perenialism

Perennialism - Because human nature does not change, education should not change and should be the same fro everyone; since rationality is the highest attribute, humans must use rationality to control instinctual nature; education’s task is to impart knowledge of eternal truth; education is preparation for life, not imitation of life; students should be taught certain subjects that introduce the student to life’s permanencies; students should study the great works of literature, philosophy, history, and science which reveal the aspirations and achievements of great men and women.

 Perennialism is a very conservative and inflexible philosophy of education. It is based on the view that reality comes from fundamental fixed truths-especially related to God. It believes that people find truth through reasoning and revelation and that goodness is found in rational thinking. As a result, schools exist to teach reason and God’s will. Students are taught to reason through structured lessons and drills. The teacher’s role is a fountain of knowledge, put in place to regurgitate the wisdom of the past and pass it down to the next generation.

To begin with, I find this philosophy extremely outdated since church and state have been separated for quite some time now. Perenialism leaves no room for progression, which seems to be it’s objective. Students in these schools do not learn to think independently. They do not learn creativity or how to problem solve. They learn to memorize and very little else. The largest problem with this philosophy is that children do not learn the importance of learning, how to learn, or to love and enjoy learning. This philosophy may teach children to read, write, and do arithmetic, but it will also teach them to detest school and dislike learning