Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Graduate Programs

PRAGMATISM

Pantaleon M. Cadeliña Jr.

Presenter
June 4, 2022
 1.AIMS/ 2.CURRICULU
BELIEFS M

3.METHODS OF 4. IMPLICATION
INSTRUCTIONS TO EDUCATION

5.TEACHER- 6.STRENGTHS
LEARNER &
RELATIONSHIP DRAWBACKS
ARE YOU A PRAGMATIST
TEACHER?
 Pragmatism
• Derives its origin from Greek word “Pragma”
meaning “Activity” or “Practice” or “Action”
• As action gets priority over thought, Pragmatism
is also known as “Expenditure” which believes in
“practicability” or “utility” depending upon the truth
reality, goodness or badness which are all relative
terms and are not predetermined or absolute.
 Pragmatism
• It idealizes the activity on the basis of its
consequences over time frame.

• Pragmatists believe that no truth is absolute and

permanent as it is ever changing from time to
time and place to place and from circumstances
to circumstances.
• Pragmatic philosophy is a practical philosophy
having no fixed or absolute standards. Man
always creates new values and education
should help him in doing so. Being practical and
utilitarian school of philosophy, Pragmatism has
influenced education to the maximum extent. It
has tried overcoming the limitations of other
schools like idealism and naturalism and has
influenced the world to a great extent.
• THE CHIEF EXPONENTS OF PRAGMATISM
1. C.B Pierce
2. Archie J. Balm
3. John Dewey
4. William James
5. Will Durrant and Shiller
AIMS OF EDUCATION
Pragmatists believe that life is dynamic which is
subjected to constant change; hence the aims of
education are bound to be dynamic. According to them,
Education deals with human life, so it must help the
children to fulfill their biological and social needs.
Education should enable a child to create values in his
life. In the words of Ross, education must create new
values: “the main task of educator is to put the educand
into a position to develop values for him”.
AIMS OF EDUCATION
The aims of education as formulated by the Pragmatists are
the following:
1. To create new values
2. To enable pupils to gather experience through activity
3. To help the pupil to adjust with him and the society
4. To help the pupil to reconstruct his experience
5. To make all round development of the pupil
 For Pragmatism, “EXPERIENCE” is at the
center of the universe. Hence, it lays emphasis
upon man made ideas and values resulted by
the experimental activities.

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 CURRICULUM
In the field of curriculum development, the
following principles have been prescribed by the
pragmatists.
PRINCIPLE PRINCIPLE
OF OF
UTILITY EXPERIENCE

PRINCIPLE
OF PRINCIPLE OF
INTEREST INTEGRATION

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 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS
• Teaching-learning process is social and bi-
polar process.
• The pragmatists have completely discarded the
conventional method of teaching and laid emphasis
on the invention of new methods. The whole
emphasis of method of teaching in pragmatism is
on child, not the book of the teacher or the subject.
 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS
• The principle of philosophy of pragmatic method of
teaching is practical utility. The child is the central
figure in this method. It is an activity- based
method.
• The essence of pragmatic method is learning
through personal experience of the child. To a
pragmatist, education means preparation for
practical life.
 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS

• The pragmatists are not interested in lectures or

theoretical exposition. They want the children to do
something. Action rather than contemplation
figures prominently in pragmatic education. The
child should learn by doing. “ Learning by doing” is
the great maxim of pragmatic education.
 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS

• The method employed by the pragmatist teacher is

experimental. The pupil is required to discover the
truth for himself. To facilitate this discovery the
application of the inductive methods of teaching is
necessary. Experiences should, therefore, be
planned to arouse the curiosity of children to
acquire knowledge.
 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS

• Pragmatic method is a Project Method which is of

American origin. “A project is a whole – hearted
purposeful activity, proceeding in a social
environment
 METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONS

• Learning by doing and the project methods

have an important place in the methods of
teaching proposed by the pragmatists. All
learning must come as a product of action.

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 IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION

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.
 IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION

2. EDUCATION AS GROWTH-
Thus education will be useful if it brings about
the growth and development of the individual as
well as the society in which he lives. Education is
meant for the child and child is not meant for
education and child is not empty bottle to be filled
up by outside knowledge.
 IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION
3. EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL PROCESS-
To pragmatism, man is a social being. He gains
more and more knowledge through personal
experiences than he gets from books. According to
pragmatism, the education of the child should be
through the medium of society so that develops in
him socially desirable qualities which promote his
welfare and happiness.
 IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION
4. EDUCATION A CONTINUOUS RESTRUCTURING OF
EXPERIENCE-
Education is a process of development. Knowledge is
gained by experiences and experiments, conducted by
the learner himself. One exercise leads to another and
so on and the area of knowledge is widened by the child.
The process of reconstruction of experience goes on
and leads to adjustment and development of personality.
 IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION
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. The refusal
of the state to do so may not lead the nation to
suffering. It is for the state to make the child capable
and confident to meet the problems and challenges
of life successfully.
TEACHER- LEARNER RELATIONSHIP

• According to the Pragmatists the duty of the

teacher is to create such an environment in the
school where pupils will have to face different
problems relating to real life and will take
interest in the solution of those problems.
 TEACHER- LEARNER RELATIONSHIP
• A unique belief of pragmatism about students is that
they need to be active learners. Students need to
experience the world around them through learning
activities. School is not preparation but is rather part
of life it’s self. Therefore, life long learning is to be
expected and not just a temporary period of life in
which it is needed for studying.
 TEACHER- LEARNER RELATIONSHIP

• The teacher is an expert guide who helps the

students. They are a guide because the world
changes too quickly to just dictate material to
students.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS

 The strengths of pragmatism lie in its view that the child

should be at the centre of the educative process. They
focus upon the notion that children develop as
individuals as a result of their own efforts, based upon
their experiences and their interaction with the
environment and those around them.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS

 The philosophy of pragmatism as applied to

education gives us a new look at the school.
Vagueness in aims and objectives disappear when
we look at pragmatism in education. The goals are
clear. The students are prepared to live in society
and learn skills, attitudes and learnings which he will
need.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS
 It is based on learning by doing. Lectures give way
to discussions and activities of the students. The
students carry them out with projects with the help
of the teacher. The problem of discipline does not
arise because there is no passive listening by the
students. The child moves freely, constructs and
creates things for his use in his project. Thus
pragmatism provides pleasurable learning to
children.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS
 Pragmatism advocates for active project method of
learning. It is through this method, students can
learn much more than the method of lecturing.

 Pragmatism looks to the immediate and felt needs

of the child and tries to satisfy them.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS

 The teacher has a very different role to play under

pragmatism. He has to keep alert and well –
informed to discuss facts and subjects matter with
the students. However, both the teacher and pupils
can be learners and explore in the adventure of
seeking knowledge.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS
 There is no place for spirit or essence in
pragmatism, as it believes that what is
apparent is reality.
 Most of the teachers may not be able to
handle the problem – solving or the project
approach to teaching.
 STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS
 It ignores the experience of the past. It lays
emphasis only on the present.
 It is theoretical than practical.

 It has no faith in eternal truth.

STRENGTHS & DRAWBACKS

 The curriculum in pragmatism seems

haphazard. There are many areas in
mathematics, history, language and other
subjects which may not be required in any of
the projects selected for completion by use of
the students.
 According to Pragmatism, education is not the dynamic side of
philosophy as advocated by the idealists. It is the philosophy
which emerges from an educational practice. Every individual has
a social self and he can be best developed in and through society.
Thus, we can conclude by saying that Pragmatism has brought
democracy in education. The students learn the technique of
managing their own responsibilities which would prepare them to
face the different challenges of real life. It makes a man socially
efficient i.e. he can determine his goals according to his needs
and interests.
“Pragmatism only test of probable truth is what works
best in the way of leading us, what fits every part of
life best and combines with the collectivity of
experience’s demands, nothing being omitted”.
by : William James
THANK YOU for LISTENING!
GOD BLESS!