EDUCATION - PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
From the very beginning
man has been continuously trying to know and understand
the mystery of the Universe around him. He is trying to know the relationship with the
physical world on one side and social world on the other. It requires keen observation,
critical study and deep thinking. It is philosophy, which has been very useful
and helpful to know the nature of man, his origin and relationship with nature, his aspirations and the tool he uses to achieve
his aims.
Life and philosophy are so closely related that it is said that if there is life, there
would be some philosophy of it also. The function of philosophy is to refine the interests
of an individual.
With this, it studies the views of the people.
The
differences in the views of people are quite natural. So many persons have expressed their philosophical
views.
Philosophy is
wisdom, means knowledge. Knowledge is
related to education. Philosophy directs so many things in life. Like wise it directs the education also. It is
philosophy which co-ordinates the activities of the individual, including education,
which depends on philosophy.
Meaning of Philosophy
The word Philosophy is derived from two Greek words - ‘philos’
means love and
‘sophia’ means wisdom. So the philosophy means ‘love of wisdom’ or ‘love of truth’.
Philosophy deals with the general problems of life. Traditionally, philosophy
refers to a set of opinions, customs, beliefs and ideas about
the nature of reality, truth and values.
According to westerners, philosophy is a method of analysis,
clarification and criticisms.
Philosophy deals with the questions
of reality, knowledge
and value. It is theoretical
and practical. It is related
to theoretical
questions like - what is life?
What is value? Where did man come from? Where does he go? and other practical questions like
‘What kind of life is worth
living’?
The concept of philosophy.
5. Philosophy
is a group of problems
as well as theories about the solution of these problems.
6. Philosophy
is related to educational theories and provides suitable solutions to
educational problems.
7. By providing
some guidelines it directs education.
8. Philosophy
provides us answers and gives directions to the educational ideas,
beliefs and problems.
9. For the analysis
of educational principles, philosophy is helpful and essential.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan says, ‘It is a logical inquiry into the nature of reality’.
Relationship between
Philosophy and Education
Philosophy and education
are closely related.
They are interdependent. Philosophy gives suitable answers
to educational
problems. “A sound philosophy of education is based
on adequate
philosophy of life”. In fact,
philosophy is the groundwork or foundation out of
which come the objectives of education. Philosophy and education walk hand in hand. In this relationship, philosophy and education are re-constructive,
they give to and
take from each other in
the ebb
and flow
of thought
and action,
they are means to one another
and ends,
and are
process and product also.
Philosophy points out the way, to be followed
by education. For example, while
modifying the child’s behavior, the philosophy solves the questions like in which direction
modification should be carried out? What should be the standards and values, to strive
for? Philosophy thus deals
with the ends and education
with the means to achieve
those ends. Education
is like laboratory in which philosophic theories and speculations
are tested and made
concrete. Philosophy is wisdom education
transmits that wisdom from one generation to the other. In reality, philosophy is the theory of education.
Philosophy formulates
the method, education its process. Philosophy gives ideals, values
and principles. Education works out
these ideals, values and principles.
Education is the best means for the propagation of philosophy. Ross has summed
up this point, “philosophy and education are two sides of the coin, and the former is the
contemplative, while the latter
is the
active side”. Education then as
Adam has put it, “is the dynamic side of philosophy”. Philosophy sets the goal of life; education provides
the means for its achievement.
All great
philosophers of the world have
also been great educators. The great philosophers like Plato,
Dewey,
Socrates, Gandhiji etc., are also
great educationists. They reflected
their philosophical views in their educational schemes.
Philosophy determines all the broad aspects of education. It is philosophy that
provides
aims to education. These aims
determine the curriculum, the methods
of teaching and techniques, the textbooks,
the problems
of school
organization, concept of school discipline
and also role of the teacher. In the different
schools of philosophy, such
as idealism, naturalism and pragmatism, the aims, curriculum, method, discipline
etc., are varied. Philosophy is theoretical and education is practical and thus philosophy is closely related to education.
Thus, as long as we need aims of education, philosophy
will continue influencing and determining both the matter
and the method
of education.
a) Philosophy
and Aims of Education:
The aims of education are related to the aims of life and the aims of life are creations of the philosophy of certain time. Hence the aims of education are determined according
to the aims and philosophy
of life. Education tries to achieve aims of the life as goals of
education and these aims of the life are determined
by the philosophy of life prevalent
at the time. Different philosophers, based on their own thinking, considering the demands
of the society of their
times have formulated different aims
of life
and education
has always tried to achieve those aims as different goals of education. Thus as aims of life
change,
aims of education also change
accordingly. Every educational aim is an expression of a philosophy
of life. It is philosophy, which determines
whether the aim of
education should be intellectual or moral, useful or
liberal, individual or social. Such things are resolved by philosophy.
b) Philosophy
and Curriculum:
Philosophy is one of the three foundations of curriculum, the other two being psychology
and sociology. Philosophy determines the aims and
objectives of education, so also
it determines the shape of the
curriculum. Philosophy mainly influences the choice of subjects to be included in the curriculum, It tells us why a particular
subject should be
taught and what benefits
accrue from it. The philosophy
of a country at a particular time determines the curriculum in which such subjects,
activities and experiences are included which are supposed to meet the emerging demands of the society at a particular time.
c) Philosophy and
Methods of Teaching:
Philosophy is
closely related to the methods
of teaching.
Changing philosophies change the
methods of teaching. Hence, different
schools of philosophy prescribe different methods of teaching. According to Prof. Saxena, “philosophy is the way of
thinking and way of working.
As such these two factors determine the nature, style and
actual operation of methods
of teaching”.
The naturalists
want education to be child
centered and expect the
teacher to use such methods,
which enable him to recognize
the innate capacities of children. They support Dalton plan, Heuristic, Montessori method
etc., The children must have
free atmosphere to grow.
Some philosophers stand for non-intervention by the
teacher. The children should
have complete freedom and a good
environment for their
development to the fullest extent.
The Pragmatist advocates Project method as more
practical and experimental. The idealists
advocate question- answer, discussion and lecture method, which
ensure the total development of child’s personality. Since different
philosophies advocate different methods of teaching, it proves
clearly that philosophy and methods of teaching are closely related.
d) Philosophy and Role of the Teacher:
Philosophy has a great influence
on the
teacher both in the area
of thinking
and behaving. A teacher is not a teacher alone, but he is a philosopher also. The teacher
must have the knowledge, light and the reason for progress and for search of the truth.
All this he can have only if he has an insight into philosophy. According to Plato, “A
philosopher is one who
has a taste for every sort
of knowledge,
one who
is curious
to learn and is never satisfied”.
The teacher
is expected
to influence
the children
with his philosophy. He
should be conscious about needs of children and the society. He should work properly
to meet these needs. The teacher’s outlook, belief, ideology and conduct will have a profound influence on the development of children. Hence, he should possess proper moral and
spiritual values.
Philosophy helps the teacher to maintain, ‘a proper balance between the formal and the informal,
the intentional
and the
incidental mode of education’.
1 Idealism:
Idealism is born out of
Plato’s “Theory of Ideas”.
According to this doctrine,
the ultimate supremacy
is of ideas. Idealism recognizes the ideas, feelings and ideals more
important than mental objects,
i.e. the mental or material
one. According to Idealism, mind is real and
material world is
unreal.
Reality is found in man’s mind rather than in his physical environment. The world of experience is more significant than material universe.
To
the idealist ‘Mind and Soul’ are
more important than the ‘Matter
and the
Body’. Idealists consider the development
of human
personality as the supreme objective
of life.
Plato, Pestalozzi and Froebel introduced the Idealism in education. They advocated
its importance in education and laid more emphasis on aims and principles of education
than on other aspects.
Idealism and Aims of Education:
1. Self-realization
or Exaltation
of personality
- It implies the realization of the highest potentialities of the self in
a social and cultural environment.
2. To
ensure spiritual development-Education
is to
develop the child mentally,
morally and above all spiritually.
3. To cultivate
Truth,
Beauty and Goodness -Helps to
develop spiritual values.
4. Conservation, Promotion and Transmission of cultural heritage - Education
is to acquaint the child with
the cultural
heritage so that he conserves,
promotes and transmits it to the
rising generation.
5. Conservation
of inborn
Nature into Spiritual Nature - Helps
to sublimate
the inborn raw instincts of the child
into spiritual qualities.
6. Preparation for holy life -Education should create suitable condition and provide
an environment, which is helpful
for the
development of spiritual values in
a child.
7. Education
is to
help man and to direct
his efforts
towards the attainment of rationality in the universe and
in his
own person.
Idealism and Curriculum:
Idealists give more importance to thoughts, feelings, ideals and values than to the child and his activities. They firmly hold that curriculum should be concerned with the whole humanity
and its
experience to the study of
humanities, culture, art, morality,
history, philosophy, literature
and religion. The Sciences explain the physical environment. Therefore, the human aspects
of Sciences
also must be taught. They
have given importance for physical education also. The study of Hygiene and Physiology and practice
of Physical skills, Gymnastics and Athletics must form
an integral
part of the school curriculum. Today, they emphasize
to teach the significant knowledge which is of
permanent value.
Idealism and Method of Teaching:
Questioning, discussion and lecturing are very important
methods of teaching.
Brut the creative projects are very effective in educating
the child in Idealism.
The
emphasis should be on
the spontaneous
activity of the pupils. Their
‘creative mental activity’ should be developed. Froebel
insisted play-way method.
Aristotle advocated Inductive- Deductive method. Idealists are
of the
opinion that, any and every
method may be employed to realize the ideals set and determined before. Idealists advocated the use of
textbooks as a source of
knowledge.
Idealism and Role of the Teacher:
The
place of teacher in Idealism
is very
high. According to the idealists,
proper manipulation of the teaching
process is impossible without the teacher. An Idealist
teacher is imbibed fully with high degree of self-knowledge, self-dynamism and qualities
of spiritualism. The teacher’s life should be model to the child and he tries to shape the
individuality of the child to a life of purity, virtue and great achievements. The student
is influenced by the teacher’s personality. He
guides and directs the child
with love, affection and
sympathy. He provides a conducive atmosphere and plans
experiences for the child.
So, for
Idealists teacher is a guide and
philosopher.
2
Naturalism:
Rousseau is known to be the founder of Naturalism. Naturalism is concerned with ‘natural self’ or ‘real self’. For naturalists the material world is the real world. This, material world
is being
governed by certain laws. Naturalism
is also
termed as materialism. For them nature is everything and behind everything there is nature. Hence,
man should investigate the truths of nature through Science. Naturalists do not believe
in spiritual development. To them matter is important, which is the ultimate reality and
ultimate truth.
Naturalism has mainly three forms - i) Naturalism of physical sciences tries to explain the experiences
in light
of natural
laws, which are external in
nature. ii) Mechanicalism, another form
of naturalism,
regards man as a mere machine.
iii) Biological naturalism, which tries to explain man as a product of evolution
and as the highest
creature who inherits the racial past consisting of natural instincts and emotions.
Aristotle, Comte, Bacon,
Hobbes, Huxley, Spencer and
Kilpatrick are the supporters of naturalism.
Naturalism and Aims of Education:
1. ‘Self expression’
is the
aim of
education under the naturalistic school of philosophy.
2. The
mechanist considers the man as
a machine, they lay down that
the aim
of education is “to make the human machine as efficient as possible by attending
to construction, by elaborating
it and
making it capable of more
and more
complicated tasks”.
3. Biological naturalism advocates that the attainment of happiness of man is the aim
of education.
4. The
aim of
education should be the re-direction
and co-ordination
of instincts
of man to achieve those goals
which “have individual and social
value”.
5. According
to evolutionists,
the aim
of education
should be “to equip the
individual for struggle
for existence
and thus
to ensure
his survival”.
6. Other naturalist’s advocate that education should
enable the individual to adjust himself
to the environment.
7. Some naturalists believe that, education should conserve and preserve cultural
heritage and develop it further.
8. Rousseau
advocated natural development of the child according to his inborn
qualities and capacities in a free environment.
9. According
to T.P. Nunn, the aim of education should be to develop a self- developed and self-realized individuality.
Naturalism and Curriculum:
According to naturalists, curriculum should consist of subjects, which reflect the
inborn tendencies, natural interests,
natural activities, individual differences and
sex problems of children so that
they develop their individuality naturally and normally.
Curriculum contains games, sports, physical
culture, biology, physics, nature
study,
language, history, geography
and other allied subjects.
The child’s activities and natural interests get priority in the curriculum.
The curriculum should facilitate the manifestation of natural power of the child. Naturalists
believe that only a little knowledge
of mathematics
and language
is enough.
The naturalists, in general, contend that the child’s present
experiences, interests and activities
should determine the choice
of studies.
Naturalism and Methods of Teaching:
Direct experience with nature,
things and men is the
keynote of instructions according
to naturalists.. All knowledge
must emerge out of actual situation and experience. Proper method of importing
knowledge is through observation and experimentation. Naturalists stressed Learning by doing,
Learning by experience and Learning by Play as the bases of teaching.
Naturalists advocated
child centered methods like activity method, Play-way method, Project method
and Heuristic
method. All these methods are
self-learning methods and are very effective and purposeful. The Scout movements, School union,
School journey, Children’s club
etc., are the schemes of
naturalism.
Naturalism and the Role of the Teacher:
The teacher has a peculiar
place and duty to perform
in naturalism. Neither
is he to interfere with the activities of children, nor is he to provide any ideals. He must not
impose
himself on them. He has
to provide
them suitable
opportunities to create conditions, which are conducive to
natural development.
For naturalists, nature is the only supreme teacher, in its close contact the child develops normally and naturally. The place
of the
child is more important and
central than, the teacher. The
teacher should so sympathetically and affectionately
behave towards the child, that he feels full freedom to develop himself according to his natural
qualities, interests
and capacities. The teacher should set the stage and allow the child to act freely according to his inherent capacities and the teacher is to act as an observer
and guide.
3 Pragmatism:
The term
Pragmatism is derived from the
same Greek
word meaning
action. According to Prof. Arnaud Reid, pragmatism
makes “activity, engagement, commitment and encounter” its central theme. Pragmatists emphasized the action rather than thought.
Thought is subordinated to action. It is
made an instrument to find
suitable means for action.
That is why pragmatism is also called Instrumentalism. Pragmatism also locates,
identifies or traces
values in the human experience.
Therefore it is called humanism.
Since, pragmatism advocates the
experimental methods of science, it
is also
called Experimentalism, thus stressing
the “practical
significance of thought”.
This philosophy was originated from America. William
James, John Dewey, Schiller and Kilpatrik
are the chief exponents of this
philosophy. Pragmatism
is human-centric according to which, man’s own experiences are the centers of reality and truth.
Pragmatism and Aims of Education:
Pragmatism does not
believe in predetermined aims of
education. It emphasizes that the
aims of human life always change with changing times, places and circumstances.
1. In the words of Ross, education must create “new values and the main task of educator
is to put the
educand into a
position to develop
values for himself”.
2. The aim
of education
is to
direct “the impulses, interest and
abilities towards the satisfaction
of the
felt want of the child
in his
environment”.
3. Pragmatists believe that man is
primarily a biological and social organism,
the aim
of education should
be to transmit the social
background and outlook
of the community to the rising generation.
4. Pragmatism wants to cultivate a “dynamic
and adaptable mind, which should be
resourceful and enterprising in all such situations, a mind which should have power to create
values in an unknown future”.
Pragmatism and Curriculum:
Pragmatism gives us several
criteria for curriculum construction.
Utility forms
the first
criterion. The school must provide
experience that are useful to
the child, hence the
curriculum should include subjects that
will impart knowledge, hygiene,
physical training, history and geography, mathematics,
science - domestic science for girls
and agricultural science
for boys, should
be included in the curriculum.
Secondly, the curriculum should be based on the child’s natural interest. At the primary
stage, the curriculum should include Reading, Writing,
Counting, Art, Handwork
and Drawing.
Thirdly, the curriculum is based on the principle of the child’s occupations, activities and experiences. Hence, the curriculum should consist of activities, which are socialized,
free and purposive.
Lastly, the principle
of integration
deals with the integration of subjects and activities.
So, the
subjects should be closely inter-linked
and correlated
to form
right concepts and proper understandings in children.
Pragmatism and Methods of Teaching:
Based on some principles,
pragmatists devised and formulated the methods of teaching. The first principle of the pragmatic method is to establish a relation
with the life of the
child, his desires and purposes,
his interests
and inclinations.
The second
principle of pragmatism in educational method is
“learning by doing” or “learning
through one’s experience”. According to Ryburn, experience
is the truest and the best
master, whose lessons we never forget. The third principle of the pragmatic method is
integration of the learning
process. The method should be
such that it integrates and correlates the different
subjects and activities.
Kilpatrick, follower
of John
Dewey formulated a solid and practical
method of teaching, i.e. “Project
method”. “A
project is a whole hearted,
purposeful activity, proceeding
in a social environment”. This method
is active
and dynamic
in nature,
in which the child learns by
his own
activities and experiences.
Pragmatism and Role of the Teacher:
The most important
responsibility of a teacher
is to guide the young children through
complexities of life.
Teacher has to observe, plan and encourage the activities of the students
and provide suitable environment and experiences. He is a friend,
a philosopher and a guide. The teacher should also create such situations
that all children are able to
develop social interests,
attitudes and habits for the welfare of the society.
4. Realism
Realism is
derived from the Greek word “res” which further is related to the object.
Realism is an outlook on the existence of an object according to which the
objects of the word are real. “Realism is the reinforcement of our common
acceptance of this world as it appears to us”
Realism is a
philosophical theory that posits that reality exists independently of human
consciousness. Realists believe the physical world is objective and can be
studied and understood through empirical observation and scientific inquiry.
Realism has its roots in ancient Greek philosophy, with Aristotle being one of
the most famous proponents of the theory.
Aims of Education.
In realism, it prepares the child for a happy
and successful life. It acquaints the child with nature and social environment.
It develops the physical and mental powers of the child. It develops and trains
the senses of the child. It prepares the child for real life. It provides the understanding of the material
world through inquiry. It is a study of
science and the scientific method. It transmits culture and develop human
nature and there is a need to know the world in order to ensure survival and
good life.
Realism and Curriculum.
It was
developed according to utility and
needs. It contains subjects concerning day to day activities. The main
subjects are natural science, physical science,
health culture, physical exercise, math, geography, history and astronomy
Realism and the Teacher.
In realism, a
teacher should be supreme. He brings the child in touch with external realities of life.
Imparts scientific knowledge in an easy
and effective way. A teacher should be educated and well versed with the
customs of belief and rights of people and the trends. He needs to find out the
interest of the child and to teach accordingly. He should teach subjects in
proper order. He must be able to expose and guide the learners towards the hard
realities of life
Methods of Teaching.
Observation is very important aspect
in the teaching-learning process. The emphasis
on critical reasoning
is through observation. Responsibilities and accountabilities were given emphasis and
it promotes performance-based teaching. Scientific research and development is
one of the priorities in realism. Education should proceed from simple to
complex and from concrete to abstract. Specifically, activities that enhance
learning thru direct or indirect
experiences such as field trips, lectures, films, TV,
audio-visual aids and library were encouraged. Vernacular is of great
importance and it should be the medium of
instruction. Since it is
performance-based, hence, children
should be given positive rewards
Realism - Educational
Implications.
It focuses on
the basics of
reading, writing and arithmetic. Classroom environment is
highly structured and organized. It utilizes the standardized testing. Education
should be fun and interesting for the student and education should prepare
students for life in the real world. Realism represents the reality of the world.
It has truth that is aligned to the knowledge acquired. Truth can be acquired by
the use of sensation. In our lives, it is our nature to be good and be
bad. In realism, it teaches reality doctrine, the subjects of physical world
such as Math, Science and Social Studies. Realism exist in schools to reveal the
order of the world and universe. Teachers
imparts knowledge form basic to
complex. Child is well-mannered and well-informed. In
realism, the human mind
represents the external
world but does
not duplicate it.
I exist, you exist but some do not know that I exist or he exist. She is
special to me but he is not special.
We have different views in
life according to our
experience. In teaching, we aimed for our children to have a good life
and accept the realities in life
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