By BELINDA C.CABAUATAN
The main concern of the existentialists is to help students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions. Since existence precedes essence, the teacher’s role is to help students’ define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take in life by creating an environment in which they freely choose their own preferred way. Since feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, they demand for the education of the whole person, not just the mind.
In an existentialist curriculum, the students are given a wide variety of options from which to choose. Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject matter. The humanities, however, are given tremendous emphasis to provide students with various experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and self- expression. For example, rather than emphasizing historical events, existentialists focus upon the actions of historical individuals, each of whom provides possible models for the students’ own behavior. Moreover, vocational education is regarded more as a means of teaching students about themselves and their potential than earning a livelihood. In teaching art, existentialism encourages individual creativity and imagination more than copying and imitating established models.
Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self-directed. It includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each student openly and honestly. To help students know themselves and their place in society. Teachers remain non-judgmental and take care not to impose their values on their students since values are personal.
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