PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION
Philosophy
- the investigation of causes and laws underlying
reality
- inquiry into nature of things based on logical
reasoning
- a system of value which one lives
- love of wisdom
Education Philosophy
- requires systematic, critical thinking about
educational practice
- a teacher’s educational philosophy helps the
educator interpret, find meaning and direct daily
work of the classroom
Philosophy and Teacher Professionalism
- all professions have philosophical underpinnings
- educational philosophy is one important aspect of
teacher’s professional knowledge
5 Major Philosophies of Education
 Essentialism
 Progressivism
 Perennialism
 Existentialism
 Behaviorism
Other Philosophies of Education
 Idealism
 Realism
 Pragmatism
 Philosophical Analysis
Essentialism (basic fundamental skills)
- for learners to acquire basic knowledge, skills and
values
- basic skills or the fundamental (for acquisition of
higher or more complex skills)
o reading
o writing
o arithmetic
o right conduct
- curriculum includes the traditional disciplines such as
math, natural science, history, foreign language, and
literature
- emphasize mastery of subject matter
- they are expected to be intellectual and moral
models of their students
- it is a conservative educational theory that arose in
response to progressive education
- requires discipline and respect to legitimate authority
- requires hard work and discipline attention
Aims:
- to fit the man to perform justly and skillfully
Idealism (ideals, standards, policies)
- Plato developed the classic formulation of idealist
principles
- pupil is a spiritual being whose chief purpose in life is
to express his own nature
- to provide the
- conditions under which the purpose can be achieved
- child shall be treated as a spiritual being and not as
physical mind
- not so much to familiarize the student with a mass of
information as to stimulate him to discover the
meaning of this information for himself
Hegel
- a German Philosopher, created a comprehensive
philosophical and historical world view based on
idealism
Aims:
- contribute to the development of the mind and self,
the school should emphasize intellectual abilities,
moral judgments, aesthetics and self-realization,
individual freedom, responsibility and self-control
Curriculum:
- intellectual subject matter which is essential to
realization of mental and moral development
Teacher-Learner Relationship
- teacher must be excellent mentally and morally in
personal conduct and convictions
- teacher must exercise skills in providing opportunities
for pupil’s mind to analyze, discover, synthesize and
create
Realism (realities in life)
- requires a central core of subject matter to acquaint
the pupil with the basic physical structure
- to enable him to become balance, well-adjusted in
harmony and physically and mentally
Aims:
- provide the student with the essential knowledge he
will need to survive in the natural world
Curriculum:
- subject matter/body of knowledge and the
appropriate pedagogy- fit to the readiness of the
learners
Perennialism (perennial – continues)
- educational theory that draws heavily on the
principles of realism
- designed to cultivate human intelligence
- Robert Maynard Hutchins is one of the most
articulate perennialists.
Aims:
- develop the power of thought
- search and disseminate the truth
Curriculum:
- Hutchins recommended the study of classics or the
great works of western civilization
Behaviorism (environment, behavior, learning theory)
- focuses on the idea that all behaviors are learned
through interaction with the environment
- behaviors are learned from the environment, and
says that innate or inherited factors have very little
influence on behavior
Pragmatism (learning by doing)
- John Dewey, Charles Sanders Pierce and William
James were the leading proponents
- instrumentalism, functionalism and experimentalism
- the mind as active and exploratory
- does not simply receive knowledge - he makes it
- teacher’s function is to assist the learners
Progressivism (development, enhance, strategy)
- learning should center on the child’s interest and
needs
- to meet the needs of a growing child
- child as the learner rather than on the subject matter
- stress on activities and experiences, rather of
textbook reliance
- cooperative learning than competitive lesson learning
- absence of fear and punishment
Reconstructionism (change)
- concerned with social change
- they believe that culture is dynamic, that man can
reshape his culture
- awaken students’ consciousness about social
problems
- students and teachers emphasize or encourage
discussion of controversial issues in religion, politics
etc.
Existentialism
- human being is the creator of his own essence
- concerned with effective experiences, with its
elements- subjective and personal
- learning is not found in the structure of knowledge
but in students’ willingness to choose and give
meaning to the subject
- literature and history
Philosophical Analysis
- method of examining the language used in making
statements
- aims and intentions of the activities must be clarified
Bertrand Russel
- sought to identify logical structure that underlies
language usage
- school should cope with social change that arises
from technology
- instruction should incorporate a content of a socially
useful nature and a problem-solving methodology
- schools become instrument for social improvement
- teachers are agents of change
- in every progress there is a cultural lag
Theodore Brameld
- social reconstructionism
- reformation of the society
- resolve inconsistencies, controversies and conflicts
- firmly committed to equality or equity both in
education and society
- globally competitive learners
- education is a right to be enjoyed by all
Paulo Freire
- critical pedagogy
- systems must be changed to overcome oppression
- education and literacy are vehicle for social change
- teaching and learning is a process of inquiry, so the
learner can invent or reinvent the world
- problem-posing education
- central pedagogy is dialogue
o dialogue means the presence of equality,
mutual recognition, affirmation of people

Famous Educational Philosophers Symbolic Interaction Theory

John Locke
- the empiricist educator (to see is to believe)
- acquire knowledge about the world through the
senses-learning
- simple ideas become more complex through
comparison
- opposed the “Divine Rights of Kings” theory
- people should be educated to govern themselves
Herbert Spencer
- utilitarian education (useful)
- survival of the fittest
- industrialized society require vocational and
professional education
- emphasize practical subjects that help human mind
master the environment
- not inclined to rote learning
o memorization w/o application
- schooling must be related to life and to the activities
needed to earn a living
- individual competition leads to social progress
- he favors specialized education over general
education
- Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton
- the society is made up of symbols which can be used
in understanding the people in the society
- perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that
people develop and rely upon in the process of social
interaction
- invented by George Herbert Mead and Charles
Horton Cooley
Labeling Theory
- the central of symbolic interaction analysis is the
assertion that deviance and conformity result from
the response of others
The Social Self
- basis of humanity is the self- the individual’s active
awareness of existing in the midst of society
The Self
- develops only through social experience and social
experience as the exchange of symbols meaning
shared by people engaged in social interaction

John Dewey The Looking Glass Self

- learning through experience
- education is a social process and so school is
intimately related to the society that it serves
- children are socially active human beings who want
to explore their environment
- sole purpose of education is to contribute to the
personal and social growth of individuals
- research, invention, discoveries
 Steps on scientific/reflection method
o genuine experience
o genuine problem
o possible solution
George Counts
- building new social order
- capture the idea that a person’s self-conception is
based on the responses of others
3 Tenets of Symbolic Interactionism
 An individual’s action depends on meaning
o Teacher’s views on his/her students
 Different people may give different meanings to the
same thing
 Meanings change as individuals interact with one
another
Implication to Education
- Language is a predominant symbol among people.
Failure communication can result from differences
perception of the same events and symbols