Records Of The Grand Historian
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Over time, different philosophies of education have been focal points of several criticisms. Both, the way children are taught and what they are taught, are two main items that have been argued. These criticisms contribute to why several different philosophies have emerged. Because of this, our education system has evolved from one room classrooms, taught by the town recluse, to a free and required educational system with standards that need to be met (Tyack). Another important thing to know is that education in our society is used for advancement. Without the way we operate our education, our country would not be one of the most powerful nations in the world. By new generations learning what older ones have learned is very important because these students get to start from where the people before them left off (Tyack).
Education started out with teacher-centered classrooms where students were sent to school to learn only the basic three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. This traditional style of education did not last long, but it did set a foundation for what education would become. Soon our government was learning that education needed to be mandatory for all children. Several new types of teaching became popular in the United States because of this; one of them was the Progressive form of education. Progressive education was used in Gary, IN one hundred years ago. It worked well in Gary because it was student based. Students learned their skills by hands on activities as opposed to reading about it in a book (Tyack). Since Gary was a generally poor city, this helped the students learn what they would want to do when they got out of school. The next type of teaching that was popular was perennialist. This form of education focused mostly on books by popular scholars (Tyack). Students learned from the writings of great scholars. This educational style could be found in many private schools where financially stable students may have an advantage in comparison to the average student (Tyack).
The next philosophy was social reconstruction. This philosophy focused mostly on the social and economical needs of students (Tyack). Another type of philosophy was existentialist; this was a very student based type of teaching. Students learned at their own pace in an environment that is open for questions (Tyack). The final, and probably the most used form of education, was the essentialist philosophy. This form of education was heavily used after Sputnik was launched in 1957. Due to the fact that Americans had feared that the Soviets were spying on them, they wanted to beef up their educational system (Tyack). This form of education was used for most college-aged students when they were growing up. It has teacher-based class rooms that focused on a core curriculum and testing. This education system was used for the sole purpose of learning more at a faster pace. Our country was scared of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. When the Soviets launched a satellite into space, it scared United States into changing its educational system to the essentialist