
Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment
This questionnaire will help you recognize and name your own educational philosophy. Respond to
the given statements on a scale from 1, "Strongly Disagree," to 5, "Strongly Agree." Record the
number of your answer along with the question number for scoring.
The curriculum should be universal; a given body of information about western
civilization should be taught through discussion and lecture.
Students are makers of meaning and construct their understandings from active
experience, rather than through transmission from teachers.
Education should emphasize personal growth through solving problems that are real
to students.
Curriculum should not be predetermined; rather, it should spring from students'
interests and needs.
It is necessary and good that schools instill traditional values in students.
Representing information as symbols in the mind is an important part of learning.
Schools exist to provide practical preparation for work and life, not to nourish
personal development.
Teaching the great works of literature is less important than involving students in
activities to criticize and shape society.
Teachers, rather than imparting knowledge, are facilitators of conditions and
experiences so students can construct their own understandings.
The aim of education should remain constant regardless of differences in era or
society, it should not vary from one teacher to another.
Schools should encourage student involvement in social change to aid in societal
reform.
The emphasis in schools should be hard work, respect for authority, and discipline,
rather than encouraging free choice.
If encouraging and nourishing environments are provided, learning will flourish
naturally because people have an inherent tendency to learn.
Students, like computers, are information processors who must make sense of events
and objects in their environments.
Schools should guide society towards significant social change rather than merely
passing on traditional values.
Teachers should concentrate on conveying a common core of knowledge rather than
experimenting with modifying curriculum.
The curriculum should focus on basic skills instead of students' individual interests.
Students must learn to make good choices and to be responsible for their behavior.
Conflicts to current understandings trigger the need to learn and to make meaning.
Rewards controlled by the external environment lead to and result in all learning.