Existentialism Filled With Computers, Books, and Hands-On

Existentialism

Filled with computers, books, and hands-on materials, the existentialist classroom is devoted to individual student development and creative expression. Existentialism adds metaphysical meaning to the classroom. Students learn material that is meaningful to them personally; they do not feel, as they do in other classrooms, that what they learn will have no bearing on the real world. Moreover, existentialist learning touches the very core of their existence, and helps them discover the meaning of life from their own perspective. Teachers offer reading materials they feel might be valuable in stimulating the students' level of inquiry. Books are not selected from an established canon of classics, but can also include modern sources that the teacher finds helpful. The humanities are emphasized in the existential classroom, but not necessarily at the expense of the sciences. However, when science or math is taught the teacher makes ample reference to metaphysical ideas to underscore the relevance of such subjects.

Methods of teaching in the existentialist classroom include the Socratic process of dialogue, in which students and teachers engage in meaningful intellectual conversations. The students can also engage in brainstorming sessions with each other or with the teacher. The teacher acts as a facilitator, not as an authority figure. He or she helps each student reach personal self-realization. Students learn skills that are not just useful for the purposes of standardized testing, but skills that make them better people. Therefore, philosophy, ethics, and socialization are stressed as being integral to the learning process. Teachers deal with behavioral problems by directly confronting students and asking them to discover the underlying causes for their misbehavior.