CHAPTER 8

LEARNING ACTIVITIES Check for Understanding

I. Understanding of the Philosophies. Answer each with a YES or NO. If your answer is
NO, explain your answer in a sentence.

● Essentialism
NO 1. Do essentialists aim to teach students to reconstruct society? No. They teach not
to radically reshape or reconstruct society but rather to spread the traditional moral
values and intellectual knowledge for the students to be a model citizen.
NO 2. Is the model citizen of the essentialist the citizen who contributes to the re-building
of society? No. Model citizens are the one who have skills and knowledge that
is based on traditional moral values.
NO 3. Do the essentialist teachers give up teaching the basics if the students are not
interested? No. If the students are not interested in the subject matter, they
always continue because they are not student-centered perhaps, they are more
of a subject-matter oriented when it comes to teaching.
NO 4. Do the essentialist teachers frown on long academic calendar and core
requirements? No. They need long academic calendar and core requirements for the
students to master well their basic skills.

● Progressivism
NO 1. Do the progressivist teachers look at education as a preparation for adult life? No.
They view education as life.
YES 2. Are the students’ interests and needs considered in a progressivist curriculum?
NO 3. Does the progressivist curriculum focus mainly on facts and concepts? No. In a
progressivist curriculum, they focus mainly on problem-solving skills.
YES 4. Do the progressivist teachers strive to simulate in the classroom life in the
outside world?

●Perennialism
NO 1. Are the perennialist teachers concerned with the students’ mastery of the
fundamental skills? No. they are not concerned with the student’s mastery of the
fundamental skills rather they focus more on developing the student’s rational
and moral powers.
YES 2. Do the perennialist teachers see the wisdom of ancient, medieval and modern
times?
NO 3. Is the perennialist curriculum geared towards specialization? No. They are geared
towards general education.
NO 4. Do the perennialist teachers sacrifice subject matter for the students’ interests?
No. Like the essentialist, they are concerned in the subject-matter.

●Existentialism
NO 1. Is the existentialist teacher after students becoming specialist in order to
contribute to society? No. As an existentialist teacher, they help students to
appreciate themselves as unique individuals who are aware and responsible for
their thoughts, actions and life.
YES 2. Is the existentialist concerned with the education of the whole person?
NO 3. Is the course of study imposed on students in the existentialist classroom? No.
With this philosophy, students are given a choice.
YES 4. Does the existentialist teacher make heavy use of the individualized approach?

● Behaviorism
YES 1. Are behaviorists concerned with the modification of students’ behavior?
YES 2. Do behaviorist teachers spend their time teaching their students on how to
respond favorably to various environmental stimuli?
YES 3. Do behaviorist teachers believe that they have control over some variables that
affect learning?
YES 4. Do behaviorist teachers believe that students are a product of their environment?

● Linguistic Philosophy
YES 1. Do linguistic philosophers promote the study of language?
NO 2. Is the communication that linguistic philosophers encourage limited to verbal
language only? No. It is not only limited to verbal language, it takes place in 3
ways which are verbal, non-verbal and para-verbal.
NO 3. Do linguistic philosophers prefer the teacher who dominates discussion to save
time to a teacher who encourages dialogue? Teachers are the one who
facilitate dialogue in the classroom and he/she must allow interaction of his/her
students.
YES 4. Is the curriculum of the linguistic philosopher open to learning of as many
languages like Mother Tongue as possible?

● Constructivism
NO 1. Does the constructivist agree to a teaching methodology of “telling”? No. From the
word constructivist, it applies the method of constructing.
YES 2. Do constructivists believe that students can construct knowledge?
YES 3. Do constructivists approve of teaching learners skill to learn?
NO 4. Do constructivists believe that meaning can be imposed? No.
Knowledge is constructed by learners through active, mental process of
development.

II. Test your mastery. You may need to research further in order to gain mastery. The
first exercise in this lesson may help. (an exercise to determine
your philosophy in life)
To which PHILOSOPHY does each theory of man belong?
A person :

BEHAVIORISM 1. Is a product of his environment?

EXISTENTIALISM 2. Has no universal nature.
ESSENTIALISM AND PERRENIALISM 3. Has rational and moral powers.
BEHAVIORISM 4. Has no choice; he is determined by his environment.
EXISTENTIALISM 5. Can choose what he can become.
BEHAVIORISM 6. Is a complex combination of matter that responds to physical stimuli?
BEHAVIORISM 7. Has no free will.
PERENNIALISM 8. Has the same essential nature with others.
ESSENTIALISM AND PERRENIALISM 9. Is a rational animal.
EXISTENTIALISM 10. First exists then defines himself.
PROGRESSIVISM 11. Is a social animal who learns well through an active interplay with
others?
LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY 12. Is a communicating being.
CONSTRUCTIVISM 13. Is a maker of meaning?
CONSTRUCTIVISM 14. Is a constructor of knowledge?

III. With Teacher Macrina’s philosophy of education as an example, formulate your own
philosophy of education. (By the way, when you apply for a teaching job at the
Department
of Education, you will be asked to write your own philosophy of education.)

My Philosophy as a Teacher
I believe that every child is ….
 I believe that every child is gifted with knowledge that needs to be nurtured and
developed
 I believe that every child is unique and capable of learning things in their own
way
 I believe that teaching is not just about a student learning from a teacher, it is a
give and take process where teachers also learn from their students
 I believe that a good teacher is someone who values, nurtures and develop a
child to be the best version of themselves and help them to achieve their goals
and aspirations in life.
 I believe that education is for all, it is for the young and old, it is for the poor and
rich, it is for all types of gender, it is for those who are smart and dumb. Learning
does not acknowledge limitations, it helps us to be competitive, skillful and
knowledgable.