American Educational Philosophy

Educational Philosophy is simply a description of our goals and beliefs as we have our people grow and learn. It is based on deep personal and universal beliefs that have to do with:

1. Beliefs about education and the purpose of education 2. Beliefs about knowledge; its content and processes 3. Beliefs about the role of the teacher in the processes and products of teaching 4. Beliefs about the role of the learner in the processes and products of learning

Historically, in our public and private school systems, we have had three basic philosophies of education; Essentialism, Perennialism, and Progressivism, each with its own set of philosophical beliefs about what education is and what the roles of teacher and learner are.

Essentialism – learning to be an effective member of one’s society and Perennialism – learning the classical, traditional knowledge that has been endowed to us; generally are subject-centered and teacher-centered. “Teaching” is the Process - the “Teacher” is the active person. This is the usual type of experience we have had in our schooling.

Progressivism is child-centered/learner-centered. “Learning” is the Process – the “Learner” is an active person in the Process. Historically, Progressive education is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. It can be traced back to the works of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, both of whom are known for their beliefs that have been developed by modern theorists including Carl Rogers, John Dewey, Arthur Combs, and Abraham Maslow. Some of these basic beliefs are:

• Learning by doing – experiential learning

• Emphasis on problem solving, critical and creative thinking

• Group work - development of social skills

• Understanding and action as opposed to rote knowledge

• Collaborative and cooperative working projects

• Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills

• Learning is not for now or an exam. Learning is from here on out.

• Assessment by evaluation of learner's projects and productions.

We are taking these processes out to the ball field, the tennis court, the soccer pitch, the lacrosse field, the volleyball court, . . .Where, if at all, does Player-Centered Coaching fit in these systems?

Let’s show you!! Next week we're going to introduce you to the Falcons (your team) and we’re going to bring educational philosophy and player-centered coaching to life.