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Educational Philosophy

PragmatismProgressivismPerennialismEssentialism

Existentialism

Man’s Educational Philosophy

1. Nature of learner

2. Role of teacher

3. Curriculum what is

real, true, of value

4. Purpose of schooling

EDUCATION:the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through

teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution.

Education developed from the human struggle for survival and enlightenment

It may be formal or informal.

I. Informal Educationrefers to the general social process by

which human beings acquire the knowledge and skills needed to function in their culture.

II. Formal Education refers to the process by which teachers

instruct students in courses of study within institutions.

Philosophy: An Activity In 3 Styles• Speculative

given to forming conclusions or opinions that are not based on fact

a way of thinking systematically• Prescriptive

establishing or adhering to rules and regulationsestablish standards to assess values & judge conduct

• Analytic able or inclined to separate things into their constituent

parts in order to study or examine them, draw conclusions, or solve problems

words and meaning

Man’s Educational Philosophy

• Concerns mainly the branch of Metaphysics, which seeks to determine the nature of ultimate reality

• Attempts to establish coherence throughout the whole domain of experience

Main schools of Metaphysical thought

• Idealism Ultimate reality is spiritual rather than

physical, mental rather than material. Nature possesses meaning and purpose.

• Realism Physical mater is the ultimate reality. Nature

and science are real.• Pragmatism

Ultimate reality is change. Man is social, biological & intelligent. Values are relative

Philosophical Educational Policy Considerations

1. Objectives of education

2. Nature of man: The student

3. Society in which the student will function

4. Ultimate nature of reality which we are trying to communicate

Pragmatism

A straightforward practical way of thinking about things or dealing with

problems, concerned with results rather than with theories and principles

• FEATURE:1. The only philosophy developed in America

2. Emphasized testing ideas by acting on them

3. Rejected universal and eternal truths

4. Argued that philosophy should deal with real human problems rather than metaphysical speculation

Pragmatism: Major Authors1. John Dewey

2. Charles S. Pierce

3. William James

4. George H. Mead

(1) As a philosopher, he emphasized the practical, striving to show how philosophical ideas can work in

everyday life. His sense of logic and philosophy was

ever-changing, adaptive to need and circumstance.

The process of thinking, in his philosophy, is a means of planning action, of removing the obstacles between what is given and what is

wanted. Truth is an idea that has worked in

practical experience.

(3) American psychologist and philosopher who helped to

popularize the philosophy of pragmatism with his book

Pragmatism: A New Name for Old Ways of Thinking (1907).

He held that truth is what works, or has good experimental results.

In a related theory, He argued the existence of God is partly verifiable because many people derive benefits

from believing.

(4) The self, he argued, emerges out of a social process in which the organism

becomes self-consciousThis self-consciousness arises as a result

of the organism's interaction with its environment, including communication

with other organisms.

(2) According to his pragmatic philosophy, no object or concept

possesses inherent validity or importance.

Its significance lies only in the practical effects resulting from its

use or application. The “truth” of an idea or object,

therefore, can be measured by empirical investigation of its

usefulness.

PragmatismTaught that theory and practice, and

thus, thinking and doing, should be united

Proposed that the scientific method should be used to solve human problems

Believed in a democratic societyBelieved that change is the essence of

reality

Six Major AssertionsOf

PRAGMATISM

1. Education should be life itself, not a preparation for living

Learning situations should be oriented toward experiences in life

2. Learning should be directly related to the interests of the

learnerContent should be relevant to the real

world of the learner

3. Real learning occurs through problem solving

Knowledge is a tool for managing experience

4. The teacher’s role is not to direct but to advise

The teacher should employ his greater knowledge and experience to

guide learning

5. The school should encourage cooperation rather than

competition

Students should compete with each other only when it fosters personal

growth

6. Only democracy permits true personal growth

Democracy is more than a system of government, it is shared experience

PerennialismAllegiance to absolute principles

Permanence is more real than change and more desirable as an ideal

Stability is the most important educational value

• PERENNIALconstantly recurring, or lasting for an

indefinite time

Perennialism Major Authors• Aristotle• Thomas Aquinas• Robert M. Hutchins• Alfred Adler• David Livingstone

PERENIALISM

Six Basic Principles

1. Despite differing environments, human nature remains the same everywhere

Education should, therefore, be the same for everyone

2. Man must use his rationality to carefully chosen ends

No learner should be able to choose their own educational experience

3. Education’s task is to teach eternal truth

Adjustment to truth is the result of learning

4. Education is preparation for life

School can never, nor should be a “real-life situation”

5. Students should be taught basic subjects based upon

permanencies

Vocational education is best left to practitioners in their field

6. Curriculum should be the great works of literature,

philosophy, history & science

The message of the past is never dated

EssentialismAn early 20th century educational

reform movement

The doctrine that things have an essence or ideal nature that is

independent of and prior to their existence

3 main Essentialists efforts

1. Reexamination of the curriculum

2. Distinguish the essential and nonessential elements

3. Reestablish the authority of the teacher in instruction

Major Essentialist Authors

•Bagley•Briggs•Breed•Kandel•Horne

Essentialism

Four Basic Principles

1. Learning, of its very nature, involves hard work and often

unwilling application

Discipline is essential to learning

2. The initiative in education should lie with the teacher

Authority resides with the teacher

3. The purpose of education is to learn prescribed subject matter

Content and method are prescribed by the teacher

4. The school should retain traditional methods of mental

disciplineDeferred rewards are preferred for

motivation

ExistentialismLived reality informed by passion

A philosophical movement begun in the 19th century that denies that the

universe has any intrinsic meaning or purpose. It requires people to take

responsibility for their own actions and shape their own destinies

Major Existentialists Authors• Saren Kierkegaard• Friedrich Nietzsche• Jean-Paul Sartre• Gabriel Marcel• Paul Tillich• Martin Buber• MartinHeidegger

Existentialist World View

• Ultimate Reality Is Lived RealityWhat is real to us is what we

experienceWhat a person becomes is his own

responsibilityHe either chooses or allows the

choice to be made for him

Existentialist Beliefs

In itself freedom is neither goal nor an ideal. It is the potential for

action

People can change (learn) because they can always act differently

Choice can be either active or passive

Failing to choose is also a choice. You are responsible for the results of

your actions

People know things as they are presented to their private

consciousness

Learning is an individual act

Subjectivity is inseparable from truth

The test of being is always being-for-me

Teaching can only come from inner experience

One can only teach what they know

No subject matter is more important (in itself) than any

otherThe importance of subject matter is the value to the individual student

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