Responding to this part of the activity has a significant meaning for me, as it reflects a non-academic yet viewpoint achieving a total score of 22, recognizing Essentialism as my preferred educational philosophy based on the self-assessment scoring guide.
Essentialism advocates for a traditional educational approach that emphasizes core academic subjects and I believe that in order to deliver a holistic nursing education to the students, teachers must start from teaching the foundations or the basic knowledge and skills in an organized and systematic way. This philosophy helps and encourages students to build a strong foundation for their learning and success in school. The key tenets of essentialism are the following: core academic subjects which primarily centers on the main subjects in the classroom and are considered as the fundamentals for a well-rounded system of education. Next is the teacher centered approach which emphasizes the significance on the role of the mentors or teachers as the one imparting necessary knowledge and skills to the learners. Moreover, essentialism also covers the acquisition of knowledge and skills that promotes an in depth understanding of the topic content. And lastly, students are expected to show discipline, respect for authority and a structured approach to education.
Some of the disadvantages of teaching essentialism are the limited perspectives focusing only to the core subjects and may limit student’s exposure to a more diverse and integrative ideas for learning. The rigid structure on the focus of this educational philosophy, creates unfamiliarity and unawareness on student individual need thus needing additional support from other educational philosophies such as progressivism which focuses on the student’s interest and experiences.
By acknowledging the significance of this educational philosophy and through careful planning, essentialism can be applied to promote learner’s academic and personal growth.