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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting - A Book Review

Title: Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting

Authors: Herman C. Gregorio and Cornelia M. Gregorio
Place of Publication: 903 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City
Publisher: R. P. GARCIA Publishing Company
Date of Publication: 1979
Number of Pages: 187
Reviewed by: Michael E. Ecoben, MA

Content:

Philosophy comes from the Greek word – “philo” means love and “sophio”
means wisdom. According to Gregorio, “Philosophy can be defined as a systematic
study of life and the universe as a whole in order to frame a logical and necessary
system of general idea so that every element of human experience may be interpreted.
Philosophy uses the following steps of investigations to establish the validity of
certain theory or concept: Reason, Observation, Faith, Intuition, Authority and
Controlled Experience. “To Dr. John Dewey, the purpose of philosophy is to identify
problems and suggest ways of handling these problems.

There are two major branches of Philosophies. These are Metaphysics and
Epistemology, the former analyzes the question of ultimate reality while the latter is
the major differences between systems of philosophical thought. According to
Gregorio, the problems of how children ought to learn and inquire into the meaning of
reality are fundamentals to education. The teacher plays a key role in delivering the
quality education to the students by having good motivations in every discussion. The
teacher serves as the facilitator that will enable the students to think well, organize
their thoughts and make a product out of these ideas.

According to Gregorio, there are various schools of Philosophy. These are the
following: 1.) The Philosophy of Idealism – knowledge is independent of the sense of
experience; there are different types of idealistic philosophy. These are a) objectivism
– emphasizes the objective and real independence of ideas that forms the substance of
every object exists independently of the human perceiver, b) subjectivism –
emphasizes the subjective mental state of human mind, c) organic – emphasizes the
holistic state of mind that is unity throughout the universe and d) personalism which
rejects the impersonal description of infinite mind and emphasizes the individual
phenomena of the personal mind. Thus, in idealism it has a high regard for
uniqueness of every individual and academic freedom in education, 2.) The
Philosophy of Realism is an attempt to portray life as it is. The realist believes that
the world is made of real, substantial material entities, 3.) The Philosophy of
Humanism is teaching all persons with dignity and worth. , 4.) Philosophies of
Experimentalism and Pragmatism are closely related philosophies. Experimentalism
and Pragmatism aim of education is the development of the total child through
experiencing or through the use of the theory of self-activity, 5.) The Philosophy of
Scholasticism is stressing on the idea that man is a national being that possesses a
body and soul, 6.) The Philosophy of Progressivism is all about learning as a process,
7.) The Philosophy of Existentialism is that reality is a matter of individual existence
that each human being exists in a world that is without purpose and is fundamentally
absurd, and 8.) Analytic Philosophy is also known as analysis. Analytic philosophy
asserts that man is different from other animals to the extent that he can to engage in
reflection.

John Dewey, who was a philosopher and educator, lived an advocate of

education. He was an American. His philosophical beliefs have been described as (1)
radical empiricism, (2) experimentalism, (3) instrumentalism, and (4) pragmatism.
According to Dewey, radical empiricism is an act of finding out the meaning of a
thing, one has to see how they are presented in experience. The only philosophical
method for knowing the whole reality is the scientific or experimental method while
experimentalism is stressing the importance of experiment in achieving the truth and
instrumentalism.

To Dr. Dewey “Education is life.” He said that education is life and not
preparation for life. The educational concept is based on the idea that education is not
learning alone but is it living. Growth as used by Dewey, means growth in
knowledge, habits, skills, abilities and attitudes. From Dr. John Dewey’s educational
philosophy, the following educational concepts are derived: the child is made the
center of educative process, promoting the total growth of the child is made the aim of
education, teaching and learning must utilize the theory of self-activity, the principles
of individual differences, evaluation is made an integral part of teaching and learning,
thinking and reasoning, academic freedom in the classroom and education is made
more practical and functional.

According to Gregorio, community plays an important role in making the

school more successful in achieving its goals and objectives. The cooperative
relationship between a school and the community it serves are essential to the
functioning of modern education. The community needs the school as a positive
force for social betterment and economic development. The responsibility of the
school in the future shall be conceived in terms of the larger needs of the community
and the nation. The school should serve as a learning house for all community ideas,
programs, and interests.

Gregorio also emphasized on the important of democracy in education. He

said that education in a democracy must have its main concern in the welfare of all the
people of the world. It must serve each with justice; provide equal educational
opportunity for all regardless of intelligence, race, color, religion, social status,
economic condition or vocational plans and among others.

It also talks about the influence of Americans in the education curriculum of

the Philippines. Academic freedom is also discussed where the teachers and the
students can go beyond the curriculum of the school.

Summary:
 The Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting are based on the following
educational concepts: First, the students are the primary and the center of the
educative process; Second, the teachers focus on the total human formation of
students instead of focusing on the lessons taught; Third, the curriculum is based on
activities and projects; Fourth, the teachers should give emphasis on thinking and
reasoning instead of pure memorization; Fifth, there should be evaluation like teacher
made tests and among others to check the knowledge; Sixth, the school, is also the
center of educative process; Seventh, guidance should be part in the curriculum. It
also talks about the important of the community in shaping the school to become more
effective in achieving its goals and objectives. It also discusses the different strategies
in achieving the new society of the Philippines that focuses more on the total human
formation.

Evaluation:

       The book, Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting by Herman C. Gregorio

and Cornelia M. Gregorio was published in 1979.  The book is good because the
writers tried their best to discuss their points in simple manner to the point that they
overstressed them.  There are typographical errors in some of the words.   However,
when it comes to the contents of the book, it gives the readers comprehensive
discussions on the philosophy, problems and challenges on the Philippine education.
It enumerates various steps and solutions on how to resolve these problems and
challenges.  It also examines the different partners of school like the community and
the different strategies like the academic freedom in achieving the visions of the new
society in the Philippine education.  

Personal Reflection:

Education is life. I am not an education graduate. I finished my first course at

Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan with a degree of Bachelor of Science in
Computer Science. After my graduation, I worked in corporate companies for three
years. I was not fulfilled as a person while I was in the office because my work was
monotonous: programming, brainstorming and among others. While I was still
working in corporate companies, I pursued professional education at Mindanao
University of Science and Technology and got 18 units that would qualify me to take
the Licensure Examination for Teachers. In year December 2004, I left my work in
the corporate to pursue a teaching job in St. Mary’s Academy (Formerly Cathedral
School of Technology). I taught there for one school year. In 2006, my siblings
asked me if I would be interested to pursue Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Liceo
de Cagayan University. With any doubt, I resigned from my teaching post and
pursued the course. When I graduated in 2009, I decided to return to teaching
because it is a fulfilling job for me. And until today, I still enjoyed and loved my work
as a teacher. Right now, I am now employed at the Department of Education in
Cagayan de Oro as a teacher in grade 6 level in City Central School, Yacapin Velez,
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
 Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting is good. According to Gregorio,
Philosophy can help the educators of this country criticize educational practices, draw
inferences, and make a proper evaluation. It can bridge the gap between theory and
practice. The Philippine educational leaders need philosophy to enable them to
identify better, define and evaluate educational outcomes. However, some of the
philosophies of the Philippine need more enhancements because our basic curriculum
is limited only the official framework of the government as outlined in the New
Constitution. The Philippine school must only not concern with the perpetuation of
democratic ideals and ways in the Constitution but also with the general
improvements of the individual society. It can only be accomplished, as the total
education program becomes an experience of democratic living, both inside and
outside of the classroom.

I agree with Dr. John Dewey’s points. Some of the points he raised were the
following: First, the child is the made the center of educative process. In the DepEd,
the students are one of the stakeholders. The department would not exist without
these students. The teachers should addressed the needs of the students based on their
abilities, interests and needs. Second, promoting the total growth of the child. The
total human formation is the goal of the department because the teachers do not only
educate the minds but also train the bodies of these students to make them more
productive in the future. And lastly, thinking and reasoning are stressed in classroom
activities. The teachers are trained to be keen in masking HOTS questions to the
students. It invite the students to think and ask questions during the classroom
discussion.

Recommendation:

        I highly recommend this book to all employees of both public and private
schools in the Philippines. It helps the readers enlighten their minds in the reality of
the education setting in the Philippines. This book is also good on the students,
parents and stakeholders because they could give them the varied ideas on how
education should be implemented in the Philippines.