An Answer to the Question:

Is the Pedagogy of Culture-

Based Education Pragmatist?

Culture-based education, according to Dr. Handa, “means that the education

system is based on the community’s framework of values, priorities and world view, so
that the path of educational development chosen to meet a community’s needs is
theirs, not what outsiders might choose for them.” Now, in order to analyze this
statement using the lens of pragmatism as a teaching philosophy, we need to go back
to the general elements and principles of pragmatism. First, we must define
pragmatism: In the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the term 'pragmatic' means “dealing
with matters according to their practical significance or immediate importance” while
‘pragmatism’ means "doctrine that evaluates any assertion solely by its practical
consequences and its bearing on human interests" (Sharma, 2002). Furthermore,
pragmatism stressed the importance of human activity and purpose in gaining
understanding and knowledge (Gingell & Winch, 2008).

Hence, going back to Dr. Handa’s definition of culture-based education, its

pedagogy is pragmatist in a sense that its framework aims to use inquiry-based
methods in order for learners to arrive with knowledge that is culturally-relevant as well
as knowledge that has a purpose of helping the community. Moreover, for pragmatists,
experience is a key concept. The person’s interaction with social, cultural and natural
environments constitutes the process of living, growing, and developing. Thus, an
example presented by Dr. Handa which a research study of Alonday (2010) entitled
“Charcoal-Making Community as Context for Culturally Relevant Science Education: An
Action Ethnography” exhibits how the practice of charcoal-making can be a source of
experience for the learners while also being an avenue in which the teacher can insert
the Science concepts of physical change and chemical change. This validates the view
of pragmatists such as Dewey which holds that the school as a local community of
learners and teachers intimately connected to the larger society.

Lastly, culture-based education is pragmatist because as stated by Sharma

(2002), pragmatism has the following principles:

(1) Pluralism – the practice of culture-based education not only relies on one
source of knowledge. Rather, integrating different fields of education (e.g.
Science, Arts, & Social Science) in order to arrive with a holistic view of a
concept is highly recommended.

(2) Utilitarianism – emphasis on the use of knowledge gained from the

experiences of the learners in order to continue the culture (e.g. charcoal-
making) benefits the community in a sense that it has become the avenue for
cultural transmission of specific knowledge that’s innate in the community.

(3) Emphasis on social aspects - Since man is a social animal, therefore, he

develops in social circumstances. Culture-based education enables the learners
to learn through the different funds of knowledge. Community members can be
considered as “funds of knowledge” and as experts in the community – making
them as a valuable source of knowledge other than the teacher.

(4) Experimentalism – Culture-based education relies on the use of inquiry-based

methods to arrive with a holistic view of concepts that the learners must learn.
Hence, learners “learn by doing” – a central concept of the pragmatist
philosophy as held by Dewey.

References:

Handa, V. (2021, October 14). Mga Durungawan sa Kulturang Filipino: Pedagogy on Culture-
Based Education [Video File]. Retrieved from:  https://fb.watch/8XlABM3aS-/

Gingell, J. & Winch, C. (2008). Philosophy of education: The key concepts. Pragmatism, pp.149
168. New York, NY: Routledge

Sharma, R.N. (2002). Textbook of Educational Philosophy. Plato, pp 424-438. New Delhi, India:
Kanishka Publishers