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Summing Up 1. Philosophy’s special terminology has the following relationship to education: metaphysics relates to curriculum; epistemology to methods of instruction; ethics to character formation and social justice; aesthetics to the fine arts; and logic to organizing the school’s program. 2. Idealism, which is grounded in the intellectual and spiritual nature of reality, sees education’s primary purpose as students’ intellectual and moral development. 3. Realism’s metaphysical view that humans live a knowable world of objects emphasizes a curriculum in which subjects are based on particular categorizations and classifications of these objects. 4. Pragmatism, which sees reality in a constant state of change and flux, emphasizes that the best probability for directing this change is by using the scientific method to solve problems. 5. Existentialists, who assert that individuals have the responsibility for defining themselves, encourage teachers and students to choose experiences in schools that resist conformity and lead to personal authenticity. 6. Postmodernism proposes that we learn to search under the surface of texts and other sources that claim to represent objective official knowledge by deconstructing them.
7. Educational theories, which arise from practice or are derived from a philosophy or ideology, represent a generalized design that can be transferred and applied to schools. 8. Emphasizing an academic curriculum of basic skills and subjects such as English, mathematics, science, and history, essentialism has had a continuous influence on American education that has surfaced in the basic education movement, A Nation at Risk, the NCLB Act, and the Common Core State Standards. 9. Perennialism emphasizes the school’s primary role in transmitting the achievements of Western civilization to students through the classics, the great books, and the fine arts. 10. Progressivism has two related branches: the child-centered, which stressed instruction arising from children’s interests and needs, and the social reconstructionist, which urges teachers and schools to create a new social order. 11. Critical theorists emphasize constructing a site-based philosophy that is grounded on the lives of students in their schools and communities as a means of empowering marginalized groups.
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Publications
For the relationship of existentialism to education, access Scott Webster, “Existentialism: Providing an ideal framework for educational research in times of uncertainty” at the Australian Association for Research in Education website. For the Paideia philosophy, teaching strategies, and materials, access the National Paideia Center website. For Movietone News footage on John Dewey and audio excerpts on George Counts and Boyd Bode, access the Education Museum at the University of South Carolina website. For recent research, projects, and programs on John Dewey and progressive education, consult the John Dewey Project on Progressive Education at the University of Vermont website. For resources on John Dewey’s life and philosophy, consult the Center for Dewey Studies on the Southern Illinois University website. For information and materials about basic education, consult the Council for Basic Education website.
Barrow, Robin, and Ronald G. Woods. An Introduction to Philosophy of Education. New York: Routledge, 2006. Provides a useful commentary about philosophy of education as a field. Beam, Alex, A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books. New York: Public Affairs, 2008. A highly readable and engaging discussion of Hutchins, Adler, and the Great Books curriculum. Butler, Christopher. Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. A succinct and clearly written analysis of the major features of postmodernism. Cahn, Steven M. Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Provides primary source selections from such classic theorists as Plato and Aristotle and contemporary theories such as feminism and multiculturalism. Curren, Randall, ed. A Companion to the Philosophy of Education. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Contains interpretive essays and bibliographies on historical and contemporary movements in philosophy of education.
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