PERENNIALISM

 

Perennialism is mainly based on classical idealism and realism. Promoters of this educational philosophy are  Jacques Maritain,  Robert Maynard Hutchins who developed a Great Books program in 1963 and Mortimer Adler, who further developed this curriculum based on 100 great books of western civilization.

Perennialism suggests that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as when they were written.

According to Perennialists, the objective of education is to focus on personal development by teaching students ways of thinking and helping learners to discover truth through cultivating the intelligence and rationality each person possesses . Briefly, the goal of a Perennials‟ education is to teach students to think rationally and develop minds that can think critically.

Perennialism emphasizes  teaching on universal principles and traditions.  For Perennialists, the aim of education is to ensure that students acquire understandings about the great ideas of Western civilization. These ideas have the potential for solving problems in any era. The focus is to teach ideas that are everlasting, to seek enduring truths which are constant, not changing, as the natural and human worlds at their most essential level, do not change. Teaching these unchanging principles is critical. Humans are rational beings, and their minds need to be developed. The loftiest accomplishments of humankind are emphasized– the great works of literature and art, the laws or principles of science. A perennialist classroom aims to be a closely organized and well-disciplined environment, which develops in students a lifelong quest for the truth.

Perennialist classrooms are also centered on teachers in order to accomplish these goals. The teachers are not concerned about the students' interests or experiences. They use tried and true teaching methods and techniques that are believed to be most beneficial to disciplining students' minds.