On my mind, E.D Hirsch and Core Knowledge program. Known for it's essentialism ideals, it's geared towards putting every child on equal footing, and from there, it's up to the children to make the most out of it. It's comprehensive, and only offered at a few Arizona schools.
Parents, what do you already know about Core Knowledge? Teachers? Please let me know!
His philosophy says that, "a reading problem, is a KNOWLEDGE problem." I challenge teachers to comment on this as well. Hope to hear from you all!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
What is Essentialism? What is Progressivism? Lesson #1-Scratching the Surface
Okay. Because this is a blog for parents and teachers, not educational theorists, I feel it's important to provide some background knowledge of the varying educational philosophies by which our schools are operated. Today, a small bit about essentialism and progressivism.
Essentialism derives from the essentialist movement that's been around since 1938. It is in stark contrast to the progressivism movement, around since the late 1800s that values experimentalism, and holds a belief that the needs of man are variable. Thus, education should be tailored to each and every individual child.
Hey teachers! Try tailoring education to each and to every individual’s interests and needs under the No Child Left Behind Legislation that requires you teach a certain set of skills to children by the state examinations. Try the progressivism approachin a county (the USA) in direct competition with countries like China, who, by the way, give one strong education to all children, NOT based on individual needs. It's a lose-lose situation in the global scheme of things.
On the flip side of the coin, essentialism values the acquisition of knowledge and skills, sees the learner as a repository for knowledge and skills that will be applied and used once acquired, and believes certain skills are essential for every man. Examples of this may include the ability to read, communicate through the written word, and engage in accurate and rigorous mathematical computation. Sounds simple right? But it's not, as universities charged with educating teachers, hold a strong progressivism stance, and with each graduating class of teachers, floods our educational system with progressivist teachers.
Why not essentialism? Because many, "mistakenly," view essentialism as a philosophy that doesn't value diversity and has taken some flack because of it's, "teacher-centered approach" vs. a more, "student-centered approach." This is because the term, "teacher-centered" has a negative connotation, and can be seen as egotistical, treating students as the passive recipients of knowledge. However, the teacher-centered approach is truly the way to go, seeing as teachers posses, at minimum, a bachelors degree, and have taken state examinations to achieve a teaching certification in most cases. Students however, possess none of those credentials, so really. Who should run the show?
The progressives would say, "the students," only because it allows students to explore. A essentialist would say, "Why should a child's interest drive their curriculum? " I mean, along with the fact, children's interest can be superficial, teachers like you, would be creating 30 different lesson plans daily, one for each child, AND we'd have no common ground as Americans. Here's a question for parents. Does your boss allow you to pursue your individual interests within your work establishment? If you are the boss, do you allow your employees to venture off on their own, and pursue their own objectives. No! This would be a huge business mistake for the insititution. As a result, the progressivism ideals set children up for a false sense of the real world.
Here's my advice. If children want to explore, take them to a park, or a family vacation. School should be the place to acquire a set of specific skills, including reading, writing, and math, at minimum.
More to come later folks.
Visit/Follow Me on Facebook to continue the discussion and meet other parents and teachers with likeminded views on education.
http://facebook.com/theessentialperennialist
Essentialism derives from the essentialist movement that's been around since 1938. It is in stark contrast to the progressivism movement, around since the late 1800s that values experimentalism, and holds a belief that the needs of man are variable. Thus, education should be tailored to each and every individual child.
Hey teachers! Try tailoring education to each and to every individual’s interests and needs under the No Child Left Behind Legislation that requires you teach a certain set of skills to children by the state examinations. Try the progressivism approachin a county (the USA) in direct competition with countries like China, who, by the way, give one strong education to all children, NOT based on individual needs. It's a lose-lose situation in the global scheme of things.
On the flip side of the coin, essentialism values the acquisition of knowledge and skills, sees the learner as a repository for knowledge and skills that will be applied and used once acquired, and believes certain skills are essential for every man. Examples of this may include the ability to read, communicate through the written word, and engage in accurate and rigorous mathematical computation. Sounds simple right? But it's not, as universities charged with educating teachers, hold a strong progressivism stance, and with each graduating class of teachers, floods our educational system with progressivist teachers.
Why not essentialism? Because many, "mistakenly," view essentialism as a philosophy that doesn't value diversity and has taken some flack because of it's, "teacher-centered approach" vs. a more, "student-centered approach." This is because the term, "teacher-centered" has a negative connotation, and can be seen as egotistical, treating students as the passive recipients of knowledge. However, the teacher-centered approach is truly the way to go, seeing as teachers posses, at minimum, a bachelors degree, and have taken state examinations to achieve a teaching certification in most cases. Students however, possess none of those credentials, so really. Who should run the show?
The progressives would say, "the students," only because it allows students to explore. A essentialist would say, "Why should a child's interest drive their curriculum? " I mean, along with the fact, children's interest can be superficial, teachers like you, would be creating 30 different lesson plans daily, one for each child, AND we'd have no common ground as Americans. Here's a question for parents. Does your boss allow you to pursue your individual interests within your work establishment? If you are the boss, do you allow your employees to venture off on their own, and pursue their own objectives. No! This would be a huge business mistake for the insititution. As a result, the progressivism ideals set children up for a false sense of the real world.
Here's my advice. If children want to explore, take them to a park, or a family vacation. School should be the place to acquire a set of specific skills, including reading, writing, and math, at minimum.
More to come later folks.
Visit/Follow Me on Facebook to continue the discussion and meet other parents and teachers with likeminded views on education.
http://facebook.com/
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