LA CONSOLACION UNVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Malolos, Bulacan

A Written Report on

Philosophical Foundation of Education

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

Master of Arts in Educational Management

BRENDA O. MASUANGAT

and

MARY LINDA B. MARQUEZ

2.1.5 Agreement among all Philosophies

Realism, in philosophy, the viewpoint which accords to things which are known or perceived an
existence or nature which is independent of whether anyone is thinking about or perceiving.

Known or Perceived = Cognition, the states and processes involved in knowing, which in their
completeness include perception and judgment. Cognition includes all conscious and
unconscious processes by which knowledge is accumulated, such as perceiving, recognizing,
conceiving, and reasoning.

Realism and Idealism

The opposition between idealism and realism, although undeniably ontological in a broad sense,
is distinct both from general disputes about realism in ontology and from disputes which turn
upon the notion of truth or its applicability to statements of some specified type (see
below Realism and truth). In its most straightforward and, arguably, basic sense, idealism not
only asserts the existence of “ideas” (and perhaps other mental entities) but also advances a
restrictive claim about the nature or composition of reality as whole: there is nothing in reality
other than ideas and the minds whose ideas they are. So understood, idealism is a form of
monism, which is opposed both to other forms of monism (e.g., materialism) and to pluralism,
which posits two or more irreducibly distinct kinds of stuff or things (e.g., mental and physical,
as in various versions of dualism).

A paradigmatic example of an idealist position is Berkeley’s rejection of “brute matter” as

unintelligible and his accompanying doctrine that reality consists exclusively of “ideas”—for
which esse est percipi (“to be is to be perceived”)—and “spirits,” including finite spirits
corresponding to individual human beings and at least one infinite spirit, or God. If idealism in
this sense is to be viewed as a kind of antirealism, the realism it opposes must be one which
maintains the existence of material things independently of their being perceived or otherwise
related to any mind, finite or otherwise.

Immanuel Kant, (born April 22,

1724, Königsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]—
died February 12, 1804, Königsberg), German philosopher
whose comprehensive and systematic work
in epistemology (the theory of knowledge), ethics,
 and aesthetics greatly influenced all subsequent philosophy,
especially the various schools of Kantianism and idealism.

Philosophical Agreement

Because of the relative understanding or rather a different perspective of the philosophers. In the
field of Education, it must be synthesized or must be open to agreement to understand more
accurately of the children.

Like for example, the realist view to the education is realists believe that reality exists
independent of the human mind. The ultimate reality is the world of physical objects. The focus
is on the body/objects.

Truth is objective-what can be observed. Aristotle, a student of Plato who broke with his
mentor’s idealist philosophy, is called the father of both Realism and the scientific method. In
this metaphysical view, the aim is to understand objective reality through “the diligent and
unsparing scrutiny of all observable data.”

Aristotle believed that to understand an object, its ultimate form had to be understood, which
does not change. For example, a rose exists whether or not a person is aware of it. A rose can
exist in the mind without being physically present, but ultimately, the rose shares properties with
all other roses and flowers (its form), although one rose may be red and another peach colored.

Aristotle also was the first to teach logic as a formal discipline in order to be able to reason about
physical events and aspects. The exercise of rational thought is viewed as the ultimate purpose
for humankind.

The Realist curriculum emphasizes the subject matter of the physical world, particularly science
and mathematics. The teacher organizes and presents content systematically within a discipline,
demonstrating use of criteria in making decisions.

Teaching methods focus on mastery of facts and basic skills through demonstration and
recitation. Students must also demonstrate the ability to think critically and scientifically, using
observation and experimentation.

Curriculum should be scientifically approached, standardized, and distinct-discipline based.

Character is developed through training in the rules of conduct. While the idealist view to
education is Idealism is a philosophical approach that has as its central tenet that ideas are the
only true reality, the only thing worth knowing.

In a search for truth, beauty, and justice that is enduring and everlasting, the focus is on
conscious reasoning in the mind. Plato, father of Idealism, espoused this view about 400 years
BC, in his famous book, The Republic.
Plato believed that there are two worlds. The first is the spiritual or mental world, which is
eternal, permanent, orderly, regular, and universal. There is also the world of appearance, the
world experienced through sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound, that is changing, imperfect, and
disorderly.

This division is often referred to as the duality of mind and body. Reacting against what he
perceived as too much of a focus on the immediacy of the physical and sensory world, Plato
described a utopian society in which “education to body and soul all the beauty and perfection of
which they are capable” as an ideal. In his allegory of the cave, the shadows of the sensory world
must be overcome with the light of reason or universal truth.

To understand truth, one must pursue knowledge and identify with the Absolute Mind. Plato also
believed that the soul is fully formed prior to birth and is perfect and at one with the Universal
Being. The birth process checks this perfection, so education requires bringing latent ideas (fully
formed concepts) to consciousness.

As we can see the mind of a philosophers is very irritated every ideas are prone to criticism
therefore it, must be open to agreement to understand more accurately mostly the children.

Philosophical Disagreements

Among the philosophies of education, there is an ongoing situation agreements for the schools
here in the Philippines but we all know that all of these are not good for the development of mind
of a child, like for example, the schism in metaphysics between educational philosophies
emphasizing change and those emphasizing the changeless widens and becomes more
unbridgeable when reinforced by theological considerations.

Those who seek to overcome the uncertainties of education in the natural order by an appeal to
certainty in the supernatural order almost put themselves out of communication with those who
insist on restricting the universe of educational discourse to the natural order.

Yet, in all sincerity, the supernaturalist does not see, for instance, how consensus on the dignity
of man can hold any secure place at the center of educational philosophy unless it have a divine
authorship.
Whatever reason for taking a rigid or intransigeant stand in one’s educational philosophy, the
ultimate and deplorable result is to breakdown communication between the adherents of
conflicting philosophies of education.

Each group seems to have its own universe of discourse, consequently they do not speak the
same educational language. Community breaks down into several communities each with its own
separate system of schools. The danger here is that separate schools systems will breed suspicion
and misunderstanding.

Conclusion:

We must remember that no worthwhile consensus is possible which violates the integrity of any
party thereto. In seeking for consensus we must have entire respect from us, even where our
differences stiffen into rigidity.

If a consensus of educational philosophies is to be forthcoming in the twentieth century, as was a

medieval synthesis in the thirteenth century. It will in all probability have to be the cooperative
product of many minds.
2.2 Educational Psychology

TOPICS: 2..2.1 The relevance of psychology to education

2.2.2 Individual Differences
2.2.3 Learning Theories, Pavlov, Thomdike Skinner, Gestalt, Gutrie, Tolman
2.2.4 Emotional Adjustment
2.2.5 Intelligence natire, Source, recognition, development

Educational Psychology

Educational psychology is the branch of psychology

concerned with the scientific study of human learning. ... The
field of educational psychology involves the study of memory,
conceptual processes, and individual differences (via cognitive
psychology) in conceptualizing new strategies for learning
processes in humans.

What is the role of educational psychology?

Psychologists working in the field of education study how people learn and retain
knowledge. They apply psychological science to improve the learning process and promote
educational success for all students.

Why is educational psychology important?

Educational Psychology helps teacher to know that how learning takes place. It enables a
teacher that how learning process should be initiated, how to motivate, how to memorize or
learn. It helps teachers to guide the students in right direction in order to canalized student's
abilities in right direction.
What are the examples of educational psychology?
These include Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Social Cognitivism, and Constructivism. This
section summarizes how educational psychology has researched and applied theories within each
of these perspectives.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism focuses on the idea that all behaviors are

learned through interaction with the environment. ...
Behaviorism is key for educators because it impacts how students
react and behave in the classroom, and suggests that teachers can
directly influence how their students behave.

Cognitivism

Cognitivism is a learning theory that focusses on how

information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the
mind. ... Therefore, cognitivism looks beyond observable
behaviour, viewing learning as internal mental processes. In this
view, learners are actively involved in the way they process
information.

Social Cognitvism
 Social cognitive theory, used in psychology, education, and
communication, holds that portions of an individual's knowledge
acquisition can be directly related to observing others within the
context of social interactions, experiences, and outside media
influences.

Constructivism

Constructivism is the theory that says learners construct

knowledge rather than just passively take in information. As
people experience the world and reflect upon those experiences,
they build their own representations and incorporate new
information into their pre-existing knowledge (schemas).

2.2.1 Relevance of psychology to education

What are the main concerns of educational psychology?

Educational psychology involves the study of how people learn, including topics such as
student outcomes, the instructional process, individual differences in learning, gifted learners,
and learning disabilities. Psychologists who work in this field are interested in how people learn
and retain new information.

Conclusion:

A teacher is someone who is responsible for the growth and development of a child. He/She
needs to understand the needs, strengths and weaknesses of the child to guide them better.

Educational psychology plays a huge role in understanding the student’s learning patterns and
focuses on developing relevant curriculum and evaluation techniques. I believe that every school
must encourage their teachers to take courses in Education Psychology and even hire an in-house
psychologist. This will benefit the students a great deal.

Of course, it's of tremendous importance. A successful teacher must have idea about the
important milestones in the cognitive developmental stages of the children. Educational
Psychology helps the teacher know at what stage, a particular student is, what method should be
followed for the teaching learning process.

Many famous psychologists have laid down important theories in this regard. Jean Piaget's
theory of cognitive development consisting of four distinct stages helps a teacher tremendously
in teaching children at various stages, choosing teaching aids, at what stage a child requires
concrete objects for grasping a lesson and at what stage,he/she can learn abstract concepts.

Harvard Garner's theory of multiple intelligences helps the teacher greatly in identifying the
different types of learners. Some students can learn through visual aids, some through movement
, so on and so forth.

Thus, a good teacher should utilize the knowledge received from Educational Psychology and
keep on modifying his/her teaching methodologies.

The more you understand the human brain, the better you can teach effectively. It’s kind of like
taking an aspirin for a urinary tract infection. It may make some pain go away, reduce a fever.
But to really impact that infection, one needs an antibiotic. The more we know, the better we can
provide just the right experiences for learning.

2.2.2 Individual Differences

Individual differences can be defined as personal characteristics that distinguish learners from
each other in the teaching and learning processes. Learners are unique individuals who bring a
critical set of variables to each learning situation, including delicate traits as indicators of their
potential and the history of achievement as signs of previous accomplishments and predictors
of future performance.

In psychology, these are called individual differences referring to the extent and kind of
variations or similarities among people on some of the important psychological aspects such as
intelligence, personality, interest, and aptitude.

Conclusion:

Many of a learner’s personal characteristics can affect how he or she learns. Individual
differences are often explanations for differences in learning and performance among learners.
The study of individual differences among learners’ permits is done with the idea that results can
help educators design instruction that better meets the needs of each learner’s needs.

Each learner is unique like by the age, gender, aptitude, attitude etc. The differences among the
learners are considered individual differences. Individuals follow different paths as they
progress toward expert understanding because they learn differently based on their gender,
ethnicity, learning styles, previous knowledge and experience with content, strategies, and
technology.

2.2.3 Learning Theories, Pavlov, Thomdike, Skinner, Gestalt, Gutrie, Tolman

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian physiologist known primarily

for his work in classical conditioning. From his childhood days Pavlov
demonstrated intellectual curiosity along with an unusual energy which he
referred to as "the instinct for research".

Pavlov's Theory of Classical Conditioning

Based on his observations, Pavlov suggested that the salivation was a learned response. Pavlov's
dog subjects were responding to the sight of the research assistants' white lab coats, which the
animals had come to associate with the presentation of food.

What did Pavlov do to dogs?

During his research on the physiology of digestion in dogs, Pavlov developed a procedure that
enabled him to study the digestive processes of animals over long periods of time. He
redirected the animal's digestive fluids outside the body, where they could be measured.

How is Pavlov theory used today?

Pavlov's classical conditioning has found numerous applications: in behavioural therapy,
across experimental and clinical environments, in educational classrooms as well as in treating
phobias using systematic desensitisation.

Thorndike was an American psychologist who spent nearly

his entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. His
work on comparative psychology and the learning process led to
the theory of connectionism and helped lay the scientific
foundation for educational psychology.

What was Thorndike theory?

The law of effect principle developed by Edward Thorndike suggested that: "responses that
produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in
that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur
again in that situation (Gray, 2011,)
Thorndike studied learning in animals (usually cats). He devised a classic experiment in which
he used a puzzle box (see fig. 1) to empirically test the laws of learning.

What is Thorndike law of learning?

He set also the law of effect which means that any behavior that is followed by pleasant
consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is
likely to be avoided.

What is Thorndike known for?

Edward Thorndike was an influential psychologist who is often referred to as the founder of
modern educational psychology. He was perhaps best-known for his famous puzzle box
experiments with cats which led to the development of his law of effect.

What is an example of Thorndike's law of effect?

Thorndike would place a cat inside the puzzle box and then place a piece of meat outside the
box. He would then observe the animal's efforts to escape and obtain the food. ... Thorndike
termed this the “Law of Effect,” which suggested that when satisfaction follows an association, it
is more likely to be repeated.

Burrhus Frederic
Skinner was an American
psychologist, behaviorist,
author, inventor, and social
 philosopher. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard
University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974.

What is Skinner's theory?

B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A behaviorist, he
developed the theory of operant conditioning -- the idea that behavior is determined by its
consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that
the behavior will occur again.

What is Skinner most known for?

Skinner was an American psychologist best-known for his influence on behaviorism. Skinner
referred to his own philosophy as 'radical behaviorism' and suggested that the concept of free
will was simply an illusion. All human action, he instead believed, was the direct result of
conditioning.

What is Skinner's theory child development?

Skinner believed children learn language through operant conditioning—that children
receive “rewards” for using language in a functional manner. Noam Chomsky's theory states that
children have the innate biological ability to learn language; however, his theory has not been
supported by genetic or neurological studies.

What is Skinner reinforcement theory?

Reinforcement theory of motivation was proposed by BF Skinner and his associates. It states
that individual's behaviour is a function of its consequences. ... Thus, according to Skinner,
the external environment of the organization must be designed effectively and positively so as to
motivate the employee.

How is Skinner's theory used today?

Skinner's theory of operant conditioning uses both positive and negative reinforcements to
encourage good and wanted behavior whilst deterring bad and unwanted behavior. ... Used in
a variety of situations, operant conditioning has been found to be particularly effective in the
classroom environment.

Gestalt
Gestalt psychology, gestaltism or configurationism is a school of psychology that emerged in the
early twentieth century in Austria and Germany as a theory of perception that was a rejection of
basic principles of Wilhelm Wundt's and Edward Titchener's elementalist and structuralist
psychology.

Gestalt psychology, gestaltism or configurationism is a school of psychology that emerged in the

early twentieth century in Austria and Germany as a theory of perception that was a rejection of
basic principles of Wilhelm Wundt's and Edward Titchener's elementalist and structuralist
psychology.

What is an example of a gestalt?

Gestalt psychologists believed that humans tend to perceive objects as complete rather than
focusing on the gaps that the object might contain. For example, a circle has good Gestalt in
terms of completeness. However, we will also perceive an incomplete circle as a complete circle.

Which term is a gestalt concept?

• The term gestalt, translated as "whole" or "configuration," referred to an organized entity that
was different from the sum of its constituent parts. • Gestalt psychology is a school of thought
that believes all objects and scenes can be observed in their simplest forms.

The main principles of the Gestalt Theory in Learning are: Teachers should encourage their
students to discover the relationship of the elements that make up a problem. Incongruities,
gaps, or disturbances are essential stimuli in the learning process. Educational instruction should
be based on the Laws of Organization.

Edwin Ray Guthrie was a behavioral

psychologist. He first worked as a mathematics teacher,
and philosopher, but switched to psychology when he
was 33. He spent most of his career at the University of
Washington, where he became full professor and then
emeritus professor in psychology.
What is Guthrie theory of learning?

Guthrie is best known for his theory that all learning was based on a stimulus–response association.
The theory was: "A combination of stimuli which has accompanied a movement will on its
recurrence tend to be followed by that movement".

Who is Guthrie in psychology?

Edwin Ray Guthrie (1886-1959), was a philosopher, mathematician, and later became a behavior
psychologist. Guthrie is best known for his one trial theory, nonreinforcement, and contiguity
learning. One word that could describe Guthrie is “simple”. His approach to learning and theories
were simple.

Edward Chace Tolman was an American psychologist and a

professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Through Tolman's theories and works, he founded what is now a
branch of psychology known as purposive behaviorism.

What is Tolman's theory?

According to Tolman's theory of sign learning, an organism learns by pursuing signs to

a goal, i.e., learning is acquired through meaningful behavior. Tolman emphasized the
organized aspect of learning: “The stimuli which are allowed in are not connected by
just simple one-to-one switches to the outgoing responses.

What did Tolman do with rats?

Tolman is perhaps best-known for his work with rats and mazes. Tolman's work challenged the
behaviorist notion that all behavior and learning is a result of the basic stimulus-response
pattern. In a classic experiment, rats practiced a maze for several days. Then, the familiar path they
normally took was blocked.

Why is Tolman's theory called purposive behaviorism?

Tolman thought that learning developed from knowledge about the environment and how the
organism relates to its environment. ... Tolman disagreed with Watson's behaviorism, so he
initiated his own behaviorism, which became known as purposive behaviorism.

Conclusions:

Learning theories are critical because they “help us to understand both how knowledge is created
and how people learn” Harasim (2017). While evaluating theories is not always about assessing
whether they are right or wrong, Lefrançois (2019) suggests that they can be mainly assessed by
how useful they are to educational practice.
Teachers make use of learning theories (consciously or not) and their related pedagogic
approaches and technologies to design, develop and deliver effective teaching and learning
experiences. As we design for learning, we need to be aware that our theoretical starting points
will inform our teaching practices, choice of learning technologies and the kinds of activities we
provide to our students.

Knowing who you are as a teacher before you enter the classroom will help significantly.
Teaching is so much more than just the content. Teaching is a learning curve on philosophy that
will never be finished. Just as your classroom will change every year, continue to alter your
philosophies. See what works for you and your students on a collaborative level

2.2.4 Emotional Adjustment

The condition or process of personal acceptance of and adaptation to one's circumstances,

which may require modification of attitudes and the expression of emotions that are appropriate
to a given situation.

What is the meaning of adjustment in education?

Definition of adjustment

Adjustments are actions taken to enable a student with disability to access and participate in
education on the same basis as other students. ... They can be made at the whole-school level,
in the classroom and at an individual student level.

What does adjustment mean in psychology?

Adjustment, in psychology, the behavioral process by which humans and other animals
maintain an equilibrium among their various needs or between their needs and the obstacles
of their environments.
What does it mean to be emotionally healthy?
Emotional health is about how we think and feel. It is about our sense of wellbeing, our ability
to cope with life events and how we acknowledge our own emotions as well as those of others. It
doesn't mean being happy all of the time.

What are some signs of good emotional health?

People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
They're able to cope with life's challenges. They can keep problems in perspective and bounce
back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships.

2.2.5 Intelligence Nature, Source, Recognition, Development

While intelligence is one of the most talked about subjects in psychology, there is no standard
definition of what exactly constitutes intelligence. Some researchers have suggested that
intelligence is a single, general ability. Others believe that intelligence encompasses a range of
aptitudes, skills, and talents.

What Is Intelligence?

Intelligence has been a controversial topic throughout psychology's history. Despite the
substantial interest in the subject, there is still considerable disagreement about what components
makeup intelligence. In addition to questions of exactly how to define intelligence, the debate
continues today about whether accurate measurements are even possible.

At various points throughout recent history, researchers have proposed some different definitions
of intelligence. While these definitions can vary considerably from one theorist to the next,
current conceptualizations tend to suggest that intelligence is the ability to:

 Learn from experience: The acquisition, retention, and use of knowledge is an

important component of intelligence.
 Recognize problems: To put knowledge to use, people must be able to identify possible
problems in the environment that need to be addressed.
 Solve problems: People must then be able to take what they have learned to come up
with a useful solution to a problem they have noticed in the world around them.1

Intelligence involves some different mental abilities including logic, reasoning, problem-solving,
and planning. While the subject of intelligence is one of the largest and most heavily researched,
it is also one of the topics that generate the greatest controversy.

While psychologists often disagree about the definition and causes of intelligence, research on
intelligence plays a significant role in many areas. These areas include decisions regarding how
much funding should be given to educational programs, the use of testing to screen job
applicants, and the use of testing to identify children who need additional academic help.

Nature and Characteristics of Intelligence and its Development:

Intelligence is not acquired after sustained labour. It is a gift from nature. Intelligence is
not memory. An intelligent person may have poor memory. Intelligence is not a skill
which a worker acquires after planned practice. Intelligence is not a guarantee of a good
behaviour of the individual.

To understand the nature of intelligence we need to know the classification intelligence

as given by E.L. Thorndike and Garret:

1. Concrete Intelligence – It is the ability of an individual to comprehend actual

situations and to react to them adequately. The concrete intelligence is evident from
various activities of daily life. This type of intelligence is applicable when the individual
is handling concrete objects or medicines. Engineers, mechanics and architects have this
type of intelligence.
2. Abstract Intelligence – It is the ability to respond to words, numbers and symbols.
Abstract intelligence is required in the ordinary academic subjects in the school. This is
acquired after an intensive study of books and literature. Good teachers, lawyers,
doctors, philosophers etc. have this type of intelligence.
3. Social Intelligence – It means the ability of an individual to react to social
situations of daily life. Adequate adjustment in social situations is the index of social
intelligence. Persons having this type of intelligence know the art of winning friends and
influencing them. Leaders, ministers, members of diplomatic sources and social workers
have it.