Education of Philosophies Essay

After reading through the different philosophies of education, I have come to the conclusion that I can relate to the student centered philosophy the most for several different reasons. As stated in the chapter, education is not a competition. I don’t agree with having students take multiple choice tests to see who gets the highest amount of right answers. Many students suffer from test anxiety and giving them one chance to prove they are educated on the subject isn’t fair. I am a firm believer that students don’t gain knowledge from textbooks, they gain knowledge by being out in the real world. To me, experiencing things first hand is the strongest way to learn about a subject matter. This leads me to the progressivism philosophy of education. I am all for experimental learning, having students have the chance to learn by doing. Another method of this is called the scientific method. This happens by expecting students to pursue their answers through problem solving and critical thinking, and are rarely expected to find their answers in a textbook. Another method I agree with is social reconstruction. Democracy in a classroom encourages teachers to guide an important dialogue among the children, but to avoid telling students how to think or what to believe. Social purpose gives students an opportunity to instill habits or values that are useful to the greater community. I believe students should be encouraged to think about local, national, and international issues in the real world. More importantly, I believe existentialism is the most crucial student centered philosophy in education. Giving students the ability to develop their own creativity and different ways of self-expression is something that should be focused on in every school. Students should be allowed freedom to go at their own pace and should be inspired by the things shared among peers  in the classroom. Students are expected to be in control of their own lives at school while playing an active role in functioning community, students should leave the school with the important ability to think critically.