Education Philosophy Inventory is designed to assess what someone’s personal teaching philosophy is. The survey includes six perspectives: Essentialism, Behaviorism, Progressivism, Existenialism, Perennialism, and Reconstructivism. These perspectives are types of teaching philosophies that exist today and are used in classrooms everywhere. Although one may score higher in a perspective, it does not mean that it is the only philosophy used by that individual. I know this because of the six perspectives my highest score was in Existenialism. Existenialism is a “philosophy that stresses the importance of the individual and emotional commitment to living authentically. It emphasizes individual choice over the importance of rational theories, history, and social institutions.” (EPIR AuthenticEducation.com) I agree that my own teaching philosophy lines up with the Existenialism definition, however my second highest score was in Progressivism. The definition of Progressivism (according to the EPIR located on AuthenticEducation.com) is “a focus more on the child than the subject matter. The students' interests and personal growth are important. Learners should be active and learn to solve problems by reflecting upon their experience. The school should help students develop democratic personal and social values. Because society is always changing, new ideas are important to make the future better than the past.”
