UNIT I

PHILOSOPHIES IN EDUCATION

Overview

We all have our own value systems in life. We give utmost consideration to the things and
phenomena that are of great importance to us. In education, teachers also do the same. Educational
philosophies serve as the guide of teachers on how to maximize the teaching-learning process by employing
their chosen approaches, methods, strategies, and techniques. Not only teaching but also other professions
resort to philosophical foundations in order to carry out their work. Anchoring your actions to a certain
belief like a life philosophy makes you realize your purpose in what you are doing.

In this unit, we are going to discuss the Philosophies in Education. Educational philosophies are not
only beneficial for our professional development but they also influence us greatly in the personal level.

Unit Objectives

At the end of the unit, I am able to:

1. Classify the different educational philosophies according to their orientation.
2. Enumerate different educational philosophies.
3. Classify general types of activities in multi-grade classrooms;
4. Identify the role of the teacher and the student in teach educational philosophy.
5. Decide which educational philosophy is suitable for my teaching goals.

Activating Your Prior Knowledge

Congratulations! You are now officially on your way to become a professional teacher. How did you come
up with the decision to take up education? Did you decide on your own or were you influenced by other
factors? What is your hugot on becoming an education student?

Here’s a video titled Bakit gusto komagturo? made by future educators like you which you can view
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yME4BcRDdn0. Find out if you share the same with reasons with
the testimonies expressed in the video.

Mini Task:
 What is your general impression about the video?
 Cite a striking line from the sharers that you can truly relate with.
Expanding Your Knowledge

Philosophy literally means ‘love of wisdom,’ coming from the two Greek words philo and sophia.The
term was coined by the renowned mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras.Studying philosophy
enables us to engage ourselves into theories, the search for truth, discover the meaning of our existence,
and determine our morality. There are six major divisions of philosophy and each of which pertain to
particular matter, obect or discipline causes (Santiago-Espartinez, 2011).

1. Metaphysics – the study of beings and Being

2. Epistemology – the study of the validity of human knowledge
3. Ethics - the study of the morality of human act
4. Logic – the study of correct reasoning
5. Cosmology – the science of the universe
6. Theodicy –the philosophical study of God

Philosophy serves as a framework for knowledge for it is the science of all things by their first causes
(Santiago-Espartinez, 2011).

A teacher’s educational philosophy serves as his or her foundation for the teaching-learning process
that she wants to inculcate in the classroom. As a future educator, it is important for you decide and adhere
to the philosophy of your choice so that all of your actions and educational goals to that philosophy.
However, you are not required to only have one belief that you want to follow. You may combine several
philosophies that you think can complement well with one another. Unleash your creativity and explore
the possibilities.

Basic Philosophies in Education

Idealism

It is a traditional philosophy asserting that because the physical world is

always changing, ideas are only reliable from reality. This philosophy is the basis
of almost all the religions that exist in the world. The teachers are deemed to
have mastery of the subject matter and a thorough knowledge about their
students. In return, students become more motivated to pursue higher-order
thinking skills and to embark on a quest for truth. The means of idealist education
are inductive reasoning and lecturing.

Plato
 Realism

Realists suggest that the features of the universe exist whether or not a human
being is there to perceive them and that there are important ideas and facts that
must be understood and that they can only be understood by studying the material
world. Meaning making happens through empirically proven facts because reality
is made up of natural laws and facts. Realist teachers are known to be logical,
methodical, and scientific. As a result, when applied to education, this massively
involves the use of reasoning and scientific method.

Aristotle
Pragmatism

Pragmatists reject the idea of absolute, unchanging truth. Instead, it

asserts that truth is what works. Thus, the teaching-learning process in a
pragmatist classroom focuses on learning how to learn, direct experiences,
problem solving, and integration.

Existentialism

Existentialists suggest that humanity is not part of an orderly universe.

Rather, individuals create their own realities. Its primary emphasis is on the
individual thus teaching learners and not teaching subjects. In this philosophy,
the school should be a place where learners have the freedom to do activities
because they find them interesting and because they help them discover who
they really are.Teachers teach to help students define their own essence by
exposing them to various paths they take in life and by creating an environment
in which they freely choose their own preferred way. It aims to teach students
through a variety of options and choices in order to help them understand and
appreciate themselves as unique individuals by creating an environment which
they freely choose their own preferred way. Teachers who employ existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre
in the classroom are known to be democratic, appreciative and forgiving.
 Major Western Philosophies

Perennialism

“What was true yesterday is still true today and will remain true forever.”

Perennial means ‘everlasting’. Teachers teach using this philosophy to

develop the learners’ rational and moral power. They are generalists and teach
timeless using The Great Books or the humanities and liberal arts and Timeless
Historical Concepts to develop the rational and moral powers of the students. It
suggests that nature, including human nature, is constant. However, perennial
teachers are often deemed boring and monotonous because they are too
traditional.
Robert Hutchins

Essentialism

The teachers teach for learners to acquire the 4 fundamental Rs or basic

skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and right conduct. Students must be
equipped with essential knowledge, skills, and values to become worth-
emulating members of the society. It focuses on back to basic movements
resulting to focus on the logical sequencing of the curriculum and longer days in
the school calendar. Teachers who practice this philosophy are often labeled as
perfectionists, disciplinarians, masters of the subject matter, paragons of virtue,
bookish, and Walking Encyclopedias.
William Bagley

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Progressivism

A progressivist teaches learners to live fully by employing experiential

methods. It is the belief that education must be based on the principle that
humans are social animlas who learn best in real-life activities with other people.
It is experiential teaching with the aim of responding to changes, promoting
growth, and encouraging innovation among students. Likewise, teachers respond
to the needs and skills of the students to cope with change through experiential
learning so that students may live fully in the present. Progressivist teachers are
John Dewey student-centered, innovative, adventurous, modernized, up-to-date, and trendy.

Humanism

Humans are known to be rational animals, meaning we are distinguished from other living things
because we have intellect, free-will, and conscience. In educational humanism, it is believed that we
humans have innate potentials and goodness. Thus, no learner should be called stupid because we all have
the capacity to learn.

Rationalism

From the root word ‘rational,’ this school of philosophy subscribes to knowledge and reason as
sources of judgment. In order to determine the acceptability of things, everything must be analyzed
through human reason.

Naturalism

It springs from the idea that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural
causes and laws. In naturalism, all basic truths are considered as truths of the
nature. As a result, educational naturalism believes that learning should be
done according to the natural phase of the child.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

 Major Eastern Philosophies

Hinduism

This philosophy originated from India. It subscribes to two

major phenomena namely karma and nirvana.

Karma is known to be a chain of causes and consequences.

Based on this belief, what we do today can have consequences for us
in the near future, be it good or bad. For example, when a bird is still
alive, it eats worms; but when birds die, worms eat them. Another
one, there will be a time when people who did us wrongly will
eventually come to us and ask for our help sometime in the future.
Whilst karma deals with the complications of life, it is the
total opposite of nirvana for it deals with liberation from life
permanently. When we die, Hindus believe that we become one with
the universe
Buddhism

Founded by Gautama Siddharta Buddha, it is known to be a philosophy

of letting go and liberation. Buddhism teaches us to let ourselves stop holding
on the causes of human suffering such as our neverending desires,
expectations, and ego. Through eliminating these aspects in our lives, we will
achieve serenity and peace of mind. Meanwhile, Zen Buddhism, an offset that
was popularized in Japan and Korea, focuses on meditation to achieve inner
peace.

Confucianism

“Do not do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you,”
also known as ‘The Golden Rule,’ was coined by one of the world’s
highly regarded Chinese philosopher, Confucius. During his lifetime, he
has very simple moral and political teachings: (1) to love others; (2) to
do what is right instead of what is of advantage; (3) reciprocity (The
Golden Rule); and (4) to rule by moral example instead of violence and
force. His teachings about ethics and societal management are
recorded in The Analects. He greatly influenced the world making
others thought of his way of life as a religion due to its relevance even
in the present time.

Taoism
Founded by Lao Tzu, Taoism is a belief that all things and changes in
the world are based on The Way or TaoTeChingwhich is the source of all being
and ultimate reality. It realizes the existence of everything and it also governs
everything. Even if all else in the world contradict each other, the Tao remains
to be symbol of unity.
Living life in The Way or Tao means you have to go with the flow. As
humans, we always want to plan our lives and this against Taoism. Taoists
believe that The Way will guide us to what is best for us. Thus, Lao Tzu
emphasized to emphasize passivity, calmness, and humility.
Islam
Islam means “believing in or surrendering to God to achieve peace and
security in life.”The religion was known to be revealed by Allah to the Prophet
Muhammad who is esteemed by our Muslim brothers and sisters as the last
and greatest prophet of Islam. Muhammad means “praiseworthy.”