Over the years, perennialism and progressivism have been paramount philosophies in the field of education and its learning process. As a teacher, my educational philosophy perspective is based on the tenets of perennialism and progressivism. Perennialism philosophy focuses on the type of teaching that does not become obsolete within a short time; it is subject-centred. As an educator using perennialism tenets, the objective is to educate learners to think rationally and develop critical minds. On the other hand, progressivism philosophy is student-centred, whereby learning is achieved through means like experiments. The concept holds that individuality, changes and progress are essential for a person’s education. A progressive educator focuses on meeting the needs of individual learners. When the two philosophies are used together, I believe they will offer an integrated approach to education that enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, informed decision making and learners’ participation which is beyond just memorizing.

As a teacher to the older students in the provided scenario, I would use an inquiry-based learning strategy. Accordingly, “in the inquiry-based learning classroom, teachers are responsible for guiding students through their questions — past curiosity and into critical thinking and understanding” (Kampen, 2022). The fundamental focus of this learning strategy is asking learners questions whereby they are supposed to provide answers. Studies prove that learners are more likely to understand concepts than just memorize them when asked questions. Therefore, I would ask open-ended questions requiring the older students to conduct further research, analysis and evaluation of the concept. For students arguing, “I didn’t have my hand up” or “I don’t know”, I will create a conducive environment where they can easily say what is on their minds even if it is inaccurate. In the end, it will aid these students in developing their curiosity and individual-directed learning through their active participation. Through an enquiry-based strategy, the learners in the provided scenario will understand the information and retain the acquired knowledge instead of just memorizing it. The inquiry-based strategy supports my philosophy as it student-centred approach enhancing problem-solving, critical thinking and learner participation.

Additionally, I would also use the problem-based strategy of learning. Evidently, “problem-based learning is a student-centred pedagogy that puts students in groups to solve open-ended problems together” (Kampen, 2022). First, I would group the learners into various groups and give them assignments to solve. This learning strategy supports my philosophy as it is a student-centred approach enhancing active learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The problem-solving strategy is preferable for memorizing older students in the provided scenario because it allows for the development of long-term retention of the acquired content. In addition, the strategy fosters the students’ active engagement as they will work together in groups to solve the problem. For the learners requiring details in the assignment, I would give them concise instructions and objectives and provide the necessitated guidance and support to finish the assignment.

Apart from problem-based learning, I would also use experiential learning. This learning strategy used various learning activities that foster information retention instead of memorization. Accordingly, “experiential activities counter learners’ disengagement and get them involved in the learning process. They include learning activities like a teacher-centred, fixed rubric, explaining knowledge by transferring information, flexible structure and student-centred focus” (Kampen, 2022). This learning strategy will enhance the learners to grasp information through direct participation, like visiting historical sites. In the long run, this strategy will help the learners to develop problem-solving and critical skills, including making rational choices. The strategy also fosters learners’ engagement and teamwork as they will work together during the learning process. The real-life experiences will help make the learning more meaningful and real; hence easy to understand and retain information. Experiential learning supports my philosophy through its subject-centred approach, which fosters knowledge retention instead of memorization.

In summary, my educational philosophy perspective is based on the tenets of perennialism and progressivism as a teacher. By using the two aforementioned philosophies, I believe my older learners will outgrow memorization. Instead, I believe they will be able to think critically, solve problems, make rational choices and become more engaging with lessons. Additionally, by using the aforementioned learning strategies, I believe that I will be able to create a classroom environment that will be more engaging and conducive for my student to work on their personal education process, which supports my educational philosophies.