Different educational philosophies have existed for centuries, with major theorists like Plato and Aristotle. Modern philosophies include Montessori, Dewey’s pragmatism, Holt’s homeschooling, and Postman’s inquiry method. Each has its own beliefs and impact on learning, but there are similarities and differences between them.
For hundreds of years there have been different philosophies of education, based on various models of study. Plato and Aristotle are obviously among the first theorists to develop philosophies about education. In modern times, parents, students and educators continue to explore different philosophies of education and how they impact learning. While each educational philosophy has its own belief in the driving forces behind it and no one way has proven to be the most effective, there are major differences and similarities between them. While what follows is by no means an exhaustive list of educational philosophies, these are just a few that are widely practiced today.
Montessori
The Montessori method is one of the best known philosophies on education. Developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, educator and philosopher, the Montessori method is used in public and private schools around the world. Montessori based her educational philosophies on several key factors including educating children as natural learners who are by providing a “child-friendly” environment for self-guided and self-corrected learning and education.
Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher and psychologist whose educational philosophy centers on pragmatism and the method of “learning by doing”. Dewey felt that science played an important role in education and that critical thinking was more important than memorizing simple facts. Dewey is often credited with laying the foundation for standards-based education.
Holt
One of the more modern philosophies on education is homeschooling, a concept that only became mainstream in the early 1990s. John Caldwell Holt, teacher and author, was the leading proponent of homeschooling, or a similar method known as “unschooling.” Holt believed that learning could not be forced to occur in a classroom, but rather that children should be educated and enabled to learn through life experiences. Holt wrote several books in the mid-1970s that many people viewed as controversial opposition to compulsory schooling.
The method of investigation
Neil Postman, author and teacher, proposes a very specific teaching method called the inquiry method. Of all the various philosophies on education, Postman’s is widely respected by many. The inquiry method focuses on student-led learning by limiting the number of statements a teacher makes and encouraging students to ask and find answers to their own questions. The theory behind Postman’s method of inquiry is that children learn by building what they don’t know on top of what they already know.
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