Deck 3: Philosophy of Education

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true concerning the existential curriculum?

A) Existentialists believe that the great thinkers of the past had their own ways of considering life and the natural world; as such, they developed their own conclusions. Today, students need to find their own ways of thinking about these issues and make up their own minds. That is why the existential curriculum is heavily geared towards the humanities.
B) Existentialists believe that vocational education is a method of teaching students about themselves and enabling them to recognize their own potential.
C) Existentialists believe that literature, especially biography, has important meaning in the classroom.
D) Existentialists believe that drama and films provide ample material illuminating the human condition and because these media recreate authors' experiences, thoughts, and emotions, they illustrate conditions in which individuals make choices.
E) All are correct
F) None are correct

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following statements best defines the critical theory philosophy of education?

A) Critical theory philosophy is defined by its criticism of the existentialist philosophy and a movement towards more traditional standards and student achievement.
B) Critical theory philosophy is defined by the concepts that students should be able to view both sides of issues from a critical perspective and see the gestalt of concepts.
C) Critical theory philosophy is best defined by its critical stance to the social reconstruction movement in the 1930s and its socialist leanings.
D) Critical theory philosophy is best defined as a social philosophy oriented toward using education to increase human freedom from domination by society's social, economic, and political elites.
E) None are correct

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Educational philosophies do not matter a great deal as they vary so widely among the different regions and beliefs of our country. Implementation matters more.
B) Through a philosophy of education a school, district, state, or nation selects which information and skills students will learn and how they will learn them.
C) The implementation of  an educational philosophy is a value-laden process that influences the direction, knowledge, and nature of student learning.
D) An educational philosophy offers an essential conceptual base or framework of future teachers.
E) All are correct

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is false concerning the teacher's role in existential philosophy?

A) Existentialists believe that students and not teachers should have opportunities to ask questions, suggest answers, and participate in dialogue about humanity's important issues.
B) An existential teacher encourages students to philosophize, question, and discuss life's meaning, using whatever curriculum engages students in that dialogue.
C) Existential educators reject the standards movement and oppose the imposition of one common curriculum for all students and the use of standardized testing to measure student success.
D) Existential educators view the standards movement as a trend away from individuality, personal choice, and freedom while moving towards conformity and loss of freedom.
E) All are correct

Question 5

Which statement best describes the existential philosophy of education?

A) Existential philosophy views curriculum and instruction as vehicles to help encourage deep and personal reflection on one's identity, commitments, and choices.
B) Modern existential influences date back to 19 ^th century philosopher Kierkegaard.
C) Modern existentialists include Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Jaspers, and Martin Buber.
D) Existential philosophy is a reaction to World War II and the Holocaust.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a question asked by educational philosophy?

A) What is education? What are its goals?
B) What is school?
C) What is an educated person?
D) What is my locker combination?
E) Who should decide what is taught?

Question 7

Of the following, which is the etymology (the study of the origins of words) of and best definition for the word "philosophy"?

A) It comes from the Greek word phyllo (a type of dough made in thin sheets used in pastries) and the Greek word sophy , meaning the study of. It means the thin layers of knowledge that make up our general beliefs.
B) It comes from the Greek filo (meaning to follow in the path of) and Sophy (a mythological Goddess of Wisdom). It means to follow wisdom.
C) It comes from the Greek words philos , meaning love, and sophy , meaning wisdom. It means the love of wisdom.
D) None are correct

Question 8

Which of the following is not illustrative of a curriculum based on critical theory?

A) It encourages an environment that discourages diversity and encourages thinking towards restructuring society.
B) It is designed around contemporary social life rather than traditional academic disciplines.
C) It views culture as a product of power relations and helps students investigate issues of inequality.
D) It encourages students to take action against issues on inequality.
E) It encourages subjects to be taught in a single-theme interdisciplinary unit.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a key idea of progressive educators?

A) Educators should respect diversity.
B) Students are whole people.
C) Teachers should motivate learning.
D) Schools and homes should cooperate to meet students' needs.
E) All are key ideas of progressive educators
F) None are key ideas of progressive educators

Question 10

Which of the following statements is false concerning perennialists and essentialists?

A) Essentialist thinking has its roots in the mental discipline learning doctrine of early American schooling, which suggested that studying certain rigorous subjects strengthens the mind and character.
B) Perennialists focus on teaching what they view as universal truths through the Western civilization's classics.
C) Essentialists focus on those subjects from Western civilization that are unchanging in their relevance to generations.
D) Essentialists focus on those subjects from Western civilization classics that are the most adaptable and useful to contemporary life.
E) All are correct

Question 11

Which of the following individuals might best be associated with the existentialists?

A) E.D. Hirsch
B) Maxine Greene
C) Henry Giroux
D) John Dewey
E) Alfred E. Newman

Question 12

Which of the following is a key idea of critical theory?

A) Education is values based.
B) Education involves types of imposition and indoctrination.
C) Education represents political activity.
D) Educators should work for social justice.
E) All are correct

Question 13

Which of the following individuals might best be associated with the traditionalists?

A) E.D. Hirsch
B) Maxine Greene
C) Henry Giroux
D) John Dewey
E) Alfred E. Newman

Question 14

Which of the following individuals might best be associated with the critical theory?

A) E.D. Hirsch
B) Maxine Greene
C) Henry Giroux
D) John Dewey
E) Alfred E. Newman

Question 15

Which of the following statements is false concerning educational philosophies?

A) Educational philosophies reflect our society's pluralism.
B) People's beliefs about educational philosophies vary greatly.
C) Emerging empirically-based studies show that an educational philosophy that is based primarily on the importance of math, science, technology, and engineering is the most superior.
D) Educational philosophies develop and evolve over time and circumstances.
E) All are correct

Question 16

Which of the following is not associated with progressive instructional aims?

A) Instruction should begin with real-world objects rather than abstractions.
B) Teachers should not show young children how to observe, describe, classify, assess, and eventually generalize what they see and touch; they should discover this for themselves.
C) Older children's education should include traditional curriculum, but it should be taught from an interdisciplinary approach.
D) Teachers help students learn appropriate moral behavior by connecting students' acts with natural consequences.
E) All are correct

Question 17

Which of the following is not a key idea of existentialism?

A) The world is chaotic, producing anxiety and hurt.
B) People are responsible for defining themselves through their choices.
C) People's most significant realities are those they know to be empirically valid and scientifically accurate.
D) Education's most important goal is to awaken human consciousness to the human condition and to the freedom to choose and create the personal self-awareness that makes each of us unique, genuine, and authentic.
E) All are correct

Question 18

Which of the following statements best describes the progressive philosophy of education?

A) The progressive education philosophy is best defined as schooling is life and not preparation for life; schooling should be child centered and not subject centered; schools should prepare students for an informed life in a democratic society.
B) The progressive education philosophy is defined as forward, ongoing, and advancing; a person who favors or strives for reform in politics and education.
C) The progressive education philosophy is best defined as student centered.
D) The progressive education philosophy is best defined as preparing students for change.
E) None are correct

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true concerning the traditional philosophy of education?

A) Traditionalists believe that the schools' purpose is to foster students' intellectual development by teaching Western European classics and thought to prepare students for further education and work.
B) Traditionalist educational philosophies are incorporated into two educational approaches - the perennialists and the essentialists.
C) Traditionalists believe that schools' purpose should be to foster fundamental skills - reading, writing, math, science, history, and most recently added, technology.
D) Perennialists believe that certain subjects come back into favor from time to time (like perennial plants) but those subjects all center in core areas of reading, writing, math, science, and history.
E) Traditionalists believe that the schools' purpose is to foster students' intellectual development by teaching Western European classics and thought to prepare students for further education and work. Traditionalist educational philosophies are incorporated into two educational approaches - the perennialists and the essentialists.
F) Traditionalists believe that schools' purpose should be to foster fundamental skills - reading, writing, math, science, history, and most recently added, technology. Perennialists believe that certain subjects come back into favor from time to time (like perennial plants) but those subjects all center in core areas of reading, writing, math, science, and history.

Question 20

Which of the following individuals might best be associated with the progressives?

A) E.D. Hirsch
B) Maxine Greene
C) Henry Giroux
D) John Dewey
E) Alfred E. Newman

Question 21

List and explain the four major perspectives on educational philosophy that influence U.S. public education.

Question 22

Describe the role of the teacher in each of the four philosophical perspectives.

Question 23

Discuss the two approaches to traditional philosophy.

Question 24

In no more than one typed, single-spaced page using 12 point Times New Roman font, write and describe your philosophy of education.  Make sure to reference your philosophical perspectives.

Question 25

List and describe at least two key concepts that Perennialists and Essentialists have in common.

Question 26

List and explain five questions that an educational philosophy asks.