Equilibrium in Teaching in ‘Dead Poets Society’

The movie ‘Dead Poets Society’ exemplifies major differences on how teachers use diverse methods in teaching for their students. It also shows us the different situations that students may encounter during their whole academic year and how they respond to the situations they are put in. The film also centered on how it was important to acknowledge the uniqueness of every student that teachers may come across during their years of teaching.

In the movie, we can perceive the philosophical foundations that is clearly shown in the movie. We can see that Welton Academy is focused on its four pillars, namely: tradition, honor, discipline and excellence. This means that the philosophies this school have are mostly realism and perennialism. The curriculum of the school also centers on the essentialism in which the only important subjects like math, English, history, science, and other foreign languages (Latin) are taught. The movie showed how important it is for the student to stick with the rules the school implements, or they would be expelled.

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On the other hand, Professor Keating’s character is the exact opposite of the teachers inside the Welton Academy. He was loved by some of the students because he was different from all of the teachers they had. He demonstrates the philosophies of idealism, pragmatism, and existentialism as a teacher because he wants his students to develop both individualism and free thinking. He always emphasizes the importance of free-thinking and makes students be part of the discussion. He experiments on the things that would help the students to understand the lesson better. He also exemplifies the importance of learning by doing because he keeps on letting the students learn with the help of their bodies. For example, he let them do physical activities every session instead of just discussing poetry. In addition, Professor Keating showed the philosophy of reconstructionism somehow because he believes that it is important for students to be taught on being the catalyst of change because he keeps on telling them to be free-thinkers and to be who they wanted to be in this society.

In terms of psychological foundations, we can observe that the behaviorism the curriculum. The students are expected to follow the rules inside the school premises and behave in such a way that the teachers reinforced. For example, the students are to receive corporal punishments or expulsion whenever they violate the policies inside the school premises. This is what we call a negative punishment. Conversely, the students are also given praises when they answer Professor Keating’s questions which can be very motivating as a student. This is what we call positive reinforcement.

The curriculum of Welton Academy also focuses on the cognitive development of students because they are expected to master the subjects that they are taking. The students are given series of exams, assignments, and activities so that the teacher can monitor their progress of understanding the subject. For instance, Professor Keating asked his students to write a poetry and present it on the class.

We can also see the sociocultural foundations in the film. One of which is the inability of the students to tell their parents what path they really want to take. Most of the students are enrolled by their parents in that school because they believed that it would be better for their sons to take the path that they know would work out. Take Todd Anderson as an example. His parents want him to take the path of his brother so that the reputation of their family would not be ruined. Consequently, the curriculum of Welton Academy focuses on how the students will be part of the society when they graduate.

According to the film, Welton Academy is historically known for their best performance in molding the students before they go to college. The history that anchors them to this curriculum is their four pillars (tradition, honor, discipline and excellence). This is the basis of the way the curriculum is arranged and as well as the implementation of guidelines inside the school.

Concepts of change are conveyed by different characters in the film. We can see a great relation of how Professor Keating, Neil and Todd Anderson conveyed their concepts of change. Their characters expressed how important it is to build yourself according to your preference and not by how society wants you to be. Professor Keating demonstrated that being a free-thinker will help you mold yourself and changing the way you think can be relevant in reforming the society. Neil showed us how he learned to find his true passion instead of pursuing what his father wants. Lastly, Todd Anderson inspired us to be brave because it would not hurt to go out of our comfort zones little by little.

On the other hand, Mr. Perry, the Latin teacher, and the Headmaster have the same concepts with regards to change. They believed that school is relevant to the gradual changes happening within the students. They strongly showed how it is important for students to know their limitations because they are confined within a set of policies and guidelines that they take note of. Mr. Perry despised the sudden change of Neil’s plans and attitude towards him and eventually regrets putting Neil on Welton. He strongly believed that putting Neil in a military school will help Neil go back to his senses but sadly, he did not. The Latin teacher and Headmaster Nolan believed that change is directly anchored on the school’s curriculum. The Latin teacher emphasized that it is not for the boys’ age to do free-thinking and it could be very dangerous for them to do so while Headmaster Nolan believed that kicking out Professor Keating would be the best option into bringing back the way the school is supposed to be before he even arrived.

One of the notable curriculum issues I can see with the film is that the curriculum they have in Welton Academy is solely focused on the teachers rather than the students. The teacher is the exclusive provider of knowledge. So, when Professor Keating arrived and made a remarkable change, the students were confused most times about the curriculum they are going through. It will be very hard to break a system that has been there for years. It is evident that the students are having a problem adjusting to the curriculum because of a sudden change of Professor Keating’s method of teaching.

Another curriculum issue that I want to address is the excessive use of authority and fear towards the students for personal agenda. It would be better if they examined thoroughly about the death of Neil instead of pointing fingers to the person who is innocent about all that has happened. It is unethical for them to force students to sign a paper and lie about what happened. The Headmaster should have been more ethical by giving Professor Keating a chance to explain himself.

It is true that I admire Professor Keating for being a pragmatist and an idealist that he is. His methods of teaching are very effective and engaging as a student and that is probably why most of his students were drawn to his different personality. Despite all of that, Professor Keating may have missed a few important points. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to put a limit on how students may use their freedom inside the classroom because after all, you are the facilitator of the classroom. Too much freedom within the students can bring damage to their obedience with you as a teacher. We can see in the movie that there were moments where Professor Keating was disrespected by some of his students by laughing at him and making fun of the lessons. It is true that students should feel comfortable with you but too much of the same thing will be a burden.

Another thing that Professor Keating missed is the essentiality of the subject he is teaching. He skipped parts on the reference books and started from anywhere he wanted to. It would be confusing for students to do understand if we skip parts that we do not want to teach. He was always emphasizing about the importance of free thinking rather than the context of what he is teaching. There should always be a balance of both things.

All in all, I learned about a lot of things while watching this movie. As a teacher, I learned that it is important for us to inculcate free-thinking inside the classroom together with the set guidelines provided by the school. It is also better to exercise a student-centered classroom rather than a teacher-centered one because in that way, both teachers and students will be able to learn a lot easier from each other. Personal insights of the students are very important for them to learn a lesson. Furthermore, it is important to practice different methods in teaching to better execute a lesson. We have to know that students are unique in their own ways and providing them varied activities can further enhance the way they learn.

It is true that students can be very flexible in their own ways of learning but as teachers, it is our greatest responsibility to help them discover themselves as a person. We help them rebuild themselves through our curriculum and the way we teach, and I think that is the most wonderful thing that we, as teachers, could ever do.