ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

Course: Foundations of Education (6500)

Semester: Spring, 2022
Level: M.A/M.Ed.
Registration No. 0000274658

Assignment 1
Q.1 What is education who can it develop the man what should be the aims of education in global
perspective?
Education is a social science that in compasses teaching and learning specific skills practicing teacher in the
field of education use of variety of methods and materials in their instruction to part a curriculum the goal
of education is the growth of student so that they become productive citizens of a dynamic ever changing
society fundamentally the imparting of culture from generation to generation promotes a greater
awareness and responsiveness through social maturity to the needs of an increasingly diversified society
educations is the to social change in general and a sustainable future in particular basic education today is
considered those skills that are necessary to function in society.
It reflects the diversity of the disciplines that make up our college community the myriad pedagogical
philosophies we bring to the classroom each day and the strength of our education and training faculty are
vested with the primary responsibility for the development of new courses and programs and the revision of
existing courses and programs. The college’s course outlines and degree and certificate programs reflect our
own academic mission and philosophy. Each outline and program lies been rigorously reviewed to ensure it
meets the standards set forth in the State Educational Code and as well as the standards for excellence that we
have established as an educational institution. Central to the Curriculum of the community college is the course
outline of record. The course outline serves a number of purposes: It forms the basis for a contract among the
student, instructor, and institution, identifying the expectations which will serve as the basis of the students
grade and giving the fundamental required components of the course which the student is guaranteed to
receive from the instructor and institution. It is a document with defined legal standing which is read by many
more eyes than just those of the instructor and student. The curriculum is dynamic as the changes that occur in
society arc the components of curriculum. In its narrow sense, curriculum is viewed merely as a 1istiig of
subject to be taught in school in these days. But I am very hopeful that if we focus on three facets of curriculum
that arc goals and purposes of education, evaluation of products and process of curriculum, our curriculum can
change the existing social structure or institutes given that the determinants of a curriculum arc basic needs,
social aspects, cultural factors, individual Every child can learn and every child must learn with inclusive
pedagogy through accessibility of education. If it is not, I am determine to ink it become accessible by any
means small or large. Sharing thinking with Ben Carson, I “Think Big”; I believe that I can be the change and
with courage and determination I am the change. 100% numeracy and literacy is my all-time goal and I will
achieve because I believe. If a child cannot learn the way I teach then I will teach the way the child learns. My
aim is not to be a sage on the stage but a guide by the side. Involving inclusive pedagogy in my personal
education will allow me to achieve my goals. I impart knowledge, I guide learning, I channel ideas, I create
opportunities, I impact lives, I TEACH! What is inclusive pedagogy you make ask and how will this become
possible? Great questions! Continue reading and see the effective explanations have in expounding on my
philosophy. Inclusive Pedagogy is a term used to describe an emerging body of literature that advocates
teaching practices that embrace the whole student in the learning process. Unlike the traditional strategies
such as chalk- and- talk and the whole banking system which deprive students of being whole intellectual
beings. The teachers need to understand the instructional designs and how to apply these.in executing this
effectively the learning process should expose the utilization of theoretical frameworks, student cantered
learning, collaboration, and cultural1y fit awareness of different learning styles and reflective practices.

Q.2 Compare the basic philosophies e.g. Ontology, Epistemology and Axiology? Apply these philosophies
to the field of education.
Epistemology, Ontology and Axiology are often unspoken assumptions about knowledge. People in society,
and our values that rest beneath our favourite research. Each of them corresponds to a branch of philosophy,
which can be very abstract. Let’s not let that confuse us, because most people, doing research don’t spend a
vast amount of time writing directly about Epistemology, Ontology or Axiology. The way it normally plays out
is that researchers are just going about their research and these areas or assumptions remain implied
beneath the surface. The research will leave clues, and so if they’re so assumed, or beneath the surface, then
why do we even talk about them? Well, understanding these three areas will help us gather a better
appreciation, and be able to compare and contrast different areas of research at a much more sophisticated
level. So there is some payoff here. So let’s start with epistemology. We’ll go from general to specific.
Epistemology
When solving some Attitude problem or reading something then there we require knowledge to understand
the world, which is known as Epistemology.
Also Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that studies knowledge or knowing.
They ask questions like: How do we know what we claim to know? That’s the classic epistemological question.
That we can see in a lot of theory and research textbooks. A researcher might assume for example, that
knowledge is already out there, just waiting to be discovered. And so, it’s our job as researchers to uncover
this universal, unchanging and absolute truth. In contrast, other researchers believe that people develop
knowledge based upon how they perceive the world and through their experiences. That’s how we create
knowledge. Still further along this spectrum is the relativistic view, that believes that knowledge is a social
construction. In essence, whatever we treat as knowledge, is knowledge. There is no universal or absolute
truth. These are epistemological positions that are getting at this notion of knowledge. Like i said, most
researchers don’t spend many paragraphs in each given journal article spelling all of this out. They normally
just get out with their work. But their research will leave clues, and I see that epistemology is most evident in
the methods that they use to conduct their research. In other words, if’ they assume an objective reality,
objective knowledge, exists out there, then they will approach it that way. For instance, some organizational
researchers do climate surveys. these are quantitative surveys driven by statistical analysis, the idea here is if
you ask the right questions, you’ll get reliable and valid answers, and the results are meant to give you a
snapshot of how things really are. In other words, there’s an objective reality out there, and our survey is
trying to show it. In contrast, there are other ways to get at knowledge, other beliefs about the best way to
know something. For example, the ethnographic method believes that to really understand, to really know,
you have to experience something for yourself. You can’t study culture, from the ethnographic standpoint, for
example, from a distance, First-hand knowledge gained through experience is the best way to know. These
are epistemological kinds of issues. Also as we know that we still not know the whole things about world and
that’s where Epistemology comes into play. For example: In case of Covid- 19, when its wave carne, we were
¡lot aware of its medication and later we started researching and vaccine carne after gaining a lot of
knowledge. Next, let’s explore ontology.
Ontology

Again, we’ll go from general to specific. It is the study of being fundamentally what exists and what the
irritating of existence is. Ontology is also the branch of philosophy that studies existence and the nature of
human beings and our existence. They ask questions like: What is the nature of existence and our existence as
individuals in society, in the universe? Who are we, what are we here for? These are ontological questions.
For example, do we make real free will choices? Do we make choices that influence the outcomes? An old
movie with Will Smith, and in this story, rehires a robot named Sonny, and he’s very sophisticated, and he’s
trying to figure out why the guy who made him made him, what is his purpose? And that’s an ontological
question. There’s a bit of dialogue where somebody asks him: Sonny, do you know why Dr. Lanning built you?
And he answers: no, but I believe any father made me for a purpose. This is an oncological discussion. What is
our nature, what are we here for? For me, the ontological assumptions beneath research and theory are
pretty easy to spot. So for example, if they’re studying individuals, like through personality tests, or trying to
figure out people’s traits, then they likely are approaching us as individuals in society. If they are studying
groups, and relationships, then they are likely assuming that people are best understood in groups and
relationships, like through the communication field or sociology. Another look at this is how we are situated iii
society in terms of the larger forces that we face. For example, does a theorist treat people as if they are at
the mercy of a system that is out of their control, out of their hands? Or, do they focus on the agency that
people have to influence change? Depending upon their position, they are taking different ontological
positions, or assumptions, about their research. And you can usually see that in the way they write it up. And
third, now let’s talk about axiology.

Axiology

Again, we’ll go from general to specific. Axiology is about values such as good and bad. moral and immoral.
questions about what the meaning of life is and how we should live. Axiology is also a branch of philosophy
that studies values. They ask questions about the values that guide our research to begin with. For example,
what do we consider to be good or bad. right or wrong, beautiful or not, what do we value? Another
axiological issue is what values might result from, or be the outcome of, our research? Axiology often asks
questions about the extent to which our research can be totally neutral, or does our researcher opinion come
into play, and our personal values shape how we conduct and write tip our research? Also, should our
research be seeking merely to understand what we are studying, or should we be studying something with a
goal of changing society for- the better? That’s an axiological question. And if we want change society, what
do we consider better? In other words, what do we value? Would it be more economic equality, better
health, deeper relationships? These are all axiological issues. Sometimes, researchers and writers are pretty
obvious about this, but not always. Martin Buber is a guy who’s a communication philosopher, and he’s been
very obvious about this. He talked about an ethical approach to communication that contrasted with a more
mechanistic approach. So lie talks about 1—li, meaning I am a person, but you, it, are an object, but we really
should strive for, as often as we can, I-Thou communication, where I am important in the communication, but
you, you ‘re a though, you’re also important, you have inherent dignity, you’re special as a human being, and
T should treat you that way, we should connect through dialogue. See, he has an explicit value for other
people, and it’s going to shape the way he does his research. So when I first got exposed to epistemology,
ontology, and axiology, and began to take it seriously, I developed a much more sophisticated reading of the
research that I was exposed to. I didn’t see them all as separate and independent pieces, I saw them all as
having similar or different kinds of assumptions that informed their approach.

Q.3 Elaborate the Islamic philosophy of education and its application in the present education system.
Islam has presented the concept of accountability of deeds in hereafter and the universal philosophy of life.
Islam is the discipline or religion created by Allah. It is the religion of nature. Accordingly men being the
creation of Allah are free from all kind of defects and faults. Islamic philosophy lays down the most precious
and valuable principles of Islamic way of life including the doctrines of unicity of Allah and the prophet hood
of the Holy Prophet peace be upon him. They can be regarded as the guiding principles of Islamic concept of
philosophy. The holy prophet peace be upon him preached that Acquisition of knowledge is obligatory upon
both Muslims male and female
He also acknowledge the importance of travelling to far off place to enhance the experience
Acquire knowledge even if you have to travel to china Islamic philosophy of education envisages “righteous
thinking and action” to make the individual aware about his purpose of creation and to identify himself and
to have cognizance of Allah.
Islamic concept of philosophy preaches that the purpose of life is “achievement of pleasure of Allah.” This
pleasure does not restrict the human activities to mere worships of Allah but it educates the people to
realize the system of rights of all the living creatures and also the non-living things which are the
requirements to establish an exemplary worth living society.

ISALAMIC CONCEPT OF EDUCATION IN THE LIGHTS OF HOLY QURAN:

Surah 96 is said to be the very first chapter to be revealed of the Holy Quran. It starts with the word “read”.
It says “read in the name of the Preserver, who created, who created man from a clot of blood. Read and thy
Preserver is the greatest Benefactor: he taught through the pen. He taught man what he did not know.”
From this already, we see a strong bias in Islam in favour of Education. This book was revealed when reading
and writing was well known, unlike other Scared Books, which were revealed before the art of reading and
writing was current.
Surah-i-Baqar emphasizes Study and Observation of the Universe and Nature, for these “are the signs of
Allah for those who use their brains.”
In surah 3 verse 16, god mentions himself first, angels second, and then men of knowledge
third, showing how much honour they are held by Him: “Allah bears witness that there is no
God but He, and the angels, and men endued with knowledge. established in righteousness”.
In surah 58 verse 12 Allah says: “Allah will raise in rank those of you who believe, as well
as those who are given knowledge”.
In surah 2, verse 123, Allah says “teach them “the book” and wisdom. The above verses
from the Holy Quran show the importance of education according to Islamic point of’ view.
ISLAMIC Concept 0F Education IN THE Light OF HADITH:
Holy prophet peace be upon him laid great stressed on acquisition of education and here arc
some hadith which would enlighten the importance of education according to the sayings of
Holy Prophet: Acquire knowledge from the cradle to the grave. Whoever honours a scholar honours me (The
Prophet). The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of Martyrs. Learned people are the heirs of the
prophets.
The passing away of a whole tribe is more tolerable than the death of one learned man.
The Prophet peace be upon him asked Gabriel what the supreme authority was and he
answered: The Intellect.
Increase in learning, and thou wilt draw nearer to God.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF EDUCATION:
The following are some of the characteristics of Islamic concept of education
UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY:
Islamic philosophy of education is unique and universal in nature in comparison to the
philosophies of education of other countries and as well as philosophy of Idealism, realism,
Naturalism and pragmatism. This is the philosophy created by Allah for the guidance of
human minds.
ALLAH IS THE CHIEF RESOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE:
According to the Islamic concept of educational philosophy Allah is the chief source and
centre of knowledge. It is Allah who is like possessor of all the information’s of the universes
and He is the only source of authentic knowledge through his revelations the prophet has
also been provided knowledge. According to Islamic preaching acquiring of knowledge is
compulsory for every Muslim and it is the modest desirable activity of human beings in the
sight of Allah.
. SUPPORTS TO MAKE KNOWLEDGE PURPOSEFUL:
Islam supports to make knowledge purposeful. According to the Islamic educationists
Islamic concept of education is not only theoretical or imaginary but it almost adopts the
shape of a regular and practical aspects. Apart from acquiring pleasure of Allah by having
education man can get other benefits also which include
a) Universality of education
b) Progress in literature
c) Progress in science
d) The know how about religious education
e) The know how of ethical and moral principles
f) Feelings
g) Citizen’s right and duties leadership in political principles
h) Use of natural resources
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE ITSELF in THE AIM OF KNOWLEDGE:
According to the Islamic philosophy the purpose of life and the purpose of knowledge are
both same purpose. Hence title purpose for which Allah has created the men is same as the
purpose of acquiring knowledge as the creation of man is for acquiring the pleasure of Allah
and this cannot be fulfilled by only worship. Islam does not allow man to Lead the life of
hermit. Therefore to ensure the pleasure of Allah along with all the prayers the believers
have to participate in social and political affairs of the society which have been entrusted by
Allah to all the Muslims.
. FULFILMENT OF HUMAN NEEDS:
Islam clearly makes it followers to understand the ascent of humanitarianism and provide
complete opportunities to meet the needs of life. According to the principles of Islamic
education the complete and versatile development of human being becomes possible. Equal
attention is paid to spiritual, emotional and moral growth on one hand and to economical and
social growth on other hand. As such none of human needs escape from being
encompassed by the Islamic concept of education.
IN FAVOUR OF PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINE AND SKILLS:
In the modem time acquiring of skills and professional education have become very popular.
It is also said that these aspects are the creation of modern man’s thinking. But it is evident
from the Islamic history that Islam has always provided whole hearted support and favoured
the adoption of various professions such as agriculture, medicine, science etc., to which
Muslims had made large contributions.
IT CONTRADICTS NARROW MINDEDNESS:
Islamic concept of education does not favour narrow mindedness because Islam has a broad
out look about life. Right from the early period Islam acquired the service of non Muslims
and showed great interest in learning the languages of non Muslims and their other
discipline. Many Greek disciplines are translated into Arabic. Muslim educationists said that
“knowledge has no boundaries”. The basic concept of education from centuries in Islam is
that “knowledge is regarded to be the lost inheritance of the believers and it has to acquire
from all the available sources”.
IT BRINGS EDUCATION AND LIFE CLOSER:
Islam is the religion does not accept to escape from the realities of life. Hence its philosophy
of education emphasizes to acquire such education which may be helpful to solve the
problems of life. The Muslim experts of education have classified the discipline into two
types:
a) Artificial
b) intellectual
But they did not make a distinct demarcation between the two. The Islamic concept of
education is provision of such knowledge which makes the problems of human beings and
their societies.
ACQUIRING EDUCATION IS A Joint RESPONSIBILITY:
Whereas Islam has made acquiring of education as compulsory it has also made it obligatory
that they should provide the light of’ knowledge to others who are still in the darkness of’
ignorance and illiteracy. In Islam this is the responsibility of every educated person to part
knowledge to the possible extent to others who do not possess such knowledge. 1’hus
propagation of knowledge is a joint responsibility of Muslim society.
IT IS A COLLECTIVE SYSTEM:
In Islam concept of education is not fulfilled by reading few text books and participation in
some educational activities. Islam presents a collective system of education based upon
practical training. Islamic philosophy of education is neither teacher centred nor students centred but it is a
collective system in which neither the teacher has to adopt punitive
measures nor the students are allowed to take undue advantage of the teachers’ soft attitude.
Q.4 Elaborate the philosophy of idealism in the context of Metaphysics. Determine the relationship of
idealism with aims and processes of education.
Idealism is the metaphysical and epistemological doctrine that ideas or thoughts make up fundamental
reality. Essentially it is any philosophy which argues that the only thing actually knowable is consciousness
whereas we never can be sure that matter or anything in the outside world really exists thus the only the
real things are mental entities not physical things which exist only in the sense that they are perceived. A
broad definition of idealism could include many religious viewpoints although an idealistic viewpoint need
not necessarily include God, supernatural beings or existences after death. In general parlance, “idealism” is
also used to describe a person’s high ideals (principles or values actively pursued as a goal) the word “ideal”
is also commonly used as an adjective to designate qualities of perfection, desirability and excellence.
Definition:
“Idealistic philosophy takes many and varied forms but the postulate underlying all this is that mind or spirit
is the essential world stuff, that the rule reality is a material character”.
Idealism in education:
Idealism pervades all the creation and it is an underlying, unlimited and ultimate force which regions
supreme overall mind and matter. They all advocate its great importance in education and lay more
emphasis on aims and principles of education than on models, aids and devices.
Idealism and Aims of Education:
The following are the aims of education according to the philosophy of idealism:
Self-realization or Exhalation of Personality:
According to the idealism man is the most creation of God. Self- realization involves full
of knowledge of the self and it is the first aim of educationist “The aim of education especially
associated with idealism is the exhalation of personality or self-realization it is the making
actual o real personalities of the self.”
To Ensure Spiritual Development :
Idealistic give greater importance to spiritual values in comparison with material attainments.
The second aim of education is to develop the child mentally, morally and above ail
spiritually. “Education must enable mankind through its culture to enter more and more fully
into the spiritual realm”.
Development of Intelligences and Rationality:
“In all things their regions an external law this all-pervading energetic, self-conscious and
hence eternal law this all-pervading energetic. This unity is God. Education should lead and
guide man to face with nature and to unity and God”.
Idealism and Curriculum
Idealists give more importance to thoughts, feelings ideals and values than to the child and
his activities. They firmly hold that curriculum should be concerned with the whole
humanity and its experience.
Views of Plato about curriculum
According to Plato the aim of life is to realize God. Which is possible only by pursing high
ideals namely Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Three types of activities namely intellectual,
aesthetic and moral cancan attain these high ideals.
Views of Herbart Curriculum
According to Herbart the idealistic aim of education is the promotion of moral values. He
gave prime importance to subjects like Literature, History, Art, Music, and Poetry together
with other humanities and secondary place to scientific subjects.
Q.5 Discuss the fundamental principles of the four traditional philosophies of education and highlight the
aims of education of each philosophy.
Plato is one of the first philosophers to discuss what might be termed idealism. Usually Plato referred to as
Platonic Realism. This is because of his doctrine describes forms or universals. (Which are certainly non-
material “ideals” in a broad sense). Plato maintained that these forms had their own independent existence.
Plato believed that “full reality” it is achieved only through thought and could be describe as a non-
subjective “transcendental” idealist. The term metaphysics literally means “beyond the physical” This area
of Philosophy a focuses on the nature of reality. Metaphysics attempts to find unity across the domains of
experiences thought. At the time metaphysical level there are four broad philosophical schools of thought
that apply to education today. They are idealism, realism, pragmatism (sometimes called experientialism and
existentialism). Plato was an idealist philosopher who founded the first school of philosophy in Athens. His
work forms the foundation of western philosophy. His presentation of philosophical works in the form of
“Dialogues” gave the world of philosophy the dialectic. Plato took Socrates’ maxim “virtue is knowledge” and
extrapolated it into an elaborate theory of knowledge which envisaged a level of reality beyond that
immediately available to the senses but accessible to reason and intellect. The students of Plato’s academy
the first school of philosophy in Athens, were to go beyond the concrete world of perception and come to
understand the universal “ideas” or forms which represented a higher level of reality. Plato’s idealism
extended to the concept of an ideal state as outlined in his “Republic”. This was a state ruled by an
intellectual elite of philosopher kings. Essentialism Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve
the purpose of promoting a uniform and shared knowledge through rigorous study of traditional “essential”
academic content, generally taught through direct instruction. Such a philosophy manifests itself in the
Common Core State Standards. standardized testing, reading literature generally thought of as “classics,” the
“five paragraph essay,” and the study of traditional and departmentalized core subjects. Essentialism
represents what has historically been considered to be the means of developing a well-rounded educated
population. Perennialism Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of developing
reasoning, and analytical and critical thinking skills through exposure to the world’s great thinkers such as
philosophers, scientists, significant religious figures, artists, and others who
have shaped civilization. Generally taught through a combination of direct instruction and
oral and written discussion, peretinialisin lies a goal of preparing students to contribute to the
containing intellectual and aesthetic development of human kind. Such a philosophy
itself to lengthy units of study, interdisciplinary cuticle, arid the development of
“essential questions” to be examined over time.
Progressivism
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of promoting social
responsibility and democratic values, and of “humanizing” education by placing the needs
and interests of’ the students at the forefront. In practice, this philosophy manifests itself
through a combination of lessons, hands-on activities, group work, project learning,
service learning, empathy-building, and personalized support.
Social Reconstruction
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the puipose of preparing students to
be critical analysts of global issues and problems and to become agents of change in oider to
improve the human condition. In practice, this philosophy manifests itself in reading, writing
about, and discussing significant social issues, multicultural studies, community-based
project learning, field studies. and efforts to bring the world into the classroom through
programs and guest presenters.