Educational Theories

A

Teacher-Centered

Perennialism focuses on learning core principles. Students study concepts that are “everlasting”. Similar to essentialism. Usually teacher-centered. Could be considered skill, not fact, based. Learn skills that will help humankind. Essentialism is an education based on very core values. It is very linear and very singular; there is one way to do everything. The student is very busy but very passive, if that’s even possible. Behaviorism focuses on nurture more than nature; a good and healthy classroom setup is imperative. In addition, behaviorists believe in positive and negative reinforcements to add students’ learning. Positivism is based on fact. Everything seems very scientific, measurable, and objective. Students learn, recite, relearn, and recite. Practice practice practice. Reconstructionism is an educational system that lets politicians live vicariously through teachers and students. The goal of this philosophy is to change society. If we can affect how students think about the world, then we can affect the future of the world. A reconstructionists classroom would be diverse or welcome diversity. It seems similar to perennialism, but the person online said that they are complete opposites. Both seem to have very grandiose ideas about changing the world.

Student-Centered

Progressivism deals with questioning as a way of learning. Students and teachers work together to create a curriculum that will interest everyone. Humanists believe that educational systems have turned students into number. They want students to be individuals and treated as such. The curriculum is fluid and created by students. Generally considered alternative. Constructivism emphasizes hands-on learning. Students learn through solving problems. Skill, not fact, based.


R
I'm down with the constructionism, but it's a little too scatterbrained for me, and it would be hard to get around state guidelines for curriculum. I can't find anything I dislike with a progressive school environment. Humanists are also a little too scatterbrained.

I think that I would enjoyed working with students to develop a curriculum, but that I wouldn't want students to have full control over it. There may be times when they bring up something and as a class we go with it, but I wouldn't structure (or not structure) my class that way.