1. Curriculum guides for the subjects taught in elementary and secondary schools were developed by teachers and
others who first considered the philosophical basis of the curriculum. Think about the subjects you had in high school,
and identify the philosophy or theory of education that served as the basis for the curriculum. Provide the rationale
for your selection.
ANSWER: Answers will vary, of course, depending on what the student’s experience happened to
be. The key to evaluating the answer is to assess whether the rationale for the
selection of the philosophy or theory is sound.
DIFFICULTY: Diffcult
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Analyzing
2. Because of the seriousness of violence in schools, many state departments of education are requiring school districts
to develop a course of study for secondary students on violence reduction and conflict resolution. Select three
educational theories or philosophies, and describe how educators representing each of the three positions would
respond to this mandate.
ANSWER: Overviews 6.1 and 6.2 will be useful when examining student answers concerning the
metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and instructional implications of the educational
philosophies and theories
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
6-2 Idealism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
FOED.ORNS.17.06.02Appraisetherelevanceofidealism’sgoalofintellectualand
spiritual growth in contemporary education and schools.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Analyzing
3. Compare deductive and inductive logic as pertains to the presentation of hypotheses and arguments of critical
thinking. Provide a short example of each
ANSWER: The answer will focus on the directionality of general-to-specific (deductive) and
specific-to-general (inductive). Examples will vary widely; however, each should follow
the correct directionality of logic, and each should be based on a sound foundational
hypothesis.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Analyzing
4. Curriculum development committees that consider the nature of reality and existence focus primarily on
a. axiology. b. epistemology.
c. logic. d. metaphysics.
ANSWER: d
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
5. Teacher education classes that deal with methods of instruction focus primarily on
a. axiology. b. epistemology.
c. logic. d. metaphysics.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
6. A course examining the moral values and rules of right conduct deals with
a. aesthetics. b. epistemology.
c. ethics. d. logic.
ANSWER: c
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
7. The philosophy that would support a subject-matter curriculum emphasizing the great and enduring ideas is
a. existentialism. b. idealism.
c. pragmatism. d. realism.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-2 Idealism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.02Appraisetherelevanceofidealism’sgoalofintellectualand
spiritual growth in contemporary education and schools.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
8. Which of the following groups of terms best describes the philosophy of idealism?
a. environment, experience, subjectivity b. spirituality, intellect, absolutes
c. relativity, situation, emotion d. individuality, change, reality
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-2 Idealism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.02Appraisetherelevanceofidealism’sgoalofintellectualand
spiritual growth in contemporary education and schools.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
9. A curriculum that reflects the philosophy of idealism would be certain to include
a. consumer education. b. mathematics.
c. vocational education. d. all of the above.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-2a Key Concepts
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.02Appraisetherelevanceofidealism’sgoalofintellectualand
spiritual growth in contemporary education and schools.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
10. The philosophy of realism would suggest
a. competency testing for both teachers and students.
b. classroom dialogues designed to build a person’s self-concept by enabling him or her to make significant
choices.
c. instruction organized around solving society’s problems by applying the scientific method.
d. instruction using language analysis to clarify communication and to establish meaning.
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-3c Application to Schools and Classrooms
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.03Explainrealism’semphasisonclassifyingandcategorizing
subjects in the curriculum in relation to its view of reality.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
11. Axiology is focused on appropriate and inappropriate behavior and evaluates what subdivision(s)?
a. ethics b. idealism
c. aesthetics d. A and C
ANSWER: d
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
12. ________________focuses on the knowledge of knowing and what we base our knowledge of the world on.
a. Epistemology b. Metaphysics
c. Ethics d. Logic
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-1 Overview and Special Terminology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.01 Relatephilosophy’sspecialterminologyofmetaphysics,
epistemology, axiology, and logic to education.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
13. The process of problem solving is stressed in
a. idealism. b. perennialism.
c. pragmatism. d. realism.
ANSWER: c
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-4 Pragmatism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.04 – Design lessons based on pragmatist epistemology that applies
the scientific method to problem solving.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
14. Who developed the concept of realism, which asserts that reality is outside of our minds?
a. Plato b. Aristotle
c. Newton d. Dewey
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-3 Realism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.03Explainrealism’semphasisonclassifyingandcategorizing
subjects in the curriculum in relation to its view of reality.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
15. Karen sees the world and everything in it as a laboratory for learning. She believes her students learn best when she
poses problems they have to solve by interacting with a real-world setting. Which of the following views is closest to
Karen’s beliefs?
a. idealism b. realism
c. pragmatism d. essentialism
ANSWER: c
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-4c Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.04 – Design lessons based on pragmatist epistemology that applies
the scientific method to problem solving.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
16. For the existentialist educator, values are
a. absolute and eternal. b. freely chosen.
c. regarded as emotional preferences. d. culturally determined.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-5 Existentialism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.05Generalizetheexistentialistsbeliefthat“existencepreceded
essence”tolearningandsocialsituationsinhighschool.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
17. Of the following, who were pragmatists?
a. Peirce, James, Mead, and Dewey b. Piaget, Dewey and Mead
c. Darwin, Montessori and Dewey d. Peirce, Mead and Montessori
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-4 Pragmatism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.04 – Design lessons based on pragmatist epistemology that applies
the scientific method to problem solving.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
18. Pragmatists such as Dewey see the school as a local community of _______________ connected to the larger
society.
a. educators and decision makers b. learners and teachers
c. pragmatist and realists d. educators and politicians
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-4c Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.04 – Design lessons based on pragmatist epistemology that applies
the scientific method to problem solving.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
19. The postmodernist educator focuses on
a. raising consciousness about social inequalities.
b. providing experiences in making personal choices.
c. cultivating the intellectual virtues.
d. helping students understand the structure of the disciplines.
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-6b Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.06 – Apply postmodernist deconstruction to a chapter in a
textbook that you are using in a college course or to a textbook in a subject that you are
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
20. Progressive educators stress that all learning should center on
a. courses to develop the rational person.
b. promoting the useful and competent person.
c. the child’s interests and needs.
d. all of the above.
ANSWER: c
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-9 Progressivism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.09 – Design an elementary school field trip that is based on the
child-centered progressive project model.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
21. Which educational theory views education as part of a larger effort to reform American society and politics?
a. essentialism b. existentialism
c. perennialism d. progressivism
ANSWER: d
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-9 Progressivism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.09 – Design an elementary school field trip that is based on the
child-centered progressive project model.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
22. Progressive educators focus their attention primarily on the
a. instructional approach. b. learner.
c. subject. d. teacher.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-9 Progressivism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.09 – Design an elementary school field trip that is based on the
child-centered progressive project model.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
23. Critical theory contends that schools
a. are receptive to social change. b. facilitate pluralistic harmony.
c. are a liberating force. d. control those who lack power.
ANSWER: d
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-10 Critical Theory
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.10 – Appraise the critical theory argument that the official
curriculum reinforces the domination favored groups and marginalizes the contribution
of the disadvantaged ones.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
24. Teachers who use critical theory select instructional activities that enable students to
a. study the great works. b. connect education to political issues.
c. learn through contrived experiences. d. pass basic skills tests.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-10b Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.10 – Appraise the critical theory argument that the official
curriculum reinforces the domination favored groups and marginalizes the contribution
of the disadvantaged ones.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
25. The aim of perennialism is to
a. foster a student’s intellectual development.
b. educate the useful and competent person.
c. educate the individual according to her or his own interests.
d. educate for the world of work.
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-8 Perennialism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
26. Postmodernistcriticswhoattacktheperennialistnotionsofeducation,suchasthe“GreatBooks”approach,dosoon
the grounds that
a. not all children will be able to understand such complex literature.
b. perennialist approaches to education are restricted to unchanging knowledge from certain times and contexts
only.
c. the “Great Books” approach to education leaves little time for anything beyond reading.
d. only a small minority of schools will be able to afford the wealth of literature necessary for an effective
perennialist education.
ANSWER: b
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-8 Perennialism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
27. Mortimer Adler’s Paideia Proposal advocated
a. activities and projects as the focus of the curriculum.
b. utilitarian education.
c. heavy emphasis on social sciences.
d. one high-quality curriculum for all students.
ANSWER: d
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-8a The Paideia Proposal
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
28. Perennialists maintain that the effect of cultural relativism is
a. better student understanding of the fine arts.
b. increased interdisciplinary study.
c. a lack of standards for right and wrong.
d. limited study in the natural sciences.
ANSWER: c
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-8b Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
29. The educational theory that emphasizes the authority of the teacher and the value of the subject-matter curriculum is
a. essentialism. b. perennialism.
c. progressivism. d. critical theory.
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-7b Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.07 – Construct curriculum models that reflect essentialist
principles.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Remembering
30. Lisa, who teaches literature, almost never uses contemporary fiction in her class. Instead, she emphasizes classics.
She believes that because these works have stood the test of time, they help teach important ideas vital to anyone
living in any era. Which of the following is most closely related to Lisa’s beliefs?
a. perennialism b. progressivism
c. essentialism d. existentialism
ANSWER: a
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-8c Applications to Schools and Classrooms
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
31. According to the philosophy of idealism, which subjects are especially important in stimulating thinking and promoting
identification with the cultural heritage? Why are these subjects useful?
ANSWER: Philosophy and theology enlighten the learner about a wide range of
situations. Mathematics can boost students’ powers of abstraction. History and
literature provide moral and cultural models.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-2a Key Concepts
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.02Appraisetherelevanceofidealism’sgoalofintellectualand
spiritual growth in contemporary education and schools.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
32. In an approach based on realism, why is the subject-matter competence of the teacher such an important concern?
ANSWER: Subject-matter knowledge and teacher competence are vital concerns because content
knowledge is a centerpiece of the realist philosophy. The way we acquire knowledge
about reality is through systematic inquiry into the subjects, and teachers must know
the subject matter if they are to teach it. Content mastery is most important.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
REFERENCES: 6-3c Application to Schools and Classrooms
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.03Explainrealism’semphasisonclassifyingandcategorizing
subjects in the curriculum in relation to its view of reality.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
33. How would you encourage students to develop their own authentic modes of self-expression?
ANSWER: Create a curriculum covering multiple areas of development, allowing students to
portray the subject matter through whatever medium they choose.
DIFFICULTY: Medium
REFERENCES: 6-5a Educational Implications
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.05Generalizetheexistentialistsbeliefthat“existencepreceded
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
34. What are the major educational principles of the perennialist theory?
ANSWER: Truth is universal and is not relative to circumstances of place or time; a good
education involves a search for and an understanding of the truth; and truth can be
found in the great books of civilization.
DIFFICULTY: Medium
REFERENCES: 6-8 Perennialism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.08 – Select three books that meet the perennialist criteria of a
“greatbook”forinclusiononthereadinglistofahighschoolclassinAmerican
literature.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
35. ReflectonthesuccessoftheA.S.Neill’sSummerhillSchool.
ANSWER: Neill found success in allowing students to choose what and when they learned.
Students actually wanted to learn when they were free from externally prescribed
requirements and restrictions.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
REFERENCES: 6-5c An Existentialist School: Summerhill
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.05Generalizetheexistentialistsbeliefthat“existencepreceded
essence”tolearningandsocialsituationsinhighschool.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
36. What is the goal of education in the essentialist theory, and how can schools accomplish this goal, according to an
essentialist?
ANSWER: The goal of education is to transmit the essential human skills and subjects to the young
so that civilization can be passed on to future generations. Schools and teachers should
(1) develop a well-defined curriculum of basic skills and subjects; (2) inculcate
traditional values of patriotism, hard work, effort, punctuality, respect for authority, and
civility; (3) ensure that classrooms are well-ordered and disciplined; and (4) promote
students on the basis of academic achievement, not social promotion.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
REFERENCES: 6-7 Essentialism
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.07 – Construct curriculum models that reflect essentialist
principles.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
37. Why would the No Child Left Behind Act be associated with essentialism?
ANSWER: No Child Left Behind focuses on the basics of reading and math as essential subject
matter. Annual assessments in these subjects are consistent with the essentialist
emphasis on academic rigor. Schools are held accountable for students’ achievement.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: FOED.ORNS.17.06.07 – Construct curriculum models that reflect essentialist
principles.
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Understanding
REFERENCES: 6-7a Contemporary Essentialist Trends