ESSENTIALISM AND PROGRESSIVISM 1

Essentialism and Progressivism

Daniela Garcia

Valencia College
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Essentialism and Progressivism

Learning about different education philosophies made me reflect on my years in the

classroom and inclined me towards some strong beliefs about the power of education.

Considering all four educational philosophies discussed in class, essentialism and

progressivism were the two that stood out to me the most. Although both of these

philosophies are quite different I believe that through a balance of both a special ad

unique curriculum can be created.

To begin with essentialism is unique in that it “instills students with the ‘essentials’ of

academic knowledge, patriotism, and character development.” (Sadker, Zittleman 2013)

The term was first coined by American educator William Bagley in the 1930s and has

remained popular since World War II. I believe the three factors mentioned in the

definition for essentialism are important in a school curriculum for multiple reasons. For

one, students should be taught material that is meaningful and useful for their future. This

is an arguable topic as many educators have different preferences in what is and what is

not considered the “essentials” of academic knowledge. Personally I believe English,

Math, Science, History and Physical Education should be considered essential. Every

student should master the basics skills in each of these topics. As for patriotism, I would

like for my students to grow an appreciation for the opportunities this country provides.

There are still so many underdeveloped countries that don’t grant children a free

education and we take this right for granted all the time. I want to encourage and

empower my students to take advantage of every opportunity. As educators we should

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not paint a utopian picture of the United States but instead share the positives and

negatives that takes place in our country so students can develop their own views. As

explained in the textbook, this “back-to-basics approach is meant to train the mind,

promote reasoning, and ensure a common culture among all Americans.” (Sadker,

Zittleman 2013) Similarly E.D. Hirsch Jr was the first to support the idea of a common

culture. In his texts Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and The

knowledge Deficit, he gives an in-depth and detailed explanation of what “core

knowledge” is for him. In other words, core knowledge is a common curriculum that

would include a set of courses shared by all American students. Lastly character

development is crucial for every child to understand and be aware of their emotions,

thoughts and interests. Student’s characters is what makes them unique and colorful with

their differences. For instance I want to make sure my students don’t feel like grades

determine their worth; I want them to have an optimistic mind-set for every situation they

face. In addition what appeals to be about progressivism is that it “organizes schools

around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students.” (Sadker,

Zittleman 2013) The concerns of students are rarely heard and much less is any action

taken upon their requests. For this reason I would like my curriculum to incorporate the

student’s voice through a vote so students can remind teachers of what they see as

important. In turn our job as educators would be to formulate meaningful strategies to

include these concerns into our daily lessons and activities. An American reformer named

John Dewey was the first to view “schools as a working model of democracy.” (Sadker,

Zittleman 2013) In fact he viewed democracy and freedom as more superior than the
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traditional teacher-centered curriculum. Likewise, curiosity is something over-looked and

forgotten in today’s culture of standardized tests. However it would be an exciting and

new way to get the students involved in educational activities. A different approach to

always telling students what and when to do things is to include student-centered class

activities that relate to the topics being discussed in class such as an in-class debate.

Lastly, real-world experiences is one of the best methods for students to learn because it

tests students character and some of the most influential memories are field trips at a

young age. These real-life experiences are so powerful they can sometimes inspire

children to choose a specific career path. Just as Dewey saw “education as an opportunity

to learn how to apply previous experiences in new ways,” I would like my students to

apply their prior knowledge and what is learned in class to their real-world experiences so

this knowledge can be reaffirmed and mastered. (Sadker, Zittleman 2013) Overall, both

philosophies represent all the factors I believe are significant for a successful curriculum

that meets both the teacher and student concerns and interests.

Moreover, classroom instruction for each philosophy varies since Essentialism is

Teacher-centered and Progressivism is Student-centered. For one essentialists focuses on

“traditional disciplines such as math, science, history, foreign language, and literature [to]

form the foundation of the curriculum” or the core curriculum. (Sadker, Zittleman 2013)

As a result electives or vocational courses that teach specific skills for a career are

frowned upon. Since they’re not considered an essential of academic knowledge these

classes are not included in the curriculum. This is done with the mind-set that only
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through the mastery of required material are students successful in moving up to the next

grade. There is also a major focus on standardized exams due to a global economic

competition. Moving on, one challenge that may arise from putting so much importance

on a core curriculum as well as standardized exams is that students will feel overwhelmed

and begin to not enjoy learning. In the case of over-achieving students, they may start to

think their worth comes from their grades and root their identity in academic

achievement. In fact these problems already exist in schools today. Both of these

situations are unhealthy for students and should be addressed immediately before it turns

into a more serious self-esteem problem. Another problem that may arise is that since

there will be a common culture implemented some students or parents might feel like

their culture will be undermined. However this problem can be avoided by making sure

we diversify our classrooms and incorporate each student’s culture in our displays,

lessons and activities. On the other hand, “progressivists build the curriculum around the

experiences, interests, and abilities of students, and encourage students to work together

cooperatively.” (Sadker, Zittleman 2013) Unlike the essentialist classroom, in a

progressive classroom there is no focus on a specific set of disciplines. Instead students

have the freedom to incorporate several subjects at a time in their studies. There are also

a lot of thought-provoking and hands-on activities that can be seen as this promotes easy

learning for children. Other activities such as playing a board game the teaches

educational lessons, computer stimulations, field trips and interactive websites are used to

“offer realistic learning challenges for students and build on students’ multiple

intelligences.” (Sadker, Zittleman 2013) I like the idea of having a teacher-student

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centered classroom but one of the challenges may come with this is parents pressuring

school districts to make the curriculum more rigorous claiming electives water-down the

curriculum or that student-centered activities take away time from test preperation.

Unfortunately public pressure, especially from parents if something inevitable for any

philosophy one decides to implement in their curriculum. Another inevitable challenge

will be working with parents who are concerned about their child’s safety when there are

field trip opportunities. Some parents will not like the idea of taking their children out of

school and as an educator you have to respect their ways.

Furthermore the teacher role and student goals are another aspect of these philosophies

to consider. In essentialism the teacher’s role is to “serve as an intellectual and morale

role model for the students.” (Sadker, Zittleman 2013) In other words the teacher is the

main authority in the classroom and she or he decides what is worthy of teaching and

putting emphasize on and what is not so important or crucial for students to learn. They

are also expected to be morale examples so they will be individuals with enthusiasm for

teaching and confidence in their subject matter. Essentialist educators also rely on test

scores to evaluate the progress of each student. Along with this are high expectations for

their students, encouraging them to always go above and beyond in their academics. As

for students goals their aim is to achieve the best score on standardized exams and follow

all of the rules and directions given. Although I do not agree with all of the students goals

I believe essentialism will help me interact with my students by allowing me to develop

strong class management skills. This philosophy will also help me experience a
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structured classroom so that I can gradually implement more flexibility for student-

centered activities. Moreover, the teacher’s role in progressivism is to “facilitate learning

by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those

questions.” (Sadker, Zittleman 2013) This means teachers are seen as guides that foster

thinking. Therefore teachers will not have full authority of the classroom since the

students have an equal voice. Instead of consistently telling students when and what to

do, Teachers will be seen roaming around the classroom suggesting ideas and sharing

though-provoking questions that will help students create their own views. In terms of

students they will be active problem solvers and team members, as they will work in

groups regularly. Their goals will include working cooperatively, freely expressing

themselves through creative ways and thinking of new ways to learn and incorporate

different subjects at a time. Hence, progressivism will guide me in interacting with my

students and the curriculum by giving me a chance to not only teach but also learn from

my student’s creative young minds. It will also aid me in developing well-rounded

individuals who have their confidence rooted in their abilities and talents instead of

memorization. Overall, both essentialism and progressivism will create the perfectly

balanced curriculum that I hold as ideal for a successful school where we can have

standardized exams and student-led activities.

Considering the factors that make each philosophy unique, the classroom instruction

and the teacher roles as well as the student goals, there are a lot of differences that almost

seem impossible to combine in one curriculum. However my classroom would

incorporate my take on the “essentials” of academic knowledge, a common culture and

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character development from essentialism. From the progressive philosophy I would

implement student concerns and curiosity along with real-life experiences. From a

realistic point of view there is no such thing as the perfect curriculum that guarantees

consistent student achievement, still I believe the effort to combine aspects of these two

philosophies stands strong. Therefore, I envision myself in a classroom where I can be a

guide and an intellectual role-model, one where students can have structure and freedom.
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Work Cited

 David Miller Sadker, Karen R. Zittleman. (2013). Teachers, Schools and Society.
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.