ESSENTIALISM

”ADHERENTS BELIEVE
CHILDREN
THATSHOULD
LEARN THE TRADITIONAL
SUBJECTS
BASIC
THOROUGHLY”
 PHILOSOPHICAL
TREATISES

The key term to understand this educational

philosophy is essential. Essentials are rooted from
realism and it basically advocates for the status
quo or the conservation of existing culture/society,
which is viewed as essential to both societal
survival, social stability as well as personal
satisfaction and success. Without the transmission
functions of schools, no society, including its values
and traditions will ever survive.
 PHILOSOPHICAL
TREATISES

Essentialism advocates that the function of

education is for enculturation -that is, passing on of
culture from one generation to the next. It
concentrates on teaching the essential knowledge,
attitudes, and skills of life in the real world. These
knowledge, attitudes, and skills are the so-called
accumulated knowledge of civilization taught
through the core subjects in the traditional
academic disciplines.
 AIM OF EDUCATION

The aim of essentialist education is not to radically

reshape society. Instead of rebuilding society,
learners must be taught how to serve and adapt to
their society through tested and proven knowledge
and skills. It is also the aim of education to
conserve social values such as respect for
authority, perseverance, nationalism, etc. as these
have been the core values that have been
instrumental to the country's growth and
development.
 AIM OF EDUCATION

Essentialists believe that these values must be

passed on to young people to maintain social
stability and prevent moral decline. Put simply,
passing on these values ensure the security of the
culture and civilization of any country.
EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Demonstration, deductive, drill, recitation, and

memorization are the preferred method of teaching
of essentialist teacher because it is effective in
imparting knowledge and skills. Using this method
requires showing proofs and giving explanations
through actual and concrete examples.
EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Moreover, competition is promoted emphasizing

the acquisition of grades and honors as well as
standardized testing like the National Achievement
Test. Similar to perennialism, books are also
important instructional materials as they define the
competencies required for individual and societal
adaptation.
CURRICULUM FEATURES

Essentialist curriculum teaches the 3 R's to younger

generations for them to survive, to be productive,
and to live successfully in this world. Examples of
which are the ideas in literature, history,
mathematics, and science. It also includes essential
skills in reading, writing, counting, patriotism, and
character development.
CURRICULUM FEATURES

Similar with perennials, the curriculum of

essentialist teachers is fixed and permanent with a
premium focus on the subject matter containing
the essential knowledge, skills, and values that are
to be mastered by the learners. Essentially, these
‘essentials’ are what the elders want the younger
generation to know so as to meet the expectations
placed upon them.
 SIGNIFICANT ROLE OF
TEACHERS

Teachers play a key role in essentialist philosophy.

As a teacher-centered philosophy, teachers have
the basic responsibility to mediate between the
adult world and the world of youngsters. Such
responsibility is made in as much as learners are
still young in comprehending the nature and
demands of adulthood.
 SIGNIFICANT ROLE OF
TEACHERS

Teachers act as transmitters of tradition that is,

handing in traditionally held knowledge and values
including patriotism and character development.
This role of teachers reflects the transmission
model of education which is fundamentally
espoused by essentialism.
 ROLE OF LEARNERS

Essentialism views the learners as empty vessels to

be filled up with information and to be disciplined in
the tested and proven techniques and approaches
of the past. Learners come to school to learn what
they need to know and the teachers are believed to
be the best persons to instruct them in essential
matters. Most often, they adhere to the strong,
basic, and core curriculum prescribed by teachers
and they have to cope with high academic
standards of the school.
 ROLE OF LEARNERS

Ideal learners for essentialism are those who

exemplify higher academic knowledge, discipline,
and good reasoning and not those who just
entertain. Basketball players, actor, and actresses,
for them, are not perceived to be vital in nation
building because they have lesser contribution in
society.
LEARNING ASSESSMENT

Essentialist teacher bank on achievement scores to

evaluate learners’ progress. They test learners’
mastery of essential knowledge and highlights
strong thinking across all basic subjects. There
exists academic rigor as this is an essential
component of education. In effect, assessment of
learning must guarantee hard effort to absorb and
master the prescribed subject matter.
LEARNING ASSESSMENT

Normally, essentialist teachers evaluate learners’

learning through standardized tests and criterion-
referenced tests. These tests are conducted to
determine whether the goals set by them are
achieved. Also, learning is done through lecture,
reading, memorization,, recitation, and
examinations. Other measures include laboratories,
audio-visual materials, and nature studies.
CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE

The classroom atmosphere must be that which

adjusts the learners to the material and social
wolrd as it exists. In essence, it is an atmosphere
educating children to attain the basic knowledge
essential to understand the real world.
Significantly, essentialist teachers manage their
classroom through the use of textboks.
CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE

Their learners are also sealed row by row and they

lecture a lot while learners listen. They, too, assign
a substantial amount of assignment and extra
reading to have effective classroom teaching.
 ESSENTIALISM

ADVANTAGE

Essentialist classrooms provide

students with strong academic
foundations, fostering basic skills
like reading, writing, history,
math, and science, while
promoting discipline and hard
work.

DISADVANTAGE

Essentialist classrooms restrict

students' freedom to explore and
test academic material,
overlooking extra-curricular
subjects like art, music, drama,
and sports, potentially limiting
their skill development in these
"elective" areas.
 ADVANTAGE

Essentialism promotes a stable

society by conserving knowledge and
maintaining consistency in education.
It plays a crucial role in early childhood education,
providing a solid foundation for core knowledge.
Essentialism addresses the issue of too many
subjects
DISADVANTAGE at once, allowing children to master only

essential concepts. By focusing on basic skills,

essentialism helps young children excel in higher
education and prepares them for life's essentials.
 DISADVANTAGE

Essentialism is criticized for

being a
teacher-centered educational
philosophy, resulting in passive
learners who submit to established knowledge.
Critics argue that this approach leads to rote
memory,
DISADVANTAGE inert ideas, and a focus on basic skills,
which limits the aim of education and overlooks
contemporary and creative subjects. They also
argue that this approach may create culture lag,
hindering the new generation's ability to adapt to
ANY
QUESTIONS
?
QUESTION 1
Essentialism contends that teachers teach for
learners to acquire ?

A - BASIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND

VALUES

B - MORE ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND

VALUES

C - BOTH A AND B
QUESTION 2
Essentialist program are ?

A - ACADEMICALLY RELAXED

B - ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS

C - BOTH A AND B
QUESTION 3
Essentialist teachers emphasize
?

A - FAMILIARITY OF THE SUBJECT

MATTER

B - AWARENESS OF THE SUBJECT

MATTER

C - COGNIZANCE OF THE SUBJECT

MATTER

D - MASTERY OF THE SUBJECT

MATTER
THANK YOU