Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education

• It is a branch of philosophy considering the nature and aims of education from theoretical and practical standpoints.
• It is an applied branch of philosophy dedicated to exploring education's goals, methods, principles, forms, and meaning.
• It became a distinct subfield of philosophy in the 1960s.
• It emerged from Athens during the fourth century BCE.

3 Main Types of Education Philosophies

• Student-centered Philosophies
• Teacher-centered Philosophies
• Society-centered Philosophies

Student-Centered Philosophies

• Focuses on the role of the student.
• The aim of education is the individual well-being of students.
• This philosophy shifts the student from a passive to an active role in learning.
• Emphasis is placed on deep learning, understanding, increased responsibility, accountability, learner autonomy, interdependence between teacher and learner, and mutual respect.
• Progressivism, Existentialism, and Social Reconstructionism are philosophies under this type.

Teacher-Centered Philosophies

• Positions the teacher as an authority figure.
• The teacher is responsible for choosing topics, delivering information, and evaluating student learning based on what they want students to learn.
• Perennialism and essentialism are included.

Society-Centered Philosophies

• Focus on a larger scale, such as groups or populations, instead of individual learners.
• Education caters to society's needs, requirements, and ideals so that educated students contribute to societal development.
• Progressivism and social reconstructionism are included.

Philosophy

• It is the systematic study of general and fundamental questions.
• These questions concern existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language.

Education

• A process of facilitating learning, knowledge acquisition, skill development, and personal growth.

Relationship Between Philosophy and Education

• The fields are intimately tied and often overlap.
• Philosophy and education are like two sides of the same coin.
• Philosophy is the contemplative side of life.
• Education is the active side.
• Education can be thought of as the dynamic side of philosophy, passing wisdom from one generation to the next.
• Core ideas of philosophy are applied in education.
• Philosophy offers principles, values, and ideals.
• These beliefs, values, and ideals are developed through education.

Idealism

• A concept valuing the pursuit of knowledge and the development of an individual's intellectual and moral character.
• It emphasizes the importance of ideas, imagination, and critical thinking in the learning process.

3 Forms of Idealism

• Platonic Idealism.
• Metaphysical Idealism.
• Epistemological Idealism.

Platonic Idealism

• The substantive reality is only a reflection of a higher truth.
• Plato envisioned two worlds: a world of unchanging ideas and a world of changing physical objects.

Metaphysical Idealism

• Tackles how reality is dependent on minds and ideas.

Epistemological Idealism

• Knowledge depends on human perception.
• We can never entirely know the universe as a whole, only as it seems to us.

Principles of Idealism in Education: Importance of Knowledge

• Ideas are the most significant elements to focus on in education.
• Developing an individual's intellectual and moral character supports understanding universal truths and principles rather than only utilizing practical skills.

Principles of Idealism in Education: Development of the Individual

• Strong emphasis on the individual’s autonomy and self-determination.

Principles of Idealism in Education: Role of the Teacher

• Teachers should act as a guide and role model.
• They should possess knowledge and ethical values to inspire learners to achieve their wisdom and moral potential.

Principles of Idealism in Education: Role of Society

• The learning process has an intimate connection to society.

Realism

• Oxford dictionary definition: "The attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly."
• Associated with St. Thomas and Aristotle.
• Focuses on the actualities of life - what is real.
• Ultimate reality is the world of physical objects. The world is material.
• Reality is dependent on the human mind.

Types of Realism

• Humanistic Realism.
• Social Realism.
• Sense Realism.
• Scholastic Realism.
• Neo-Realism.

Humanistic Realism

• It developed in the 15th century.
• It believes in: interpreting knowledge in simple terms, direction study of man and things, and that men were reality and an ideal.

Social Realism

• Emphasizes the importance of education taking place in social settings.
• Interaction with others is key to learning.

Sense Realism

• Knowledge primarily comes through sensory perception rather than memory or abstract reasoning.

Scholastic Realism

• Emphasizes that morality, closely tied to religion, is the foundation of ethics and social respect.
• Religious teachings are the primary source of ethical guidance.

Neo-Realism

• The primary purpose of education is to equip students with essential knowledge and skills needed to survive and thrive in the natural world.
• Knowledge is crucial for helping individuals lead secure and fulfilling lives.

Pragmatism

• Offers a theory of meaning, truth of knowledge, and reality.
• An American concept that came into prominence after 1850.
• Known as 'Practical Philosophy' and Utilitarian Philosophy.
• Exponents of pragmatism: C.B. Pierce, William James, John Dewey, Kilpatrick.
• Promotes student engagement through hands-on activities and problem-solving via "learning by doing."

Experimentalism

• Education should study social problems and how to solve them.
• Learning comes from experiencing anything.
• Students should learn HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
• It believes that things are constantly changing.
• Goodness comes from group decisions.
• Schools exist to discover and expand society.
• Students study social experiences and solve problems.

Experimentalism by John Dewey

• "If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow."
• It is associated with a very broad but shallow curriculum with many electives, and few required subjects.
• It is friendly to educational research, and many new ideas come from it.
• It can be wasteful of resources and can fail to follow through.