Educational Theories Continued...

Personal

                Just as there are several different theories of education there are also several different philosophies.  The three theories that were discussed in the previous section can fit into the different philosophies.  Each of the different philosophies has different well known names that have championed that philosophies cause.  The remainder of this section will discuss the philosophy of realism, one of its champions, and which of the three theories it fits into.

                While there are several different philosophies that I can agree with during certain situations and for certain students there is only one that I think fits most situations and students; that philosophy is realism.            Realism is the philosophy “that things exist objectively: the theory that things such as universals, moral facts, and theoretical scientific entities exist independently of people’s thought and perceptions” (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  Basically this philosophy is claiming that no matter what someone may perceive there are matters that are no matter how or what they are perceived.  For example, rocks are rocks.  They are rocks and will be rocks whether or not one perceives them to be or not; rocks are rocks.  Realism is a philosophy of objectivity.

The philosophy of realism has been contemplated for centuries.  In fact realism and its objectivity is one of the longest contemplated philosophies in history.  Aristotle is one of the first champions of this philosophy.  He was thought to be equal to his teacher Plato and his Lyceum rivaled the Academy (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  Aristotle discussed the philosophy of realism has not only a philosophy of objection but also a philosophy of the human senses (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  He believed that one could find realism or objectivity through the senses (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  This is a huge idea and contribution to such a discussion of philosophy.  Aristotle and his different contributions are what make him a champion for the philosophy of education.

Aristotle and the philosophy of realism seem to fit into the theory of functionalism.  Functionalism perceives education to enhance and complete social and economic order within society (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  Therefore, functionalists agree that schools are a place to “teach the economic, political, and cultural practices and norms of the dominant society” (Monteros, F. S., 2009).  Functionalism is a theory of order and so is realism.  Aristotle and realism believe in finding order as well, through the senses.  Therefore if one goes to school and learns economic, politics, and other such subjects through the curriculum of natural law and senses then they will be learning through a functional realist perception.

to be continued...

Educational Theories

There are several different theories pertaining to education.  Three different theories are: the functionalist theory, the interactionist theory, and the conflict theory.  These three theories are important to understanding different philosophies of education.  The following sections will describe the previous three theories as well as their perspectives, expectations, and how the theories fit into my own personal philosophy of education.

Theories

                The first of the three educational theories is functionalism.  This theory believes that school is a place to preserve and foster social unity and maintain social order (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  The functionalist perspective believes that the school should deal with the “dominant” norms and practices of society (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  Therefore the expectations of this theory are that the school’s lessons should teach both economic and political norms but also cultural practices to students so that they will be knowledgeable and skilled in the global world (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  This theory differs from the other three in many ways; however it can be overlapped with the others to form a neat partnership of views.

                The interactionist theory can be described as a combination of the functionalist theory and the conflict theory (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  The interactionist perspective focuses quit a lot on “school life” and the social aspects of school (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  This perspective dictates expectations of following certain educational sociological roles; such as how the teacher perceives students and how that will affect their ability to learn in the classroom (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  The perspectives and expectations of education in regards to the interactionist theory are opposite and critical of the other three theories, but can be combined with them to create a more equal educational theory.

                The conflict theory is as simple as its name.  The conflict theory can be best described by its own name.  It is all about conflict within the school setting.  The conflict perspective is focused on the different conflicts that occur within the school environment (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  Therefore the expectations that the conflict theory has for schools is that they will be a place of hierarchical relationships (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).  The three theories must be observant of the natural “hierarchical” relationships in the school setting, but the conflict theory differs quite a bit from the other two theories.

to be continued...