Title:

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION

“The study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought, but what the
truth of things is.”
― St. Thomas Aquinas

We are heirs to a rich philosophical heritage. Passes on to us are a number of philosophies of

various thinkers who lived before us. They occupied themselves searching for answers to
questions about human existence such as "who am I?" and "what am I living for?".

Body:
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY

The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek philos (loving) + sophos (wise) meaning literally
love of wisdom.

Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths
about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each
other. It is also a system of values by which one lives.

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

Metaphysics
-> Metaphysics is the study of origins.
-> Asks why we are here and what is our purpose in life.
-> Study of time.

Epistemology:
The Theory of Knowledge
-> This is the branch that deals with where knowledge comes from.
-> Asks how do we obtain knowledge.

Religion
-> This Branch deals with why people believe in a higher power and an afterlife.
-> Meaning of life
-> Rituals and how people should act.

Ethics
-> This branch deals mainly with morality.
-> It helps people determine what is right and wrong and how we can achieve the “good life”.

Aesthetics
->The study of what makes beauty.
-> Art and its significance.
-> What shapes the opinion of beauty.
Politics
-> Study of how people interact with each other.
-> What is the purpose of government.
-> Why people need other people.

Logic
->The use of reason in argument.
-> Critical thinking and problem solving.
-> How to apply evidence to an argument.

Science
-> The philosophy of Science describes the way in which science changes the world.

PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

Essentialism

Proponent-William C. Bagley

->Advocates training the mind with what are essential.

Why teach?

-This philosophy contends that teachers teach for learners to acquire basic knowledge, skills and
values. Teachers teach "not to radically reshape society" but rather "to transmit the traditional
moral values and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model citizens".

What to teach?

-Essentialist programs are academically rigorous. The emphasis is on academic content for
students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental R's -reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic, and right
conduct.

How to teach?

-Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They are expected to be intellectual
and moral models of their students. They are seen as "fountain" of information and as "paragon
of virtue."

- The teachers rely heavily on the use of prescribed textbooks.

Progressivism
 Proponent-John Dewey

->Education comes from the experience of the child.

Why teach?

-To develop learners into becoming enlightened and intelligent citizens of a democratic society.
Teachers teaches learners so they may live life fully NOW and not to prepare them for adult life.

What to teach?

- Progressivist’s teachers, everything else changes. Change is the only thing that does not
change. Hence, progressivist teachers are more concerned with teaching the learners the skills to
cope with change.

How to teach?

-Progressivist teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that one learns by doing.

Perennialism

Proponent- Robert Hutchins

->Teaching ideas that are everlasting

Why teach?

-To teach students to develop minds that can think critically.

What to teach?

-What the perennialist teachers teach are lessons that are lifted classic and great books.

How to teach?

-The perennialist classrooms are "centered around teachers".

-Students engaged in Socratic dialogues, or mutual inquiry sessions to develop an understanding

of history's most timeless concepts.

Existentialism

Proponent-Sӧren Kierkegaard

->Focuses on individual's freedom to choose their own purpose in life.

Why teach?
-The main concern of the existentialists is to help students understand and appreciate themselves
as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions.

What to teach?

-Students are given a wide variety of options from which to choose. The humanities, however,
are given tremendous emphasis to provide students with vicarious experiences that will unleash
their own creativity and self-expression.

How to teach?

-Methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self-directed.

Behaviorism

Proponents-John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner

-> Believes that learning occurs through teachers' rewards and punishments that lead to changes
in behavior

Why teach?

-Behaviorist teachers are concerned with the modification and shaping of students’ behavior by
providing for a favorable environment.

What to teach?

-Behaviorist teachers teach students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the environment.

How to teach?

-Provide appropriate incentives to reinforce positive responses and weaken or eliminate negative
ones.

Constructivism

Proponents-Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, John Dewey

->People construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world.

Why teach?

-To develop intrinsically motivated and independent learners adequately equipped with learning
skills for them to be able to construct knowledge and make meaning of them.
What to teach?

-The learners are taught how to learn. They are thought learning processes and skills such as
searching, critiquing, and evaluating information, relating these pieces of information, reflecting
on the same, making meaning out of them, drawing insights and more.

How to teach?

-The teacher provides students with data or experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict,
manipulate objects, pose questions, research, investigate, imagine and invent.

Social Reconstructivism

Proponent-Theodore Brameld

->Emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a quest to create a better society.

Why Teach?

-The aim of education in social reconstructivism is to attain social reform.

What to teach?

-Curriculum focuses on students taking social actions in solving real problems such as
environmental problems, hunger, inequality and such.

How to teach?

-Social issues are dealt through inquiry, dialogue and multiple perspectives. Community-based
learning is also utilized.