contemporary educational theories - elon university.docVIP

Contemporary Educational Theories* The word “theory” has two central meanings. It can refer to a hypothesis or set of hypotheses that have been verified by observation or experiment, as in the case of the theory of gravitation. It can also be a general synonym for systematic thinking or a set of coherent thoughts. As regards theory in the first sense, education awaits development, and we shall discuss what there is of it in Part Four. As regards theory in the second sense, education has harvested a veritable cornucopia. In this chapter I shall explore four educational theories that lead or have led to programs of reform. Although these theories tend to flow from formal philosophies, they take on a special character because they are conditioned largely by experiences unique to education. Two other modes of thinking about education - existentialism and analysis - I will leave for separate treatment. In this country the first educational theory to excite wide-spread attention was that of “Progressivism.” The progressive movement, to be analyzed presently, burst upon the educational scene with revolutionary force. It called for the replacement of time-honored practices by a new kind of education based on social change and the findings of the behavioral sciences. The very force of the progressive movement and the publicity that it received paved the way for a counterrevolution. A revived conservatism decried the excesses for the progressivists, at the same time accepting some of their more moderate doctrines. This movement was known as “Perennialism.” I will discuss it now because its fundamental themes antedated those of progressivism. PERENNIALISM Against the progressive emphasis on change and novelty, perennialists call for allegiance to absolute principles. Despite momentous social upheavals, permanence, they say, is more real than change. It is also more desirable as an ideal. In a world of increasing precariousness and uncertainty nothing can be