Pragmatism AND Education PDF

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PRAGMATISM AND EDUCATION *Idealism, Realism and Theistic Realism – Held antecedent view of reality in which truth is “a priory”, meaning prior to and independent of human experience. *Pragmatism-Holds the view that truth is a tentative assertion derived from human experience *Pragmatism also criticised Rousseau’s concept of a naturally good “noble savage” expressed in Naturalistic philosophy as romantic sentimentality.

John Dewey-Pragmatism *Dewey – shaped twentieth century philosophy of education ideas*He rejected metaphysical speculation of the older philosophies. He argued that philosophy needed to be applied to solving problems. *Critique of Idealist, Realist, and Theistic Realism philosophies was that their philosophies led to a bipolar, dualistic view of reality, dividing it into the ideational or conceptual, and material dimensions

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Dualistic view of Reality

*Dividing reality into the conceptual and material dimensions, gave rise to the mind-body dualism permeating Western thought. Ideas ,spirit and thought were regarded as being of a more superior nature than practice, work or action. *The above metaphysical dualisms impacted on educational thought leading to distinctions between theory and practice and between academic and vocational education.

Curriculum Implications of Dualism Philosophical dualisms- contributed to hierarchical curricular organisation *Theoretical subjects given priority over practical subject matter *Traditional curriculum stressed purely academic subjects without linking them to their practical application becoming abstract and bearing little relationship to learner’s personal and social life-Separated school from society

Pragmatism-Epistemology *Conception of Education and Learning Experimentalist in nature *Saw thinking and doing or action as a unified flow of ongoing experiencethinking incomplete until tested in experience *Stressed cognition or learning through experience -especially through experience that emanated from their own interests problems and needs. He called this intrinsic educational aims. *According to Pragmatism and John Dewey’s philosophy learners learn most through intrinsic educational aims which emanate from the learners personal interest, problem, task , and experience. The role of the teacher is to guide and facilitate the process of resolving the problem or catering to the interest or need. For Dewey this experiential process enhances learning.

Extrinsic Educational Aims In contrast to intrinsic educational aims, extrinsic educational aims are extraneous or lie outside the learners personal interests, needs or problems. This type of learning takes place in formal institutions like schools where the subject curriculum is taught which is purely academic, at times abstract and has no bearing to the learners personal life, interests, needs or problems. Dewey believes learners learn much less through this mode of instruction wherein theory is separated from practice and has no bearing on the learners life, interests needs or problem.

Learning –Problem Solving Method

*Advocated five steps-scientific method The problem-learner perplexed, or confused because of certain impediments to resolving problem Defining problem-Identifying the impediment Clarification of problem-examination inspection, exploration and deeper analysis of the problematic situation and elements Third point continued-Learner with teachers guidance systematically and reflectively research the problem to locate the ideas, materials or technology or instruments needed to resolve difficulty Constructing Tentative Hypothesis- Framing tentative solutions through process of hypothesising

Testing Hypothesis through Action-If resolved than learning enhanced and continues-If fails than another hypothesis is postulated and experimented with. For Dewey. Schools should provide the platform for these problem-solving activities which could be transferred to the larger society. For Dewey teachers and students were inquirers who actively test ideas and values. In terms of axiology, he believed in a democratic society, embracing the idea of the widest possible human sharing, participation and involvement in institutional life and processes. He’s opposition to dualism in philosophy extended to dualisms in society in which individuals or groups were segregated on the basis of race, class, sex or ethnicity. They lost the opportunity for the growth of social intelligence. Values judged in terms of this human sharing and development...