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pragmatism
Philosophy of
Education

Presented by:
Rosana James
M.Sc. Nursing
“Good judgement comes from experience
and often experience comes from bad
judgement”
- Rita Mac Brown
 INTRODUCTION
One of the most important schools
of philosophy of education is pragmatism.
Pragmatism stands between idealism and
materialism a sort of compromise. Its origin
can be traced from the Sophists philosophers
of ancient Greece who held that man is the
measure of all things.The philosophy that
encourages people to find processes that
work in order to achieve their desired ends.
 MEANING
• Believes in practical and utilitarian philosophy
• In American philosophy, 'Pragmatism' means
utility.
• Derived from Greek word ‘pragma’ which means
work, practice, action or activity.
• Pragmatist – lives in the world of facts not on
ideas
Pragmatism…..
• Also called Instrumentalism or Functionalism
• Because it impacts on ‘Learning by Doing’
• Also called Experimentalism - ‘Learning
by experience’
History and Origin
 PROPONENTS
Pragmatism originated as a
philosophical movement in
the United States in the late
1800s. Its main proponents
were Charles Sanders
Peirce, William James and
John Dewey (all members of
The Metaphysical Club).
 Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914)

 An American philosopher,
logician, mathematician,
and scientist.
 “The Father of Pragmatism"
 Believed that thought must
produce action, rather than
linger in the mind and lead
to indecisiveness.
William James (1842-1910)
An American philosopher and psychologist
who was also trained as a physician.
The first educator to offer a psychology
course in the United States, James was one
of the leading thinkers of the late nineteenth
century and is believed by many to be one of
the most influential philosophers the United
States has ever produced, while others have
labelled him the "Father of American
psychology".
William James, the author of the Pragmatic
Theory, defines truth in terms of the
usefulness of a belief. He thinks that useful
beliefs are true and useless beliefs are false.
 John Dewey (1859-1942)
An American philosopher and educator who
was a leading exponent of philosophical
pragmatism and rejected traditional methods
of teaching by rote in favour of a broad-based
system of practical experience.

Father of Modern Experiential Education

An early proponent of progressive

education, maintained that schools should
reflect the life of the society.

“Education is not preparation for life;

education is life itself.”
PRINCIPLES
1. PLURALISM-
Philosophically, the pragmatists are pluralists. According to them there are as many
words as human beings. The ultimate reality is not one but many. Everyone
searches truth and aim of life according to his experiences.

2. EMPHASIS ON CHANGE-
The pragmatists emphasize change. The world is a process, a constant flux. Truth is
always in the making. The world is ever progressing and evolving. Therefore,
everything here is changing.

3. UTILITARIANISM-
Pragmatists are utility is the test of all truth and reality. A useful
principle is true. Utility means fulfillment of human purposes.
The results decide the good and evil of anything, idea, beliefs and
acts. Utility means satisfaction of human needs.
4. CHANGING AIM AND VALUES-
The aim and values of life change in different times and climes. The old aims and
values, therefore, cannot be accepted as they are. Human life and the world is a
laboratory in which the aims and values are developed.

5. INDIVIDUALISM-
Pragmatists are individualists. They put maximum premium upon freedom in human
life. Liberty goes with equality and fraternity. Everyone should adjust to his
environment.

6. EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL ASPECTS-

Since man is a social animal therefore, he develops in social circumstances. His
success is success in society. The aim of education is to make him successful by
developing his social personality.

7. EXPERIMENTALISM-
Pragmatists are experimentalists. They give more importance to action than ideas.
Activity is the means to attain the end of knowledge. Therefore, one should learn by
doing constant experimentation which is required in every field of life.
 METAPHYSICS
Rejects metaphysics as an area
of philosophical enquiry.
Reality is determined by individual’s sense
experience – Man can know nothing beyond
his experience. So questions related to nature
of man or universe – simply cannot answer
Any conclusion we make about life
after death is merely guess.
Does not believe in anything spiritual
or transcendental values.
 Reality is constantly changing.
 EPISTEMOLOGY
Knowledge based on experience is
true. All that can be known is
dependent upon experience.
Phenomenon are constantly changing
to knowledge about truth must
change accordingly.
They emphasize on functional
knowledge and understanding.
No spiritual or ultimate value
 AXIOLOGY
Values are not real existents.

Values change according to difference

in time and space.

Man, being a part of society, the

consequences of his actions are either
good or bad. If the consequences are
worthwhile, then the value of the
action is proven to be good.
Forms of pragmatism
 HUMANISTIC PRAGMATISM
-This type of pragmatism is particularly
found in social sciences. According to it
the satisfaction of human nature is the
criterion of utility. In philosophy, in
religion and even in science man is the
aim of all thinking and everything else is
a means to achieve human satisfaction.
EXPERIMENTAL PRAGMATISM
Modern science is based upon
experimental method. The
fact that can be ascertained by
experiment is true. No truth is final,
truth is known only to the extent it is
useful in practice. The pragmatists
use this criterion of truth in every
field of life. The human problems can
be solved only through experiment.
NOMINALISTIC PRAGMATISM
-When we make any experiment we
attend to the result. Our aim is
examination of the material. Some
hypothesis about the results
invariably precedes every experiment.
According to nominalistic
pragmatism, the results of an
experiment are always particular and
concrete, never general and abstract.
BIOLOGICAL PRAGMATISM
Experimentalism of John Dewey is
based upon this biological
pragmatism according to which the
ultimate aim of all knowledge is
harmony of the man with the
environment. Education develops
social skill which facilitates one’s life.
The
school is a miniature society which
prepares the child for future life.
Pragmatism and education
“Education is living through a continuous
reconstruction of experiences. It is the
development of all those capacities in the
individual which will enable him to
control his emotion and fulfil his
possibilities.”

- John Dewey
PRAGMATISM IS A PRACTICAL
PHILOSOPHY
 It aims at developing efficiency of the pupil
through activities and experience.
 Education should enable the child to solve his
daily problems and lead a better life.
 Activities lie at the centre of all educative
process.
 John Dewey came to Chicago in 1894 with his wife
Alice Dewey, to start a school in order to test his
theories of learning.
x He believed that learning was active and children
came to school to do things.
x That learning arithmetic would come from
learning proportions in cooking or figuring out
how long it would take to get from one place to
another by rule.
 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
1.EDUCATION AS LIFE
Pragmatists firmly believe that old and traditional
education is dead and lifeless.
Education is a continuous re-organizing,
reconstructing and integrating the experience
and activities of race.
Real knowledge can be gained only be activity,
experiments and real life experiences.
2.EDUCATION AS GROWTH
Each child is born with inherent capacities,
tendencies and aptitudes which are drawn out and
developed by education. One of the aims of
education is to develop all the inherent capacities
3. EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL PROCESS
 Man gains more knowledge through personal experiences than he gets from
books.

4. EDUCATION A CONTINUOUS RESTRUCTURING OF

EXPERIENCE
Knowledge is gained by experiences and experiments, conducted by the learner himself.
Educational process has no end beyond itself.

5. EDUCATION THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STATE

Education is the birth right of each individual and may not be within the right of the
individual, so the state should shoulder the responsibility.
Pragmatism and curriculum
 Acti vity Centered Curriculum
1. PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
Subjects, activities and experiences which are useful to the present needs of the child
are included in the curriculum, such as: Language, physical well-being, physical training,
Geography, History, Science, Agriculture and Home science.
2. PRINCIPLE OF INTEREST
 Only the activities and experiences that interests the child should be
included in the curriculum.

 It comes with four varieties namely-

(1) interest in conversation (2) interest in investigation
(3) interest in construction (4) interest in creative expression
Keeping these varieties of interests the curriculum should include
Reading, Writing, Counting, Art, Craft-work, Natural science and
other practical work of simple nature.
3. PRINCIPLE OF EXPERIENCE
The third principle of pragmatic curriculum is the child’s
activity, vocation and experience. All these three should
be closely integrated.

4. PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRATION
 Deals with the integration of subjects
and activities.
 Knowledge is one unit.
 Pragmatists want to construct flexible,
dynamic and integrated curriculum.
Pragmatism and method of
teaching
 Methods of teaching….
• Gives importance to child than books or teachers
• Avoids outdated and rigid method of learning
• Methods include:
• Learning by Doing
• Provision of real life situation
• Project method (real and purposeful tasks)
• Discussion, questioning and inquiry
Pragmatism and Discipline
DISCIPLINE
 Freedom as an important element.
 Promotes self discipline.
 Condemn enforced discipline and advocate
social discipline based on child’s interest,
activities and a sense of social responsibility.
 According to pragmatists,
“Discipline is primarily social and it emerges
through active participation in group and
purposeful activity.”
Pragmatism and Teacher
 TEACHER
 As a friend, philosopher and guide.
 Not a dictator but only a leader of a group.
 Should have knowledge of student’s interest
and provide them social environment.
 Should believe in democratic values.
 Should have knowledge of social
conditioning.
 Should not overshadow the personality
of the pupil.
Pragmatism and the school
 SCHOOL
 Any social environment which inspires children for
experimentation constitutes a school for them.
 A social institution which develops in child a
social sense and sense of duty towards society
and nation.
 According to John Dewey :
“School is the embryo of community.”
“School is a miniature society.”
“An instrument of transmission and
transformation of the culture.”
 Pragmatism and Text Book

Importance is given to children and not to

Books
Pragmatism and Evaluation
Evaluation…
• Individually – based on type of work
• Tools should include objective tests, project reports,
anecdotal records, attitudes and rating scales and
aptitude and personality test
Pragmatism and nursing education
In nursing education…..
• Nursing educator – creates a real life situation
• Experimentation or discover by doing technique –
improves skills
• Nursing students – use self effort,skills
development, creativity, observes and analyses in
that situation
• Improve clinical skills, intellectual and moral skills
Journal….
Foundation of Sociology of Health and Illness, in 2015
Aug, conducted a study, “Meeting Pragmatism
Halfway: Making a Pragmatic Clinical Trial Protocol”,
it says PCT are used commonly to measure the
effectiveness of health care interventions in real
world clinical setting
 CONTRIBUTION OF PRAGMATISM TO
EDUCATION
 Contributes to the development of a system which is
vocation centred.
 Recognizes that an individual should be socially efficient
and productive, the curriculum duly takes note of it.
 Another important principal given by pragmatism is the
principle of integration.
 Project method.
 Helps to realise the value of today’s life.
 Saves child from the burden of education which is too
much centred on books.
Merits and demerits of pragmatism
 MERITS OF PRAGMATISM
1. CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT METHOD
In the field of methods of teaching, pragmatism has given birth to
project method. This method, a child indulging in various creative
activities, is able to solve many problems which cater to his natural
progress and development.

2. IMPORTANCE OF CHILD-
Opposing bookish knowledge and formal education, pragmatism lays
great stress upon the development of child’s individuality by his own
efforts.

3. EMPHASIS ON ACTIVITY
The principle of learning by doing is the main contribution of
pragmatism
4. FAITH IN APPLIED LIFE-
Pragmatic education prepares the child for future life in a very
effective manner.

5. SOCIAL AND DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION-

 Pragmatism develops in the child love for democratic values and
social efficiency which bring harmonious adjustment and
development of personality.

6. INFUSION OF NEW LIFE IN EDUCATION-

Pragmatism has revolutionized the process of education to a very
great extent. This has infused a new life and zest in education.
 DEMERITS of Pragmatism
 It dose not raise the questions on the reailty behind the
things.
 Artificiality in Situation.
 The teacher may be unable to cope with the demands of
teaching.
 Humanities,cultural acts have no place.
 Many gaps and deficiencies in the learning approach has
been observed.
 Denial of spiritual,cultural values are unpalatable.
 less practiced in indian settings.
 Conclusive Features of pragmatism
In Pragmatism….
• Values are created through experimentation
• Educational practice – experimental
• Child learns by doing
• Curriculum – actively centered
• Moral Values cannot be imposed by the older upon
younger generation
• Project method is the main method of teaching
To Conclude….
Though it is an
old and
traditional
philosophy, it
had a futuristic
thought to
change the
traditional
education
methods. Thus
 Bibliography
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Delhi: Jaypee Brothers
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2nd edition,Pg no:127-131India Elsevier.
3. HTTP// WWW. NURSING PHILOSOPHIES IN NURSING EDUCATION.COM
4. Safaya RN, Shaida BD. Important Philosophy of Education. Deveopment of
Educational Theories and Practice. New Delhi. 1997. Pg 91-97

5. Pragmatic Philosopy [you tube]. US: CEE video channel [Uploaded 2010 May
25] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcC1XYJTe9