system has been heavily influenced by four major philosophies. These concepts include two traditional philosophies called Idealism and Realism, and two contemporary philosophies called Pragmatism and Existentialism.
- 3. Idealism....
- 4. What is Idealism? • Credited to Plato, Augustine, and other philosophers • One of the older philosophies • Based upon ideas and disciplines • Humankind influenced by morality and spirituality • Adheres to a hierarchical curriculum Philosophy, Theology, and Mathematics History, Literature and Language Sciences
- 5. Realism....
- 6. What is Realism? • Credited to Aristotle • Understands the world through senses and reason • Behaviors influenced by the laws of nature • Views the world in objective terms • Adheres to logical and rational thinking • Arts and sciences are most important
- 8. What is Pragmatism? • Credited to Dewey • Also called experimentalism • Based upon change, process and relativity within one’s environment • Based upon critical thinking • Focuses on problem-solving • Focuses more on exploration than explanation
- 10. What is Existentialism? • Credited to Greene, Kneller and Morris • Based on self-choice • Based upon individual perception • Focuses on the human condition • Opposes standard norms and order • Adheres to the freedom of personal options
- 11. Educational Philosophies From the major philosophies, the four educational philosophies were founded. These philosophies include Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Reconstructionism. Each of these philosophies is birthed from one of the major philosophies.
- 12. Perennialism....
- 13. What is Perennialism? • Credited to Socrates • Prominent from colonial period to 1990’s • Based in Realism • Oldest and conservative philosophy • Traditional values are important • Builds character and morality • Esteems virtues such as truth and human nature • Focuses on subject content such as Literature, Math and Science
- 14. Essentialism....
- 15. What is Essentialism? • Based in Idealism and Realism • Founded in Western Philosophy • Supports individual growth and maturity • Promotes mastery of the basic core subjects such as the three R’s • Classic example is No Child Left Behind Act • Teacher is influenced by traditional values
- 17. What is Progressivism? • Based in Pragmatism • Prominent in U.S. around 1900 • Influenced by Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson • Promotes student interest • Focuses on social democracy • Focuses on Relevant and Humanistic Curriculum
- 19. What is Reconstructionism? • Based in Pragmatism • Prominent in the late 19th and early 20th century • Popular during the Great Depression • Focuses on social reform of both present and future • Teachers support change and equality • Students have global awareness of social problems
- 21. Teachers bring the curriculum to life through how they are motivated to teach the subject content. However, the teachers do not do this alone. The AIG students shape lessons and learning too by how they respond through their excitement back to the teacher. If the teacher is excited and well-planned, then this will translate to the AIG students. Part of the concern with AIG students is that they are bored because they are surrounded by other students who are still trying to master concepts that they already understand. They are simply ready to move on to something that is more challenging and more stimulating. The philosophies that the teacher exhibits will be very important in this aspect as the teacher is one of the primary stakeholders in a student’s education. How the students view the world and their personal perspective of themselves is largely influenced by the school setting. If AIG students perceive school to be a place where they are constantly ahead of everyone else and never challenged to do more rigorous activities, then they could likely grow up to face the world thinking that life will not be much of a challenge. Everything does not work for everyone which means that the same approach of preparing lessons for general education students will not work for AIG students. Helping students to be culturally aware, socially conscious and academically prepared for success requires motivation and determination. This is an example of where the excellence versus equity in teaching comes under evaluation. How do philosophies affect AIG?
- 22. Tammy’s reflection.... From the first time gifted and talented was thought about until now, it is unclear whether or not these identified students are treated fairly and equitably (Davis, Rimm & Siegle, 2011, pp 1-28). How will we accomplish fair and equitable education? That, too, is unclear. We try our best to educate all students every day. Somehow, one group falls behind. If we focus on one philosophy or one way of educating the AIG student, some other grouping of students could lack challenges within curriculum. No one philosophy is implemented. No one definition or grouping is implemented. In our efforts to educate children, we subconsciously include different philosophies and approaches in the daily tasks. Knowing how a student learns, knowing the best practices, differentiating instruction, preparing educators and teaching students how to ask questions are a few of the key points of the 10 steps for administrators and teachers as outlined by NAGC 2006 president, Joyce Van Tassell-Baska(Davis et al., 2011, p. 28). One thing that my mother has taught me is to ask. The closest we can get to a fair and equitable education for all students is to move toward a progressive educational approach. We must lead our students to be problem solvers through academics and real life experiences so that the AIG student as well as others will have an opportunity to grow academically.
- 23. Shelly’s reflection.... Everything that I have been through in my life makes me the person that I am. Every experience, every happy moment, every disappointment, every success, and even every failure is with me wherever I go. My memories of being teased at school as a child because I was an overweight kid are still vivid in my memory today including how my teacher stood by, most times, and did not come to my rescue. My point is that our experiences shape who we are and mold the philosophies that we believe in and live by, whether personally or professionally. Years from now, when I look back over my life and career, I want to be able to see where I did more than teach and be more than just present in the classroom. I want to be a change agent in my students’ lives. With that said, I believe that I most identify with the Idealist Philosophy. My moral compass determines and defines everything that I do. When I come to class and work with my students, including my AIG students, I first establish in them the belief that they can achieve great success in spite of every obstacle, in spite of their environment, and in spite of the societal low expectations that may be working against them. I teach them to be an advocate for themselves by teaching them how to be responsible and accountable. I teach them the value of having good work and personal ethics because what they invest in themselves now will reap a great harvest for their futures.
- 24. References • Davis, G. A., Rimm, S. B., & Siegle, D. (2011). Education of the gifted and talented. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. • Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2017). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues. Boston: Pearson.