Term Paper on "Future of Education in USA"

Term Paper 21 pages (6624 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Student Centered Teaching

Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism and Existentialism vs." Essentialism and Perennialism

The face of the American educational system has been changing dramatically over the past several decades. Since the inception of standardized education in the U.S., the fabric of society itself has undergone dramatic changes. Yet, the educational system continues to promote the paradigms that prevailed since the systems very beginning. It can be argued that the system is in need of some dramatic changes if we are to compete in a world where globalization means coping with increasing competition. This research will explore teacher centered and student centered philosophies. It will support the hypothesis that student centered philosophies benefit the student more than teacher centered philosophies.

Standardized education was developed on teacher-centered philosophies. However, recent trends suggest that student centered philosophies would better prepare student's to meet the demands of today's job market. Teacher centered philosophies do not consider the student's active role in the learning process. Students are treated as something to be acted upon a head to be filled with facts. However, student centered philosophies consider the whole student and the needs of the student in the educational process. These are the key differences between teacher centered and student centered philosophies.

Introduction

Teacher Centered Philosophies

There are two primary types of teacher-centered philosophies. They are essentialism and perennialism. Essentialists believe that the subject matter is the center of the curriculum. Many of them feel that greater educational opportunities are the reason for lowered standards in the schools. One of their key criticism of student centered philosophies is they place the emphasis on the child and teaching utilizing a varieties and activities. They criticize progressives for allowing the child too much freedom in choosing their curriculum (Cliff, 1996.).

Teacher centered methods of treating include rote learning methods that have been proven to be minimally effective at best. One of the key problems with rote learning is that the students fail to integrate the material into their daily lives. They might do well on the tests, but they have difficulty making real life description Students taught in this manner might receive good grades, due to their ability to memorize material. Therefore, the teacher would look good, as their students appear to be high achievers.

However, in this case, the numbers do not tell the entire picture. Essentialist philosophies, with their curriculum-centered basis, hold students to high academic standards. Standardized testing in one of the key elements of the teacher centered essentialist viewpoint. One of the key advantages of standardized testing is that it provides specific benchmarks for evaluation purposes. One can easily determine if the student has met the prescribed benchmarks.

However, there are those that feel this advantage is underscored by the many arguments against standardized testing. For instance, there are some that feel standardized testing increases drop-out rates (Amrein & Berliner, 2002). Teacher centered philosophy holds that if a child performs poorly on the tests, then they need to work a little harder for the next time. However, there are many reasons why a student might not perform will on standardized tests that are not academically based. Those that do not perform well on standardized tests might not be motivated to work harder for better performance the next time. They might develop self-esteem problems as a result, leading to a higher likelihood that they will drop out of school.

There are also those that feel standardized testing leads to higher drop out rates among minorities due to social and cultural inequalities in the tests (Fratt, 2005). They also feel that standardized tests lead to higher levels of cheating and a narrower curriculum than student centered philosophies (Edwards, n. d.). Standardized test create pressure as students and teachers allow the tests to become the primary force in their lives and the curriculum. Students depend on the tests to graduate and the pressure to pass can be devastating (Ullman, 2005). Standardized testing narrows the curriculum as it becomes necessary to focus on the achievement of high scores on the exams. This can result in a reduction in learning in all areas of the curriculum (Edwards, 2006.).

Essentialism provides few opportunities to adjust the curriculum or to adjust the methods of teaching to the needs of the child. Essentialism is based on unchangeable methods and rigid formats (Cliff, 1996). Essentialism can be called antiquated in the age of the computer. This is because essentialism begins with the learning of facts. However, with the ease of data transfer now available, it is no longer necessary to carry all of the information in one's head. The emphasis has transformed from learning facts to knowing how to use the information that is at one's fingertips.

The advent of the computer requires a paradigm shift in the educational process, one that essentialists fail to recognize or embrace. Perennialist philosophy is closely related to essentialist philosophy. However, they are even more rigid in their viewpoint on information and change. Perennialists believe that ideas that were taught centuries ago are still relevant today. Perennialists carry tradition to the extreme. Perennialists do not feel the information for information's sake is the main point of education. However, they emphasize the application of that knowledge to today's circumstances.

Student Centered Philosophies

Student centered philosophies include progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism. Student centered philosophies developed from the belief that all students learn at different rates, and that lessons need to be culturally relevant. There are also differences in the resources available to schools to help students learn the material. These differences are key arguments against standardized testing and in favor of a more student centered approach.

Student centered approaches to education emphasize the application of these ideas to everyday circumstances and problems. This philosophical approach is based on the ideas that information must be useful in order to have value. Perennialists echo this same philosophy, but they are not willing to accept changes in the curriculum to accommodate changes in society. This philosophy is the opposite of progressivism, which holds that lessons must be relevant to the students and the world around them in order for them to be able to learn. Progressivist schools are built around the personal needs and interests of the student (Sadker & Sadker, 2003).

Progressivist philosophy centers on the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth of the student. They treat the students as individuals, rather than stamped duplicates of the human race. They believe that students learn best when they study something that interests them. Essentialist and perennialist philosophies do not consider the wants and needs of the student at all. They only repeat the same curriculum over and over again without any consideration for the student and the student's needs. Progressivist models focus on fostering the roots of independent thought, rather than emphasizing the acceptance of the thoughts of others without question.

The idea of progressive education arose from the idea that education must fit the needs of society. John Dewey is considered to be the father of progressive educational thought. He believed that the classroom represented a microcosm of the larger community ("Progressive Education," n.d.). Dewey believed that the school could teach children the skills that they needed to have a positive effect on society. John Dewey changed the focus of education from the institution to that of the student. Dewey felt that the relationship between thinking and doing was an important part in the encouragement of active participation in a democratic society ("Progressive Education," n.d.). Dewey broke from the traditional mold of discipline and pointless repetition.

Social reconstructivism emphasizes the role of the child even more so than progressivism. Creativity and self-actualization are the key tenants of social reconstructivism. This philosophy is the direct opposite of teacher centered philosophies. This philosophy was introduced by Paulo Freire (Bondy, 1999). This philosophy taught students to question society, particularly unfairness and inhumanity. It challenged students to work toward a more human society and positive future. It taught students to challenge unfairness, rather than to accept it without question (Bondy, 1999).

Existentialism emphasizes the individual, rather than the institution. Existentialist philosophy is built on the principles of freewill and the right of every person to make their own decisions. Existentialists do not believe that reason and science are the keys to understanding the questions that arise in life, but that the truth lies in questioning one's own self to seek these answers. This educational philosophy believes that children need to be guided down a path that allowed them to make their own choices based on their existing knowledge base.

They use these skills to gain more knowledge that they do not have. Existentialists believe that a person has the right to make no choice at all and that this encompasses a choice, in actuality. In this educational setting, the teacher acts as a guide to the discovery of new knowledge, rather than the ultimate source of knowledge. The student is responsible for his or her own learning and they are the ones to dictate where it… READ MORE

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