ESSENTIALISMBy: Rachel Wagner

WHAT IS ESSENTIALISM?

A conservative philosophy of education. Originally formulated as a criticism of

progressive trends in schools. Stress what they believe to be the

essential knowledge, skills and academic rigor.

Disciplined, systematic. BACK TO BASICS!(Subjects that deal

with language matter and numbers. Areas of focus are reading, language, spelling, and arithmetic. )

…OTHER BELIEFS

"the basics” Training students to read, write, speak, and

compute clearly and logically. Students should be taught hard work,

respect for authority, and discipline. Teachers are to help students keep their

non-productive instincts in check, such as aggression or mindlessness.

Discipline in the classroom is a key component for not only the teacher, but also for the student. Keeping order is a necessity.

A classroom full of distractions inhibits the learning environment.

PHILOSOPHER

William C. Bagley Occurred around The 1920’s and 1930’s Thought current theories of education

was insufficient. Had a view that emphasized the firm

facts of the physical and social sciences as the "essential" basis of subject matter that all students must acquire.

In 1924, William C. Bagley co-edited a series of books about the art of teaching

CONTEXT OF HISTORY AND EDUCATIONRoaring 20’s!

New Technology, Jazz music, Films

Prohibition

Mass production of cars

Money and Inflation

The stock market crash of Black Thursday (October 24th 1929 ) caused the start of the The Great Depression.

CONTENT OF HISTORY AND EDUCATION In Education……

The SAT is administered to high school students for the first time.

All school transportation is provided.

Higher Education for African Americans.

ESSENTIALISM IN RELATION TO TODAY

This method is still used today in classrooms despite the global changes around the world.

Even in today's society we see President Bush pushing this form of educational philosophy with his "No Child Left Behind Act." All throughout education history, society has tended to go back to questioning the "traditional" approach of going "Back to the Basics.”

ESSENTIALISM VS. PROGRESSIVISM

Teacher centered Systematic,

disciplined. Core subjects Whatever the

teacher wants to teach students.

Child Centered Derived from

students’ interests Learning is active

rather then passive Progressivists

believe that we need to prepare students to be lifetime learners.

Essentialism Progressivism

MORE ON ESSENTIALISM

Those who opposed essentialism, however, charge that such a tradition-bound orientation to schooling will indoctrinate students and rule out the possibility of change

Others who oppose believe this is a form of “brainwashing”

Essentialists believe that test scores serve as the best means for measuring progress and comparing results.

WHAT WOULD A ESSENTIALIST CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?

Traditional disciplines such as math, science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the curriculum.

Elementary students receive instruction in skills such as writing, reading, measuring, and computing.

Place little emphasis on student interests

Essentialists maintain that classrooms should be oriented around the teacher, who should serve as an intellectual and moral role model for the students.

REFERENCE PAGE "The five key educational philosophies - by Bayla Maya - Helium."

Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://www.helium.com/items/424989-the-five-key-educational-philosophies>.

Parkay, Forrest W., and Beverly H. Stanford. Becoming a Teacher. 7th ed. Print.

"PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES IN EDUCATION." Home page for Oregon State University. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html>.

"William C. Bagley (1874–1946) - Early Career, Teachers College." Education Encyclopedia - StateUniversity.com. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1780/Bagley-William-C-1874-1946.html>.

"Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 1/Chapter 1 Wildcard 2 - , collection of open-content textbooks." Wikibooks. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Social_and_Cultural_Foundations_of_American_Education/Chapter_1/Chapter_1_Wildcard_2>.