.7 How Philosophies Affect Learning (video)


Let's look at the student. The Perennialist student has the job to learn what is taught. If you are a Perennialist, the student is a very passive person. You guys out here, you are my students. I am the teacher. You write down what I say and you learn what I say and that's it. No argument, no discussion, because it is my job as a competent teacher, to know what you must learn. And your job is to simply learn what is taught. If you learn what is taught you're going to be in great shape. That is what the Perennialist says.

Now the Progressivist would say, the child is naturally good and the child is going to learn by Doing. So my job as teacher is to get you more actively involved in the learning process. It is not enough for you to just learn what is taught, you have to
actually experience it for yourself. You must learn how to internalize and learn the process of problem solving as well as learn the content you are dealing with.

The Essentialist says that the child will listen and learn. I think that the Essentialist position is quite close to the Perennialist position. The Essentialist child listens and learns. The Perennialist child learns what is taught. On quizzes I will try very hard to write most of the questions so as to not try and trap you in the distinction between Essentialism and Perennialism because I find that to be a distinction without much difference. I use these four philosophical positions because they parallel the textbook. If I were choosing, I would choose somewhat differently.


Now the Existentialist is way off the chart - they are wandering around "on their quest." The Existentialist says that the child is alone to discover meaning. As much as I don't find this position appealing, there is a level of reality to it because it is absolutely true that what I may be talking about may be quite different that what you are learning. Some of you are thinking about your boyfriends or girlfriends or what you are going to make for dinner tonight, and to that extent the Existentialist has a point -- that you are alone to discover meaning. As you are thinking about all those things in-between thinking about the things you are reading, you are making decisions about how to manage your learning time. So in the Existentialist position, as wild as it seems, there are really a lot of realistic things about Existentialism that are compelling. It is very compelling that whatever I teach, you learn what you chose to learn.

I am an eclectic because I believe there are benefits to be learned from all of these philosophical positions. The most important benefit, the big picture of this lecture today is the fact that if you can figure out how to make your philosophical position
consistent and predictable, then you will be a more effective teacher. Your students will be able to learn to respond to any philosophical position that you choose to reflect so long as you are consistent enough so they can figure it out. The more you choose to help them figure it out, the more you can help them understand some of the dimensions that will allow them to be more effective students in your class. Students are more effective when they understand the perspective of the professor or the teacher and know how to respond to it. Your students will be more effective learners if they understand your position and learn how to respond to it. I hope as the semester goes on that from time to time you will notice philosophical undercurrents of what we are doing. You will notice that the kinds of things I am teaching you, the kinds of things I am recommending, are tied
to a Progressivist point of view, an Existentialist point of view, or whatever. If you do that, that will just be an added plus, an added bonus to help with your learning. Perspective is one of the most powerful learning tools we have, and understanding
philosophical underpinnings helps perspective.

What is the difference between the way a Perennialist and a Progressivist would view student roles ?
Jane is a student in Mrs. Jacobson's fifth grade classroom. While Mrs. Jacobson is a perennialist, but Jane's parents take a more
existentialist view on raising their child. How is the way Jane is taught to behave at school different from the way that she is taught to behave at home?