Philosophy Meets History

Philosophies of Teaching/Learning and their Historical Influences
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Philosophies of Teaching/Learning and their Historical Influences
A deeper understanding of the philosophical tenets of learning or teaching instills a stronger platform for knowledge creation and dissemination. The building blocks of knowledge creation and dissemination stem from the tenets of multiple philosophical inputs. Like in all its other applied aspects, education philosophy is two-faced and tends to merge theory and practice elements into knowledge creation and dissemination. The practical and theoretical issues have combined to bear newer developments in philosophical and educational prospects, including learning, metaphysics, and epistemology. In this analysis, emphasis is anchored on three major educational philosophies and the historical influences that nurtured individual philosophies. Such insightful exploitation is vital in developing ideas creating the environment for analyzing and synthesizing the relationship between periods, scientific discoveries, growth as a nation, and the implications for teaching and learning from all aspects.
Perennialism
Perrenialism is one of the traditional educational philosophies whose influences are evident in multiple elements of contemporary learning settings. Perennial philosophists believe that certain aspects of knowledge and works transcend time (Pineda-Rivera, 2012). That is, some sources of knowledge are as important today as they were at their time of publication. Such sources of knowledge have often been referred to as the great books. Some of the great books in the history of perennials include Dante's Inferno, Dicken's Great Expectations, Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Melville's Moby Dick (Fisher & Tallant, 2015). All the above works bear the knowledge that perennials believe in transcending the scope of time.
The variations between perennials and other theoretical prospects are evident in their unique goals for educators and learners. Perennialism encourages learners to develop minds that can think critically and rationally (Fisher & Tallant, 2015). In this construct, students steer the learning process while educators facilitate the achievement of the goals. A perennial classroom is characterized by close organization and discipline. As such, it steers learners into a life-long quest for the truth. In a perennial view, education should epitomize ideas and thought processes to guide learners to retrieve knowledge while appreciating the great literature that transcends time. However, perennials have been criticized largely for their emphasis on traditionalism. Since it does not expose and advocate for technology, incorporate multiculturalism, and challenge gender stereotypes, this philosophy has been referred largely to as culturally conservative.
Perennialism marked its popularity through various historical influences. Perennialism stems from the philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, and Thomas Aquinas. At its onset, it was considered the most traditional or flexible philosophy in education. The philosophy was a major boost in instilling new thinking paradigms. The proponents of Perennialism were faced with challenges that included individual fr...