PHILOSOPHIES  OF  EDUCATION

	Perennialism	Idealism	Realism Essentialism	Experimentialism Progressivism	Existentialism	Reconstructionism
Meta- physics	Life has meaning in the context of the collective wisdom of Western culture.	Reality is spiritual or mental and unchanging.	What is relevant is what helps an individual live well and what benefits humanity.	Meaning is in the context of the individual, who is a problem solver.	Reality is always in terms of our relationship to existence - no meaning outside ourselves. Reality is subjective.	Reality is politically, socially, and economically constructed; no universalist or global ideas.
Episte- mology	Truth is changeless, revealed in classics of Western culture	Knowing is the rethinking of latent ideas.	Truth exists in the classics and modern science. Students must learn process and content.	Truth must be known in the context of individual experience: Nature is ever changing. Learn how to learn.	No eternal truths.  We are free to make our own meaning and our own choices.	Knowing comes from critical analysis of conflicts in society, especially the domiance of one class over another.
Axiology	Changeless. Determined by the very nature of reality.	Values are absolute and eternal.	Determined by the natural order of things. Values exist in the best of culture.	Determined by each individual in interaction with his/her culture.	Determined by the individual. Stress on values clarification.	Values are constructed in terms of social power; they are either empowering or disempowering.
Logic	Rationality is developed by studying the classics.	Rationality is developed.	Western culture learned through hard work and regular exposure to essential knowledge.	Emphasis is on inductive thinking and problem solving.	The ony real answers comes from within.	Emphasis is on critical thinking skills.
The Teacher	Interprets, tells the wisdom of the past. Educate the rational person.	To educate the useful and competent person.	Teaches essential knowledge. School is where children come to learn what they need to know. Task oriented.	Develops problem solving abilities. Schools is a small democracy. Helps children do what they want to do.	Helps a child confront his/her freedom. Assists student in personal journey.	Instructs students to focus on significant socioeconomic problems and to challenge the status quo.
The Student	Passive reception of what is being taught.	Has to learn the basics (3 R's).	Teacher is the expert and student have to listen and learn.	Learns by doing and by discovering. Research projects using group processes and democratic procedures faciliated by the teacher.	Determines own rule. Must make own meaning.	Reconstruct society. Achieving genuine democracy.

Sources:
Ornstein, A. C. and Levine, D. U. (1997). Foundations of education (6^th ed.).  Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Ryan, K. and Cooper, J. M. (1998). Those who can, teach (8^th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.