Rebecca Anguiano

Education 1010
Philosophy of Education
3/1/16
Over the last week I had taken a survey to test which educational philosophy would best
fit my teaching methods. When I had finished taking the survey, I discovered that I scored high
in two areas of teaching philosophies. One philosophy being, Progressivism and the other being
Essentialism.
According to our textbook Progressivism is defined as, an educational philosophy
emphasizing real world problem solving and individual development. (Kauchak p.157) This
would mean that all progressivists believe that a student learns best if work is done physically,
intellectually, socially, and emotionally; the main goal is to have students problem solve real
world applications in class, to better their success in the future with real world situations. When I
was in grade school, I came to realize that I learned much more and had a better understanding of
topics when I felt it was more relatable to me and life in general; doing assignments in groups or
working in class discussions always had a better effect on my attention span and overall learning
outcome. I found myself having the best grades in science classes and any other course that
involved the entire class. When knowing the subject Im learning is going to relate to anything I
do in life later on, will change my whole perspective on that topic and interest me to learn it even
more. For all these reasons and more, it is why I believe I am a Progressivist. Just like many
other progressivists out there I believe, Teachers should be caring individuals, and instead of
relying primarily on lecture as a teaching method, they should use questioning and discussion to
guide students as they search for meaning in the world and their lives. (Kauchak p.157) Because
of my beliefs on this teaching method, I can always agree that being progressive can make
learning better. Ive always thought that there were better ways to teach, other than having
myself talk all day and assume all the students would understand what I said.
Often times, progressivism would be found working hand in hand with Constructivism.
Constructivism is a teaching method that makes sure all students have to participate in their own
process of learning. It also includes the belief that knowledge is key in the world we live in.
When it comes to teaching with Progressivism and Constructivism in the classrooms, most of
these teachers would often be asking open ended questions, group work at this point is essential,
and just like mentioned before, showing how the real world would be affected by what the
students are learning is important. A great example of this would be the scientific method or
having students reenact a Shakespearean play with modern day acting for an English class.
Studies show that students, best courses were those that had them work on projects (e.g. science
projects) that allowed them to solve problems that were interesting to them or to write about
topics that were important to them. (Kauchak p.157) Because of this one reason, I believe I will
be teaching with Progressivism in my future classes.
Essentialism on the other hand may have a different perspective. Our book defines
essentialism as, an educational philosophy suggesting that specific knowledge and skills exist
that all people should possess. (Kauchak p.155) Most essentialists would focus on reading,
writing, math, and science because it is believed that having the basic skills you learn from each
of these subjects would help you in future courses or in the future in general. Judging from this

information, I can say that I feel I am also an Essentialist. The reason being, is that I know there
are just certain skills every person should know. Most of the knowledge you retain in grade
school can be very useful for work, college and pretty much everything in life, which is why I
would like to emphasize the importance of those skills in my future classrooms one day.
Essentialism in classrooms includes understanding the diverse backgrounds of all the students
and focusing on going back to the basics. The text mentions, 12% of American 12th graders
scored well enough on the National Assessment of Educational Progress to be considered
proficient in American history, and most couldnt identify the country aiding North Korea in
the Korean War. (Kauchak p.155) That it is why, I plan to do my best on using my Essentialism
beliefs and making sure each student has the knowledge of all these skills for their own good.

Works Cited
Kauchak, Donald P., and Paul D. Eggen. Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a
Professional. Upper Saddle River, NJ: PH/Merrill/Pearson, 2008. Print.