Philosophies of Education PDF

Instructional Process Foundation of Curriculum Philosophies of Education four major philosophical positions that have, hitherto, influenced curriculum development. 1. Idealism...

Instructional Process Foundation of Curriculum Philosophies of Education four major philosophical positions that have, hitherto, influenced curriculum development. 1. Idealism a. Teaches ideas are the only true reality and that truth and values are absolute and universal b. It emphasizes moral and spiritual reality as the chief explanation of the world and considers moral values absolute, timeless, and universal. c. If we apply this view to education what would be the implications for the role of teachers and curriculum in education? i. Teachers would act as role models of enduring values. And the school must be highly structured and ought to advocate only those ideas that demonstrate enduring values. The materials used for instruction, therefore, would center around broad ideas particularly those contained in great works of literature and/or scriptures. Since it is  based on broad ideas and concepts, idealism is not in line with the g. The role of teachers is not simply to disseminate information but to construct beliefs of those who equate learning with the acquisition of specific situations that involve both direct experience with the world of the learner and facts from various disciplines. opportunities to understand these experiences. 2. Realism a. Reality is found in the physical world 4. Existentialism b. Knowledge is gained through reason and experience a. Reject universal and absolute ideas and hold that reality is constructed by the c. Scientific research and discovery are useful and an instrument for us to individual succeed in life and survive. b. There are no values outside human beings, and thus, suggests that human d. Realists' consider education a matter of reality rather than speculation. beings should have the freedom to make choices and then be responsible for e. The curriculum is systematic, organized, and classified under different the consequences of those choices. subject-matter disciplines. c. Learners should be put into a number of choice-making situations, i.e., f. Application, The paramount responsibility of the teacher, then, is to impart to learners should be given freedom to choose what to study. learners the knowledge about the world they live in. What scholars of various d. An existentialist curriculum would consist of experiences and subjects that disciplines have discovered about the world constitutes this knowledge. lend themselves to philosophical dialogue and acts of making choices, However, like the idealists, the realists, too, stress that education should stressing self-expressive activities, experimentation, and media that illustrate reflect permanent and enduring values that have been handed down through emotions and insights. generations, but only to the extent that they do not interfere with the study of e. The teacher takes on a non-directive role. The tender is viewed as a partner in particular disciplines. Clearly, unlike the idealists who consider classics ideal the process of learning. As a professional, the teacher serves as a resource subject matter for studies, the realists view the subject expert as the source and facilitating the individual's search for personal meaning rather than imposing authority for determining the curriculum. some predetermined values or interests on learners. 3. Pragmatism Main Theories of Education / Educational Philosophies a. Also known as experimentalism b. Reality is always changing and is dependent on what we observe and 1. Perennialism experience. a. Idealism + Realism c. Learning occurs as the person engages in transacting with the environment b. Advocates the permanency of knowledge that has stood the test of time and d. Curriculum, according to the pragmatists, should be so planned that it teaches values that have moral and spiritual bases. the learner how to think critically rather than what to think c. The curriculum of the perennials is subject-centered. It draws heavily on e. Teaching should be more exploratory than explanatory. And; defined disciplines or logically organized bodies of content, but it emphasizes f. Learning takes place in an active way as learners solve problems which helps the teaching-learning of languages, literature, sciences, and arts. them widen the horizons of their knowledge and reconstruct their experiences d. The teacher is viewed as an authority in a particular discipline and teaching is in consonance with the changing world. considered an art of imparting information knowledge and stimulating discussion. 2. Progressivism political science, economics, sociology, psychology and philosophy-and not a. Pragmatism- influenced the pure sciences. b. Believes the skills and tools of learning include problem-solving methods and scientific inquiry. In addition, learning experiences should include cooperative Sociological Foundations behavior and self-discipline, both of which are important for democratic To make education respond to social changes, a curriculum should be framed keeping in living. mind, among other things, the following: i) growth of technology; ii) structure of the family; c. The curriculum was interdisciplinary and the teacher was seen as a guide for and iii) cultural diversity. students in their problem-solving and scientific projects. 1. Growth of technology d. including those for a socially relevant curriculum, i.e., a match between a. the combination of the growth of technology and of the information society subjects taught and student needs which is one of the theoretical bases of may lead to a serious review of the traditional ethics of work and its place in distance education our society. Obviously, curriculum will have to undergo a change in order to 3. Essentialism match with and capture social changes. a. Idealism + Realism 2. Structures of family b. learning should consist of mastering the subject matter that reflects currently a. There are now changes in the roles of men and women in the family and in available knowledge in various disciplines. general. The changing perception and reality of sex roles and the opposition to c. Emphasis the importance of teaching essential and enduring knowledge such changes will also have a tremendous impact on curriculum development. accumulated through the ages. 3. Cultural diversity d. Curriculum is subject-centered, opposed to interdisciplinary studies, a. As we are moving away from "a melting-pot" society to a "salad bowl" one, determined by the traditions and heritage. the increasing trend away from a homogeneous culture towards one of e. The most notable achievements of the essentialists have been the widespread diversity/plurality is quite conspicuous. implementation of competency-based programmes, the establishment of b. This shift of movement can be attributed to the following phenomena: grade-level achievement standards, and the movement to reemphasize i. diversity in values and life-styles (being different is now a socially academic subjects in schools/colleges. sanctioned idea); 4. Reconstructionism ii. renewed interest in ethno-history (people have developed a new a. Rooted in pragmatism interest in their own histories and personal heritage); and b. Schools as social agencies: views education as a means of reconstructing iii. development in telecommunications (people have been reminded of society their links with cultures in other parts of the world). c. Curriculum must promote new social, economic and political education. The c. Traditionally, an educational institution has been viewed as the major social subject matter is to be used as a vehicle for studying social problems which agent in the "melting-pot" process. Now it is caught in an ambiguous position must serve as the focus of the curriculum. between its traditional role and the emerging trend towards diversity. The d. expands the field of curriculum to include intuitive, personal, mystical, question as to how the curriculum should portray cultural values, then gains linguistic, political and social systems of theorizing. In general, the curriculum importance in curriculum development today. advocated by reconstructionists emphasizes the social sciences-history,  occur in progressive stages. One example is Piaget's (Piaget, 1950) description of cognitive development in terms of stages from birth to maturity. Psychological Foundations c. Most curriculum specialists tend to show greater adherence to cognitivism 1. Behaviorism than to behaviourism. This might be because a. Behaviorist theories which deal with various aspects of stimulus- response and i. the cognitive approach leads to logical methods for organizing and reinforcement scheme; interpreting learning; and b. behaviourists advocate that: ii. the cognitive approach is rooted in the tradition of teaching based on i. behaviour is likely to be influenced by the conditions under which subject matter. learning takes place; d. What should be of concern to the curriculum specialists? ii. attitudes to and abilities of learning can change or improve over time i. They should be aware of the fact that a school/college should be a through the application of proper stimuli; place where students are not afraid of asking questions, making iii. learning experiences can be designed and controlled to create desired mistakes, taking cognitive risks and playing with ideas. Further learning; colleges/schools should be more humane places where students can iv. selective reinforcement is essential; and explore and fulfil their human potentials. Obviously, curriculum has to v. rote learning and memorization of knowledge are unnecessary. play a vital role to actually realize this objective. c. A curriculum, according to behaviourists, should be based on the following 3. Phenomenology concerns: a. which emphasizes the affective domain of learning. i. remedial measures, acquisition of skills, considerations of basic or b. point out that the way we look at ourselves is crucial for understanding our advanced learning; behaviour and that we respond to an organisation or pattern of stimuli and not ii. well-defined, short-term and long-term objectives; to an isolated stimulus. iii. appropriate instructional materials and media to suit the learner's c. Because each individual has specific needs and interests related to his or her abilities; self-fulfillment and self-realisations, there can't be a generally prescribed iv. shaping behaviour through prescribed tasks, phase by phase activities, humanistic curriculum. Humanistic learning may enhance the mental health of close supervision of activities and positive reinforcement; and the learners, harmonise personal feelings among students and teachers, and v. diagnosing, assessing and reassessing the learners' needs, objectives, improve various aspects of human awareness among students, teachers, and activities, tasks and instruction with a view to improving the curriculum specialists, yet its processes rely mainly on personal experiences curriculum. and subjective interpretations that leave them open to criticism. Therefore, 2. Cognitivism there is a great need to examine and understand what is relevant in humanistic a. cognitivist theories which view the learner in relationship with the total curricula. environment b. Growth and development refer to changes in the structure and function of human characterib$cs. Most cognitivists believe that growth and development For more info: https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/42522/1/Unit-2.pdf