R. L. Erion
South Dakota State University

Traditionally the Big Four “ism’s” are Perennialsm, Pragmatisim/Progressivism, Essentialism, and Existentialism. One might add Humanism, Social Reconstructionism, Constructivism, and Behaviorism.

Perennialist - Conservative. Perceive a common heritage that should be the glue that holds us together. Demands for a central Western European/Judeo Christian curriculum come from a perennialist position.

Essentialist - Conservative. Back to basics a modern manifestation. Rule for choice of content may vary (there are pragmatic essentialists in the broad sense), but generally there seems to be an underlying interest in using the curriculum to establish (return) to stability. Concern is with the content and the learning model is often one of accrual (collecting information and attitudes occurs if the proper exposure to such occurs).

Existentialist - Existence precedes essence. That is, there are no conditions prior to existence to establish meaning. In order to exist, one must act (to do nothing is an act). Choice is unbounded except that one exists, one will die, and during existence one must act. Phenomenology is often tied with existentialism: the individual chooses his/her reality. Education should occur in an environment in which choice is kept as open as possible. The purpose of education (life) is the choosing and development of essence. Note that there is nothing particularly rational about this (existentialist drama includes the theatre of the absurd). One can argue that the choice to be rational is made on irrational grounds. All knowing is personal in nature. It is important that one be authentic to oneself when making choices.

Note that there is an ethical dimension to this idea of choosing. On what grounds are choices made? Are all choices of equal value? Ethics themselves are a matter of choice. The Internet is has some excellent resources for existentialism.

Progressive/Pragmatist - Pragmatism has its rigins in the United States. Charles Pierce, William James, and John Dewey are major figures. It is probably safe to say that many of you had strong pragmatic inclinations. The essence of anything is personal and is determined by its relevance to each individual. One road to knowledge is the scientific method (some pragmatists have argued for meaning from other types of experiences). Dewey has had (and continues to have) a profound impact on education. He is considered to be one of the founding voices for constructivism. Progressive education is, through Dewey, associated with pragmatism.

Dewey has been called an instrumentalist as well. The human mind is an instrument by which to understand and control the world. Dewey posited a dynamic world in which we can only be guided by experience, ideally the collective experience.

Humanism has come to include a number of viewpoints.  It may be worthwhile to at least think about Humanism, humanism as opposed to behaviorism, and secular humanism.

Humanism: The proper study of mankind is man (of human kind is humanity). The previous wording helps us to date this. Humanists in this sense generally look to the literature of the past for guidance and as such may be considered perennialists.

humanism: Folks like Carl Rogers and Aurthur Coombs are representative lower-case humanists. This is usually associated with beliefs like human beings being fundamentally good with maladaptive behaviors/attitudes occuring as the result of experience. Rogers and other humanists have argued that the purpose of education is to enable students to become self actualized (realize their potential through there own activity). We can contrast this with Behaviorism (as much a position in psychology as anything). Behaviorists were/are strict realists who argued that if something could not be directly sensed, it had no meaning (it could not be scientifically studied). Hence, concepts like mind and thought had no meaning. The real work of psychology is the study of behavior. Underlying this are a number of assumptions
 

Secular Humanism: Generally used to characterize those who do not consider the Bible as absolute truth and the final source of knowledge by those who do.  Often quote the Humanist Manifesto of which there were two versions (earlier and later) in which there was a denial of a need for God.   Dewey was a signer.  Reaction to secular humanism is often very strong.

In a broader sense, secular humanism could be used to denote those who emphasize the importance of humanity for human consideration with value systems which are not religious in origin. In this light, the work of Kohlberg, for example, would push buttons since he classifies a relativistic approach to morals as representing a higher developmental level than an absolutist reference to rules.

Constructivism is a manifestation of cognitive psychology as well as a philosophical position.  Dewey is generally credited as providing some of the basis, as are Vygotsky and Piaget.  Generally involves the idea that learning involves building knowledge on that which has already been learned.  There are a variety of versions.  While it appears to be the dominant view among educators at present, not surprisingly there are those who object.  Very good sets of links with many resources on constructivism can be found here and here.

Social Reconstructionists see education as a means of creating a better society.  This is the opposing view to the more conservative views that regard education as a means for stabilizing society.  In a broad sense, this includes anyone who wants to use education to bring about a better society fits this description, including those who want to use schools to influence choices about drugs, sex, religion, etc.  The term is often used to describe more radical approaches to changing how education is done in order to change society.  The term is often linked to changes in the way culture and identity are viewed.  It is also used to describe those who would like to refine the way democracy is reflected in education.  Not everyone sees the best way to go involving saving much of the present system.   Ivan Illich provides a good example of the latter, as does John Taylor Gatto.

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