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Philosophical Thoughts On Education
Philosophical Thoughts On Education
Comments
Specialized Education of Spencer vs. General education
To survive in a complex society, spencer favours specialized education over that of
general education. We need social engineers who can combine harmoniously the
findings of specialized knowledge. This is particularly true in the field of medicine.
The experts who concentrates on a limited field is useful, but if he loses sight of the
interdependence of things, he becomes a man who knows more and more about less
and less. We must be warned of the deadly peril of over specialism. Of course, we do not
prefer the other extreme, the superficial person who knows less and less about more
and more.
Comments:
The fund of knowledge of humanity
Dewey does not disregard the accumulated wisdom from the past. These past ideas,
discoveries and inventions, our cultural heritage, will be used as the material for dealing
with problems and so will be tested. If they are of help, they become part of a
reconstructed experience. If they not totally accurate, they will still be part of a
reconstructed experience. This means, that the ideal learner for Dewey is not just one
who can connect accumulated wisdom of the past to the present.
For George Counts, schools and teachers should be agents of change. Schools are
considered instruments for social improvement rather than as agencies for preserving
the status quo. Whatever change we work for should always be change for the better
not just change for the sake of change.
Teachers are called to make decisions on controversial issues not to decide.
Like Dewey, problem solving, should be the dominant method for instruction.
When a school introduces and trains each child of society into membership within such
a little community, saturating him with the spirit of service, an providing him with the
instruments of effective self-direction, we shall have the deepest and best guaranty of a larger
society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious
– John Dewey
Education or school is an institution created by society. Education is function of society
and as such arises from the nature and character of society itself. Society seeks to preserve
itself and to do this it maintains its functions and institutions, one of which is education, to
assure its survival, stability and convenience.
As john Dewey, it is the school that “introduces and trains each child of society into
membership within such a little community, saturating him with the spirit of service, an
providing him with the instruments of effective self-direction”. When schools succeed to do
this, in the words of Dewey” we shall have the deepest and best guaranty of a larger society
which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious”.
This is called the socialization process. Socialization is the “process of learning the roles,
statuses and values necessary for the participation in social institutions”. (Brinkerhoff. 1989)
Socialization is the process of learning the roles, statuses and values necessary for the
participation in social institutions.
It is a lifelong process. It starts way back when you are a toddler even until into your
deathbed. Role learning that prepares us for future roles is called anticipatory socialization. We
socialize to other for the reason to be for what to come. To find a husband or wife, to have
children or to our future colleagues when became professionals.
The History of the Philippine Educational System
Education is a function of society and such what are taught in schools arises from the
nature and characteristic of society itself. What society considers important is what schools
teach.
Education during the pre-colonial period
Informal unstructured decentralized
Fathers taught the son to look for food and other means of livelihood
Mothers taught the daughters household chores
Technically to prepare their children as husband and wife
More vocational training less academics
CHAPTER 3
Social Science Theories and Their Implications to Education
1.) An individual action depends on meaning. We act based on the meaning we give to
symbols. Symbols can be, objects or words.
2.) Different people may give different meanings to the same thing.
When teacher is strict, some students see it as an expression of care. Other may rebel because
they perceive teacher’s behaviour as limiting their moves and desires.
3.) Meaning change as individuals interact with one another. A negative meaning that you
used to associate with hospital when you went to a hospital which look more as a hotel than the
usual hospital you know is changed. After you have taught well, your first impression of teaching
as boring is changed to teaching is exciting.
Implication to teaching
Let us continue to teach for meaning. Let us promote and create opportunities for
genuine interaction among our students and teachers. Interaction does not only means dealing
with warm bodies. Interaction includes reading, listening, viewing.
Let us use positive symbols- in the form of gesture, words, action and appearances- to
express our trust, belief in our student abilities, an affirmation of their being. In fact, our belief
in our students also has positive effect in us.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective, also known as symbolic interaction, as the term
implies, interactionist theory state that people interact with one another through symbols.
According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meaning to symbols,
and then they act according their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal
conversation, in which spoken word serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective
interpretation especially evident.
George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) is considered a founder of symbolic interactionism
though he never published his work on it (LaRossa and Reitzes 1993). Mead’s student, Herbert
Blumer, coined the term “symbolic interactionism” and outlined these basic premises: humans
interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things; the ascribed meaning of things
comes from our interactions with others and society; the meanings of things are interpreted by
a person when dealing with things in specific circumstances (Blumer 1969). If you love books,
for example, a symbolic interactionist might propose that you learned that books are good or
important in the interactions you had with family, friends, school, or church; maybe your family
had a special reading time each week, getting your library card was treated as a special event,
or bedtime stories were associated with warmth and comfort
Studies that use the symbolic interactionist perspective are more likely to use qualitative
research methods, such as in-depth interviews or participant observation, because they seek to
understand the symbolic worlds in which research subjects live.
Group 1 Compilation
GEC 103 The Teacher and The Community,
Culture and Organizational Leadership
Chapter 1
Philosophical Thoughts on Education
Chapter 2
Historical Foundation of Education
Chapter 3
Social Science Theories and Their Implications to
Education
Members
Aljomer Sawadi
Allissa Abdulfata
Devissa Gadiale
Erickson Man
Jesthony Barbarono
Norodin Dalandas
Rodel Labuayan
Vanessa Simpal