Itl600 Auto And Phil Of Ed

Running head: THE PROGRESSIVE ESSENTIALIST

The Progressive Essentialist: Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education Caleb Ricks ITL 600 National University 


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The Progressive Essentialist: Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education As a pluralistic society that blends various beliefs, concepts, and values, the American education system contains numerous viewpoints that guide educators and their teaching practices. These values, or educational philosophies, range from traditional to liberal, from teacher-centered to student-centered. Of course, no one educational philosophy can be objectively proven to be superior to another. In fact, many educators and future educators such as myself may find themselves blending multiple educational philosophies to best meet the needs of their students. In my personal educational experience, I learned best under instructors who adopted the progressive philosophy of education, which, according to “My Educational Philosophy” developed by M.P. Sadker and D.S. Sadker (1997), tends to be “student-centered, [and] focused on active participation, questioning, and experimentation” (p. 4). However, as a student, I also thrived in classrooms where the instructor adopted an essentialist approach, or, according to M.P. Sadker and D.S. Sadker (1997), the philosophy that believes “there is an essential common core of practical knowledge, skills, and moral standards that all schools should teach and that all students should learn” (p. 4). Because I thrived in settings where these two educational philosophies were utilized, I find that my own personal educational philosophy is a blending of progressivism and essentialism, a philosophy emphasizing key academic skills taught through a student-centered approach that highlights students’ interests and desire to learn. My most positive educational experience occurred under the instruction of a professor at Palomar College who skillfully balanced progressivism and essentialism. In her class, my peers and I studied authors and classics essential to any American literature class, such as Flannery O’Connor, Mark Twain, Tobias Wolff, and Edgar Allan Poe. While my professor ensured to

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instill within us the essential ideas, values, and trends that shape the American literary cannon, she also allowed us to explore our own personal interests within her classroom. We were tested on our understanding of themes in American literature through essay exams, class discussions, and assigned papers, but at the end of the semester, we were able to write a 20 page research paper on a topic of our choosing, and this topic could be outside the confines of American literature. By allowing her students to do this, I believe my professor was exemplifying what Eric T. More (2015) describes in his personal educational philosophy as an adult learning environment. Within this environment, More (2015) explains that his students “learn what is personally beneficial” and “learn what they discover themselves.” In our research papers, my peers and I were able to explore a range of topics from Wicca to gender norms to waste management. My professor inspired me most when she assigned this paper because she not only ensured that we mastered essential skills such as proper MLA formatting, citation, and research, but she also emphasized progressive ideas by encouraging us to pursue our own academic interests. It was in this class that I first witnessed a beautiful balance between progressivism and essentialism, and seeing this balance firsthand further ignited my desire to teach. Like my professor, I want help my students master core skills necessary for functioning in both academic and social settings while simultaneously encouraging my students to pursue their own interests and acquire knowledge for themselves. Like More (2015) in his philosophy, I want to “integrate student experiences into our discussions and use those examples to illustrate relevant teaching points.” This idea, I believe, perfectly explains the balance between progressivism and essentialism: fusing students personal interests with key academic points and ideas.

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Though I had a wonderful and inspiring experience in my English class at Palomar, I had a devastating experience in my astronomy class as I witnessed my professor defy multiple “Codes of Ethics for Educators” (Association of American Educators, 2018). On multiple occasions, this professor ridiculed his students before the entire class for their poor grades on particularly challenging exams. Not only was this extremely rude and disrespectful, but it also defied the Association of American Educators (2018) code of conduct that states, “The professional educator does not intentionally expose the student to disparagement.” The student who was ridiculed was absolutely humiliated, and I saw her desire to learn and succeed in the class fade immediately. This public display of disparagement affected the entire class as well. My peers and I were terrified of performing poorly on exams for fear of being publicly exposed before the class. Of course, my professor’s behavior did nothing to foster a positive learning environment and I instead found myself hoping to succeed out of fear rather than inspiration. How can students learn when they are utterly afraid of ridicule and disparagement by their instructor? For the first time in my life, I hated attending class, and to this day, I do not understand my professor’s motivation for such behavior. His behavior, as outlined by the Association of American Educators (2018), did nothing to “protect the student from conditions detrimental to learning, health, or safety.” Learning does not occur in environments where students do not feel safe to express their misunderstandings or their ideas. Though having this professor was an awful experience, it taught me the valuable lesson how to be an ethical teacher, and that, I believe, has heavily shaped my personal philosophy of education. Because I valued my English professor’s ability to navigate between progressive and essentialist approaches to instruction and detested my astronomy professor’s approach, I am not

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necessarily surprised by the results of M.P. Sadker’s and D.S. Sadker’s (1997) “My Educational Philosophy” survey. On the survey, I scored 34 points in the progressivism category and 26 points in the essentialism category, revealing these to be my top two philosophies. Ideally, I would like to blend these two philosophies and teach my students core academic ideas through a student-centered approach. In terms of progressive philosophy, I believe that it is necessary for students to be prepared to analyze, understand, and approach problems both inside and outside the classroom (M.P. Sadker & D.S. Sadker, 1997). I intend to do this by connecting themes and ideas as outlined by California State Standards (essentialism) with current events occurring in our country and our media (progressivism). In doing this, I hope to inspire my students by “stress[ing] … the relevance of what they are learning to their lives outside, as well as inside, the classroom” (M.P. Sadker & D.S. Sadker, 1997, p. 4). Though essentialism does stress standards, testing, and core ideas, I do not believe that standardized testing is the only indicator of student success and understanding. I believe that students should actively engage in the learning process rather than sit as mere test takers. However, I strongly believe that there are necessary and essential skills that every student should master, regardless of their own personal academic interests. For this reason, my own educational philosophy can be best described as a blending of progressivism and essentialism. Taking the educational philosophy survey and reflecting on my own educational experiences was a great reminder for me as to why I want to become a teacher. I, like More (2015), strive to be a lifelong learner. This entails learning from both positive and negative educational experience, as I did at Palomar College. Though my personal educational philosophy is one of the many reasons I want to be a teacher, the various roles that an educator plays in the

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classroom also serve as inspiration for my career choice. I strongly align with More’s (2015) description of the multiple roles an educator must adopt in the classroom. I want to be an instructor for my students and inspire them on their academic journey, but I want to be present for my students in other ways as well. In the same way More (2015) mediates between instructor and counselor, coach and mentor, I want my students to feel confident discussing their personal issues and struggles with me. I realize that I may be one of the only stable adults in my students’ lives, and I hope to support them in as many ways as I can. I want to create an environment in my classroom where students feel welcomed and comfortable to explore, try, fail, confide, and succeed. I believe the balancing of these roles and the balancing of these educational philosophies is necessary for any successful teacher. It is essential for a teacher to instruct his or her students, but it is progressive for a teacher to see his or her students as capable, ambitious, driven individuals. For this reason, I hope to balance these two philosophies and emerge a progressive essentialist. 


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THE PROGRESSIVE ESSENTIALIST References

Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of ethics for educators. Retrieved from https:// www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics. More, E.T. (2015, August 7). My educational philosophy. Retrieved from https:// www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/my-educational-philosophy/. Sadker, M.P. & Sadker, D. S. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4th ed., pp. 403-405.) NY: McGraw Hill.