Philosophy of education

The word philosophy comes from two Greek words: filo, which means love, and sophist means wisdom, then philosophy means love of wisdom. The philosophy of education examines the goals, forms, methods, and meaning of education. It is important to understand how philosophy and education are interrelated in order to become the most effective teacher you can be, you must understand your own beliefs while at the same time empathizing with others. Let's start to learn more about the known philosophies of education.

1- Essentialism: It advocates training the mind with what is essential. I n this philosophical school of thought the aim is to instill students with the essentials of academic knowledge enacting a back-to-basics approach. It teaches the basic skills or the fundamental Rs such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and right conduct. 

2- Perennialism: Perennial means lasting for many years. Perennialism is the belief that schools should teach ideas that are everlasting. The of education is to teach students to think rationally and develop minds that can think critically. The curriculum is a universal one, what teachers teach are lifted from classic and great books. The classroom is teacher-centered, with students engaged in Socratic dialogue or inquiry sessions to develop an understanding of history's most timeless concepts.

3- Progressivism: This is the idea that education comes from the experience of the child. It aims to develop learners into becoming enlightened and intelligent citizens. They use the curriculum that responds to students' needs and that relates to their personal lives and experience. The teachers employ experiential methods, and they believe that one learns by doing. 

4- Existentialism: It focuses on individual's freedom to choose their own purpose in life. The main concern of existentialists is to help students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Students are given a wide variety of options from which to choose.

5- Behaviorism: It focuses on the acquisition of new behavior based on environmental conditions. Behaviorists are concerned with the modification and shaping of students' behavior by providing for a favorable environment since they believe that we are a product of our environment. Teachers teach the students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the environment.

6- Constructivism: It says that people construct their own understanding of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivists aim to develop intrinsically motivated and independent learners equipped with learning skills for them to construct knowledge and make meaning of them. Students are taught how to learn, and teachers provide students with data or experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate, pose questions, research, and invent.