MAJOR

PHILOSOPHIES
IN
EDUCATION
Reported by:
Marina G. Servan
 PHILOSOPHY
 two Greek words philos, which
means “love,” and sophy, which
means “wisdom.”
 general beliefs, concepts, and
attitudes possessed by an individual
or a group
 Branches
Of
Philosophy
 IDEALISM
 System of thought that emphasizes the
importance of mind, soul or spirit.
 Idealism believes in refined wisdom.
 As a result, schools exist to sharpen the
mind and intellectual processes.
Students are taught the wisdom of past
heroes.
 NATURE OF IDEALISM
• One of the oldest schools of thoughts
with its origin traced back to Plato’s ideas.
• Stresses the mental, moral and spiritual
nature of an individual and his universe.
• Advocates that education is both a basic
right of man.
 ASSUMPTION
• God is the absolute ideal and all positive
values are fully realized and enjoyed
through Him.
• Every individual is born good, and is
capable to sense, perceive, and think.
• The self is the ultimate reality of individual
experiences.
• The individual self has all the freedom for self-
determination.
• One’s perception of the world is rooted in his
existence.
• Values depend on how individual persons pass
and enjoy them in their experiences.
• Social values are realized when an individual
recognizes that he is a part of the total society.
 EDUCATIONAL AIM CURRICULAR
EMPHASIS

To develop the individual Literature

spiritually, mentally and History morally.
Philosophy Religion Mathematics Arts In
Education
 TEACHING METHODS

• Lecture-Discussion
• Imitating examples of Method heroes
• Excursion
• Question Method
• Project Method
 ROLE OF TEACHERS & ROLE OF
SCHOOL

• Chief source of inspiration

• An agency of the society
• Thinking institution
• Creator of educational environment
 REALISM
 Education should be based on essential
and practical knowledge that exists
independent of the knower

 Education is the process of developing

rational powers to their fullest so that
the good life can be achieved
 Aims of Education:

Realists put great emphasis on the

practical side of education & that includes
education for moral and character
development. John Locke, Johann Herbart,
& Herbert Spencer held that the chief aim
of education should be moral education.
 Methods of Education:
• understanding of facts and ways of
ordering and classifying knowledge.
• teach fundamental facts about the
universe, and a good school program will
present material in interesting and
enjoyable ways
• emphasis on critical reason aided by
observation and experimentation.
 CURRICULUM
Realists agree that studies should be practical
and useful:

JOHN LOCKE - approved of practical studies

such as reading, writing, drawing, geography,
astronomy, arithmetic, history, ethics, and
law – with supplementary studies in dancing,
fencing, and riding.
JOHN AMOS COMENIUS – first to introduce
an extensive use of pictures in the
educational process. The proper kind of
education should be based on a curriculum to
perfect one’s natural powers by training the
senses.

PESTALOZZI – sense impression; promoted

skills as spinning and gardening
FROEBEL – “object studies” – focused on gifts, songs
and games

HERBART – system of “ correlation and

concentration”, whereby each subject would bear on
and Integrated with other related subjects.

MARIA MONTESSORI – use of objects, provides all

sorts of experiences with blocks, cylinders, and
Geometric patterns.
 ROLE OF THE TEACHER
The teacher should present material in a systematic
and organized way and should promote the idea that
one can used clearly defined criteria in making
judgments about art, economics, politics, and science.
Realists educators would like teachers to take a critical
look at what they are doing. It is hoped that When they
see the negative effects that trends in contemporary
education may be having, they will return to more
basic subject matter.
 NATURALISM

 Is a doctrine denying anything in reality

that has supernatural significance.

 Truth can be discovered only through

nature.
 Synthesis of Naturalism:

• There is only one reality, and that reality is nature.

- Leucippus, Democritus, Epicurus, Lucretius and
Spencer

• Reality is composed of bodies moving in space.

- Democritus, Epicurus, Lucretius and Hobbes

• Force or energy is the ultimate reality.- Spencer

• Keeping close to the dominant and peaceful
ways of nature is the most acceptable way
of adhering to the demands of day-to-day
life.
- Leucippus, Democritus, Epicurus and
Rousseau

• Cosmic reason is the governing principle of

all things.
- Epictetus
 Educational Aims of Naturalism
• To develop the individual in accordance with:
 laws of nature
 human development

Curricular Emphasis
• Physical Education
• Natural Sciences
 Contents Studied:
• History was taught as biography.
• Astronomy and geography were learned
through observation.
• Counting and weighing things, measuring
distances, drawing and singing.
• Women were taught only singing, dancing,
embroidery and home chores to please their
men.
 Implications to Education

ROUSSEAU - Education is, first of all, for the benefit of

the child, not for the sake of any conception, however
hallowed, of the function of the teacher, or the
curriculum, or the school.

SPENCER - All knowledge should be evaluated in

terms of evolutionary naturalistic principles of
education which must conform to them.
 ESSENTIALISM
 It is a theory that asserts that education
properly involves the learning of the basic skills,
arts, and sciences that have been useful in the
past and are likely to remain useful in the future.
 It focuses on INTELLECTUAL DISCIPLINES.
 It is the educational theory that sees the
primary function of the school to be the
preservation and transmission of the basic
elements of human culture.
 CURRICULUM
• Core skills like reading, writing and
arithmetic
• Teaching essential facts and concepts on
Science, Literature, Health and PE
• Hard Sciences, technical and vocational
courses
• Arts for aesthetic expression
• Values of discipline, hard work, and perfect
authority
 METHODS OF TEACHING

• Deductive Method
• Recitation
• Assignments
• Analysis and synthesis
• “Race and Social Heritage” over experiences
 ROLE OF TEACHERS

• Provide stimulating activities for learning

• Prepare well-organized lessons to prove he

is an authority of instruction

• Authoritative and Disciplinarian

 THE ROLE OF SCHOOL
• cultural transmitter
• provide a standard of intellectual training in the
fundamental disciplines geared to the needs of
serious students and to the capacities of the upper
two-thirds of the school population.
• diversify its offering to include certain areas of
vocational training, physical education,
extracurricular activities.
 EXISTENTIALISM
 Man has no fixed nature and he shapes his being as he
lives.
 The philosophy that places emphasis on individual
existence, freedom, and choice.
 Reality is a world of things, truth subjectivity chosen, and
goodness comes from group decisions.
 Existentialism is about being saint without God; being
your own hero, without all the sanction and support of
religion or society.
— Soren Kierkegaard - (1813-1855) – Father
of Existentialism.

— His philosophy can be seen in his doctrine

that there are three stages of life
experience:
◦ Aesthetic
◦ Ethical
◦ Religious
 NATURE

• Focuses on the experiences of the

individuals.

• Offers individuals a way of thinking

about the meaning of life.
 ASSUMPTION

• Existence precedes essence.

• -in other words, you need existence to have

essence. There is no predetermined “true”
thing, it has to already exist in order to
become what it is.
 EDUCATIONAL AIM
• To train individual for significant and
meaningful existence.
• Synthesis and Implications to Education:
 The classroom is a free market of ideas and as such
it must guarantee complete freedom of thought for
the individual.
 The student is encouraged to make independent
decisions to guarantee authentic existence.
 CURRICULAR EMPHASIS

Subject - Centered
Literature
History
Arts for Aesthetic expression
Humanities for ethical values
TEACHING METHODS

Inquiry Approach
Question-Answer Method
Experimentation
Self- expressive activities
 ROLE OF TEACHERS

Good provider of experiences

Effective questioner
Mental disciplinarian

ROLE OF THE STUDENT

Determines own rule
 SUMMARY / CONCLUSION

 Teacher has his/her perspective

towards education.

 Determining his/her philosophy

will greatly affect student’s
learning.