Have you always want to know more about essentialism and existentialism? Well, today is your luck day, because in this article, we will discuss both.
Essentialism
This is the philosophy that emphasizes the teaching of basic or essential skills. This is based on the belief that learning the essential skills helps to train the mind so that all further learning activities can be carried out with ease. The subjects taught under essentialist educational systems, are focused on providing information that will help individuals navigate through the present day with little difficulty. Methods and practices such as assessment required practice and memorization are used to help the student develop their knowledge in core subjects such as writing, reading, science, math, etc.
One of essentialism’s biggest advocates was William C. Bagley, who suggested that education was supposed to maintain society rather than transform it. He would often encourage teachers and other educators to ensure they stick to the core curriculum.
The launching of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 was influential in the rise of essentialism as the threat of being overtaken by the Soviet Union in the international scene forced administrators to put increased pressure on the educational system to produce a population of citizens who had the skills to compete with other countries and cement the U.S.’s place at the top of the global food chain.
To enforce this, schools that did not meet the required standards were threatened with a cutting off of funds and remediation efforts. Today, essentialism is a commonly used model in public schools in the U.S. Under the essentialist model, teachers provide lectures on core subjects while students pay attention, absorb the information and take notes when necessary. Students are evaluated through various forms of assessment and are given a lot of assignments, projects and worksheets in accordance with a specific curriculum, schedule and outline for a specific period, usually a semester or term. The teacher follows a strict curriculum, but is given the freedom to decide how to go about teaching the curriculum.
Existentialism
Existentialism involves a person’s conclusion on the state of reality, personality, and values. This group of thinkers often contend with the need to forge their own individual identity and the obligation to assimilate society’s ideals and expectations. Existentialists are against group identity and call for the acknowledgment of the right of the individual both in the law and in society to freely express themselves as they please, rather than be forced to conform to society’s norms. They emphasize the need that the inevitability of death places on a human being to fully discover and express themselves in this temporary existence we live in.
Like progressivism, existentialists believe that students should be allowed to determine their own learning experience with the correct guidance from a licensed educator. This personal quest for knowledge and learning that students under an existentialist educational model will experience will help them find meaning in their personal lives and construct their own unique identities
Teachers function as guides and assistants in the existentialist classroom. They layout courses they believe to be important and allow students to study what they please. They provide the needed tutoring and materials and provide assistance and support when necessary.
