Amber Dornan

Educational Philosophy:
Somewhere Between an Essentialism and a Progressivism Place
The purpose of education is to teach children to become critical thinkers with knowledge
and skills that will help them to navigate and be successful in their current and future schooling,
jobs, careers, and lives. Educational philosophies have different ideas concerning the purpose of
school, what should be taught, what teaching methods should be used, and the role of the teacher
and students in the classroom. My philosophy does not fit in one neat category, instead, it is a
mixture of different philosophies concerning the aforementioned topics. In respect to what
should be taught, I am an essentialist. I believe that there are essential skills and knowledge that
students need in order to be successful, contributing members of society. These include the
content knowledge and skills of math, reading, writing, and the sciences. As educational
philosopher and founder of Essentialism Theodore Sizer states, these skills- reading, writing,
speaking, listening, measuring, estimating, calculating, seeing-and the basic modes of imagining
and of reasoning should be at the core of school work. They should pervade all subjects offered
and be visibly and reviewably part of the school program (106). As Sizer alludes to, students
should also learn the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, speaking, and listening as well
as the academic skills and knowledge.
In reference to the role of the teacher, students, and teaching methods, I am more of a
progressivist. The role of the teacher should be to assist students in learning, understanding, and
critical thinking. In other words, the teacher is the guide on the side actively creating with

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students. As progressivist educational philosopher John Dewey puts it: Learning is active. It
involves reaching out of the mind.Literally, we must take our stand with the child and our
departure from him (9). Students need to be active participants in the learning process not just
passive receptacles of the knowledge that the teacher bestows on them. Students are always at
the center of the class. While I may have to teach a mini lesson for a couple minutes, the
majority of the time is spent in assisting students in their discoveries in independent or group
reading, writing, or critical thinking tasks. Oftentimes, the assignment or activity is something
that we do together or at the same time. If you were to look in my classroom, youd see me
writing, discussing, and reading with my students. In the very first unit I will write a poem and
vignette along with my students. Through this activity we work through difficulties together,
share ideas, and come to understandings together. This idea not only comes from the perspective
of the teacher being the guide on the side, but also an English educator and researcher Penny
Kittle who advocates for teacher to write beside her students so that she shares in the learning
and discovering of skills and content.
As a result of the teacher being a guide beside instead of a sage, students become
the center of learning as opposed to the teacher. It is all about what the students are
understanding or not understanding. Formative assessments is one of the most important parts of
education because it helps the student and teacher understand if s/he is mastering the content or
skills. Progressivist Dewey says It is he [the student]which determines both quality and
quantity of learning (9). It is the student who is in control of the classroom, the rate at which the
lessons move, and what needs to be taught, broken down, retaught, or skipped over.
Consequently, it is vital that teachers and students are consistently assessing the learning and
misunderstandings that are occurring. This does not mean that every day students have a quiz, it

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means that learning needs to be tracked through the discussions, activities, and writing that the
students do. For example, during a class discussion on main idea, it may become apparent from
student answers that they think that it is a topic instead of a complete statement about the
argument or point in text or other media. If enough students have this misunderstanding, it is an
indication that the teacher needs to stop and reteach main idea, teach it in a different way, or ask
peers that have mastered the understanding to help explain it to their peers in a different way. If
only a couple of students do not understand, then its a sign that the teacher needs to address this
again with those students. In other words, formative assessment is the basis of teaching and
learning.
In English, when considering the content I can use to teach the essential skills, I am also a
progressivist. Before I knew that I fit into that educational philosophy I was completely
captivated by Harry and Rosemary Wongs book The First Days of School. In that book, one
specific quotation stood out to me and it has been the foundation of my educational philosophy
ever since: The heart of education is the education of the heart (Wong & Wong 37). In
English, the focus should not only be on teaching the essential skills, which are very important,
but also addressing the lives, feelings, and personalities of our students. In my own classroom, I
have developed a curriculum that provides for these needs as well as the academics. When
analyzing characters, conflicts, or themes I always relate them to the childrens lives or
experiences. For instance, when we read The House on Mango Street, the narrator talks about
how she hates her name and doesnt feel that it represents who she really is. I have students
research their names, ask why the received them, and discuss what impact names have on
identity for themselves and for people in general. As English education researcher Jim Burke
says, literature and the writing of it offers students both "windows to other worlds" and

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"mirrors...that reflect [their] experiences (13). When students see themselves in the curriculum
and read, write, and discuss real world issues, they are able to retain and transfer the knowledge
easier. Kittle also argues for this type of writing when she says, We teach life writinglife
writing in all its complexities (6). Its important to state here that this emphasis on real world
reading, writing, and discussion is not in place of the academic content and skills, but in addition
to it. Students need to know all the varieties of writing that will make them successful including:
academic, personal, informal, and other writing that is appropriate to the task, audience, and
purpose to which they are writing. For example, in addition to writing a formal essay about
theme in a story or composing a convincing argument, they should have the opportunity to learn
the values of writing to think, journaling, creating stories, writing letters to real audiences, etc. In
one particular unit, students write a newspaper article on a topic of their choice. They choose
what their purpose will be as an author (inform, persuade, or entertain) and decide how they will
accomplish that.
Students have essential things that they need to learn. However, that doesnt mean that
they should be lectured all day. Students should be taught in progressive ways that acknowledge
them as active participants in the creation of meaning and understanding as well as the analysis
and evaluation of content. The teacher should foster this environment by putting the student at
the center of the learning environment and acting as a guide or assistant in the process. In
addition, content should be related to the childrens lives in any way possible because it helps
students to not only retain, but also apply and transfer understanding. Education, ultimately,
should help children to navigate and be successful in their current and future lives.

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References
Burke, Jim. The English Teacher's Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum,
and the Profession. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.
Dewey, J. The Child and the Curriculum. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1902.
Kittle, Penny. Write beside Them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print
Sizer, Theodore R. Horace's Compromise. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 1985.
Wong, Harry K., and Rosemary T. Wong. The First Days of School. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K.
Wong Publications, 1991. Print.