Eclecticism: The Melting Pot of Education Essay -- Eclectic Teaching

Eclecticism: The Melting Pot of Education "Plasticene and self-expression will not solve the problems of education. Nor will technology and vocational guidance; nor the classics and the Hundred Best Books" (Aldous Huxley, English novelist, essayist, critic). If this is true, what will solve the problems of education? Hundreds have tried to answer that question and yet have said the same things over and over. A pure philosophy has never solved the problem of what to do about the education of the masses or the education of the individuahls, and because of that fact, I have not chosen any specific philosophy. I can only be described as eclectic, for I have taken different pieces from each of the five major philosophies and blended them into a personalized viewpoint. By drawing from the views of the great minds from the past, I have pieced together a way to describe what was already there: my point of view. Although I am eclectic, I have very strong opinions about what should be taught, and that is where I gather from the Essentialists. One of the basic beliefs of the Essentialists is that every child should, upon graduation, possess a basic body of knowledge. Included in this body of knowledge are such things as writing, reading, measurement, and computing. I agree that the child should have a basic body of knowledge, but I do not concur that it should be merely enormous rather than practical. In addition, I agree with the Essentialist beliefs that the program should be academically rigorous; that the teacher should model the correct behavior and instill such things as respect for authority, perseverance, dependability, dutifulness, consideration for others, and practicality. Traditional values and morals should be upheld ... ...hese various viewpoints has not influenced me to join a particular one, on the contrary they have strengthened my belief that no one person is right and only in a vast collection of cooperating educators and thinkers will the best environment for learning be achieved. Works Cited Donald Simanek's Pages, http://www.lhup.edu/-dsimanek/eduquote.htm Bagley, William C., Education and Emergent Man, Thomas Nelson and Sons, New York, 1934. pp 188-189. Adler, Mortimer J., et al., The RevoJution in Education, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1963. pp. 96. Dewey, John, Dewey on Education: Appraisals, Random House, New York, 1966. pp. 132-133. Kneller, George. F., Existentialism and Education, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1967. pp. 97. Skinner, B. F., The Technology of Teaching, Meredith Corporation, New York, 1968. pp. 148.