Educational Philosophy

AbstractAuthors Jon Wiles and Joseph Bondi discuss five educational philosophies: perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism that are present in many of the philosophies of administrators and educators. In my personal educational philosophy, I incorporate various components of each philosophy to actively engage my students in the educational process as well as to insure mastery in the subject of social studies. Whereas, I do not fully agree with all the components of any of the philosophies, I believe that each philosophy is essential in the educational process. According to Wiles and Bondi (2002), my personal philosophy preference results display a pattern that has a flowing curve without sharp peaks and valleys. According to the authors, this shows that I have an eclectic philosophy that blends the various philosophies in the curriculum. As a social studies teacher, I am a firm believer in studying and learning from history and my personal educational philosophy is derived from the five educational philosophies and the many educators who have shaped the American educational system.

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An educational philosophy is an essential component to administrators and educators in schools across America. An educational philosophy determines the direction of the school's curriculum and eventually the academic success of the student. There are many educational philosophies in the educational jargon yet authors Jon Wiles and Joseph Bondi (2002) focus on five distinct philosophies: perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism. These five philosophies are the root of the educational tree and from these roots, other philosophies are developed to utilize in the schools. As an educator, I make an effort to incorporate all the philosophies to cater to the educational needs and learning styles of the students whom are multi-facet as the educational philosophies.

PerennialismAccording to Wiles and Bondi (2002), perennialism focuses on the classical definition of education and...