Assignment in Educational Philosophies

1. Choose one among the cited philosophies (or one pre assigned to you) such as
Egalitarianism, multiculturalism, trinitarian philosophy, Marxism, post- positivism,
romanticism, nationalism, liberalism, cognitive pluralism, reconceptualism and have full
discussion of it.
2. Make a short comparative study of it inrelation to atleast one common/noted
philosophies such as idealism, realism, perennialism, pragmatism, progressivism,
reconstructionism, existentialism, post-modernism, behaviuorism, critical theory,
humanism.

Answer:
For me I choose one of the cited philosophies the egalitarianism, it is the philosophy that
promoting equality, equal treatment and non- discrimination that emphasizes the elimination of
privileges and discrimination based on gender, income, beliefs and political views. In
educational system all categories of children are treated equally. Promotes economic upliftment
amongst various classes of society. The egalitarian philosophy is based on ensuring equality of
income and equality of opportunity among the various sections of the society. In classroom
setting we can apply this philosophy, that we should have equal treatment or respect to our
students no matter their race or ethnicity. They are differences in culture we as teacher should
know and respect, we have to adjust and have a strategies how to treat them equally. In
egalitarianism,that individual differences exist between people right from birth it becomes
obvious that equal treatment does not really mean the same or identical treatment for all.
Otherwise, we will be advocating the same treatment for both the old and the young, the sick and
the healthy. Education is one of the instruments through which most societies in the world strive
for social equality or, at least attempt to reduce social inequalities among and between their
members. This is because educations foster social mobility among its participants. This can be
made possible if there is no discrimination against people of diverse societies based on social
status among other factors. We as teacher we should be the role model to our students to be able
them to know and understand that discrimination and bullying inside and outside the classroom
will be eliminated when it comes to race, ethnicity and culture.

I compare this philosophy to Perennialism, I think it is the same when it comes to

classroom setting that perennialist teacher should have a classroom in which all students are
treated the same way or equally. A perennialist teacher would have a classroom in which all the
students are treated the same way. Material is taught and delivered to the students whether they
like it or not. This is because material is taught that is good for them rather than what they like.
Concept Attainment in Social
Studies Class
BY JODY & SHARA · PUBLISHED 02/22/2015 · UPDATED 11/22/2019
A MiddleWeb Blog
 Attributes vs. the Whole
The concept attainment learning strategy is a way of harnessing the scientific
process — using it to elucidate the properties of a particular idea in order to
better understand that idea.
This process, developed by cognitive psychologists, has students learn by
logic and contrast. Often positive exemplars are used on one side and
negative on the other (what does it look like, what does it NOT look like), and
in the end, students are better able to identify and explain a concept because
of having understood its attributes. (Here’s an art example.)
Sadducees and Pharisees
This model, often used in science and math classes, can be adapted for use
in history and social studies classes as well. Last year, we used concept
attainment in one of our classes to show the differences between the
Sadducees and Pharisees (groups living under Hasmonean rule). These two
groups had very different ideas about life and religion–in fact they were, in
many cases, diametrically opposed.
 The Hasmonean dynasty ruled Judea & surrounding regions c. 140 – 63 BC.

We started by showing the students one set of opposing characteristics:

“strict” and “flexible.” We put these words on different sides of the board (strict
on the left, and flexible on the right). We then introduced another set of
opposing characteristics: “wealthy people” and “common people.” Wealthy
people went on the left, and common people on the right.

We continued introducing characteristics about the Pharisees and Sadducees,

soon asking the students to predict what side of the board the characteristic
should go on. Each new set of characteristics became more specific, and
eventually the students were able to predict how court decisions would be
made by one side of the board or the other.
So far in this process, the students had been constructing the idea of Pharisee
and Sadducee characteristics before they had been introduced to those
identifying labels. Once they understood the concept behind the two
anonymous groups, we labeled the left side of the board “Sadducee” and the
right side “Pharisee.”

In previous years, when we used a more traditional approach, our students

had a hard time remembering which group had which characteristics.
Because we used this lesson model to introduce these ideas, the students
built the idea of Pharisee before learning the name. They had a significantly
higher rate of retention of this information than they had in previous years.

Federalists vs. Democratic Republicans

After our success with the Sadducees and Pharisees, we wondered if this
concept was something we could use in our U.S. history class–specifically
with Federalists and Democratic Republicans. While these two groups were
not always diametrically opposed, often they were, and we thought this
strategy might help our students to be able to see the differences in ideas
between these two political parties.

John Adams, Federalist

While concept attainment was the model for what we did, we certainly took
liberties with it in order to meet our needs. You can use a visual of an upside
down triangle to imagine how to apply this: you start with the broadest
attributes, then move down to the more specific attributes–then at the bottom,
you can label the idea.

First, we started with some broader ideas – e.g., weaker federal government
versus stronger federal government – and put them on the board in diametric
opposition. Once these two concepts were on the board, we brought out
attributes of stronger state/local government and weaker state/local
government and asked the students to identify to which group these attributes
would go (remember they still have no identifying labels for the groups).

We continued to bring in defining characteristics of each group, getting more

specific as more attributes were named:

 The idea that the federal government should control the country’s money
vs. the idea that state governments/local governments should be able to
control money
 The idea that the federal government could occasionally limit the rights of
the people for the good of the country vs. the idea that individual rights
should be protected over the needs of the country as a whole
 John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson
For each of these ideas, students decided which group they belonged in. It is
a lesson in categorization–matching like concepts to other like concepts. For
many students, the kind of activity helps make connections and ultimately
understand the unit more completely as we go through it.
 Thomas Jefferson, Democratic Republican

And yes, some of the ideas and attributes simplify complex subjects, but when
the students are introduced to them as a whole, it can help them grasp the
major ideological and political differences between these two opposing
groups. (We were also able to preview some of the key points of contention at
that time: the National Bank, the Alien and Sedition Acts, etc.)

Finally, at the end, once we’ve gone from the most general to the most
specific, we label the groups “Federalist” and “Democratic Republican.”

Then we tie this to one of the themes of the course:

The United States functions by maintaining a balance between opposing

groups/powers.
We explain that since the founding of the U.S., political parties (a bunch of
people who pretty much agree on political matters) have been in existence. In
upcoming lessons, we will learn about two of the United States’ earliest
political parties who were in opposition to each other.
For closure, we ask the students to write a sentence describing a person from
each of the political parties. We deliberately ask for a sentence to avoid a list.
Students then have to synthesize the attributes of a Federalist or Democratic
Republican and be able to succinctly explain what a person from that political
party believed.
The potential of concept attainment
Concept attainment is something that we have only tried a few times in our
history classroom, but it seems like the kind of strategy that would have wide-
reaching applications across content and grade levels.

The idea that the names and labels are less important than the defining
attributes of a thing is a powerful idea, and one that will help us to re-think the
way that we teach certain concepts in history.

Have you used concept attainment in your history classroom? Can you think
of other topics this lesson model would resonate with?

What is the Concept Attainment Model?

The Concept Attainment model is an instructional strategy founded on the works of Jerome Bruner. Built on the
principle of concept formation, the Concept Attainment model promotes student learning through a process of
structured inquiry.
The model helps students to understand and learn concepts by identifying attributes or key features through a
process of analysis, comparison, and contrasting of examples. Two sets of examples are used in this strategy – Yes
(examples that have attributes of the concept) and No (examples that do not have attributes of the concept)
examples.
Concept Attainment Model in Practice
Introduced as a whole-class activity, this instructional strategy can be implemented using the following steps:
Preparation:
 Choose a concept with well-defined attributes.
 Prepare “yes” and “no” examples. Some of the yes examples should have a high attribute value (meaning it
should be a clear representative of the concept)
In the classroom:
 Introduce and explain the strategy.
 Draw two columns on the board and title them as “Yes” and “No.”
 Present each example and write them in the appropriate column. Start with three examples in each column.
 Instruct students to analyze and compare the examples, within the group (find similar attributes in the “yes” group)
and between the groups (find how “yes” and “no” examples differ from each other). Write the attributes listed by
the students on the other side of the board.
 Add three more examples to each column. Instruct students to refine the attribute list by analyzing the additional
examples.
 Ask students if they are able to identify the concept, but not to say it out aloud. Students who have identified the
concept can be encouraged to add more “yes” examples to the column. Encourage other students to examine the
student-generated examples to identify the concept.
 Teachers can assist by modeling the thought process to help other students identify the concept. Once identified,
help students define it using the list of identified attributes.
 To test for understanding, have students suggest more “yes” and “no” examples of the concept with explanations.
Or, teachers can present students with examples and instruct them to categorize them as “yes” or “no”.
Practicing the Strategy
Divide the class into small groups or pairs and provide them with Concept Attainment Worksheets. (A sample is
included at the end.)
Instruct students to find the essential attributes of a concept, identify the concept, and define it. An additional sheet
with random examples can be included which students can be instructed to categorize. At the end of the session,
each group can present and discuss their findings.
Teachers can combine the Concept Attainment model with the Carousel method, placing different concept
worksheets at different workstations. Each group starts from one workstation and eventually visits each workstation
identifying attributes and recording them. At the end of the carousel, groups return to their original workstations and
using the information recorded, try to identify and define their concepts. Each group can then present their concept to
the class, teaching using the Concept Attainment model.
The Concept Attainment model serves as a powerful teaching and learning strategy. For teachers, it is advantageous
to use the model to introduce and teach new concepts through an active, student-centric, inquiry-based approach.
Simultaneously, the model as a learning strategy helps students to:
 Link past knowledge with new information
 Critically analyze, compare, and categorize information
 Examine and understand a concept from multiple perspectives, strengthening understanding and retrieval of the
concept.