What is your reflection about education according to the

philosophical thoughts on education?

- Since taking my first Professional educational units in Estenias Science Foundaton School
here in Casiguran, I have realized that my philosophy on education changes as I learning
more about profession I have entered as a learner or a future educator. Every time I think I
have come to a final belief statement, I learn something new about teaching and the
learning process, diverse approaches and strategies in education. I got a lot of tips and
ideas I could try in my classroom soon when I teach, but I also admit that I started to feel a
little bit inadequate.

- When I heard the word “education”, I don’t think about specific educational institution or
even my own educational experiences. Instead, I wonder about the many contexts in
which education takes place. I wonder, “Whose knowledge and for what purpose?” I
believe that knowledge is also personal; uniquely shaped and interpreted through
individual experiences and one’s social position. I think education is very important in our
life, give us the ability to change our coming future. We can change the world in
something better way where every person can enjoy his life without any tension. And for
this, we must have the ability to read and write which is going to be with us by our
schooling. Because most of the information can be grabbing by reading the books, so the
person will become literate with the help of education and the ability to read and write.

- I as a person can develop moral and ethical values in this society. It helps me to spread the
knowledge in society through any mode. It is known to everyone that a person with great
knowledge is appreciated by all the persons in the society. It makes the bonding and
relation of the person with the society. I believe that the person with a lack of education
creates problems like domestic violence, poor standards of living, etc. In other ways,
education allows both male and female and other educated people to create a better
society. Because if there is no better education, there will be no better society than we
want.

- To me, according to John Dewey, is a member of that inspirational group of people like
Galileo and Plato who were born before their time. He said, “Education is not preparation
for life; education is life itself “.

2. Make a summary of the Philosophies of Education:

Philosophy is the window and compass of a teacher in her teaching profession, according
to the lesson The Teaching profession. It becomes his gateway to every opportunity, allowing
someone to recognize the existence of learners and use it as a tool for teaching his knowledge to
them. Essentialism, Perennialism, Existentialism, Progressivism, and Behaviorism are the five
major educational philosophies. A smart educator is capable of adapting to changing
circumstances and doing what is necessary for a person's development. The conservative
philosophy of existentialism teaches facts. It enables an individual to obtain a basic
education in order to prepare for life as a citizen of a society. This also raises the issue of
culture transmission from teachers to students. The students are oblivious to the fact that
what is being drilled into their heads is the truth and nothing else. Perennialism, like
existentialism, is a teacher centered philosophy, but it teaches principles, believing that truth
is everlasting and that changes are just superficial. It is more concerned with developing
each person's thinking capacity since it considers that man is a logical being. Progressivism is a
philosophy based on the belief that things are always changing. As a result, it teaches
students how to adapt toc hanges in the environment. The teacher is at the center of
behaviorism. Every child's learning is influenced by the teacher's attention to the learning
environment. He has complete influence over a child's behavior.

PHILOSOPHER:

John Dewey: An American philosopher and educator (born Oct. 20, 1859, Burlington, Vt., U.S.—
died June 1, 1952, New York, N.Y.), who was a founder of the philosophical movement known as
pragmatism, a pioneer in functional psychology, and a leader of the progressive movement in
education in the United States.

AIMS OF EDUCATION:

According to Dewey the aim of education is the development of child’s powers and abilities. It is
not possible to lay down any definite code for a particular kind of development, because it may
differ from child to child, according to the uniqueness of the individuals. The educator should
guide children according to the abilities and instincts s/he observes in them. It is better, in
Dewey’s opinion, to leave the question of educational objectives unanswered. In general, the aim of
education is to create an atmosphere in which the child gets an opportunity to be active in and
contribute to the social awakening of the human race. From the pragmatic standpoint, education
aims at creating social efficiency in the child. Man is a social being who must develop at all. For
this reason, education must aim at creating social efficiency and skill.

METHODS OF TEACHING:

Dewey's method of teaching is based on the pragmatic philosophy that says that education should
be about life and growth and teachers should teach students things that are practical for life and
encourage them to grow into better individuals. Knowledge takes place from concrete and
meaningful situations and direct experience is the basis of all methods. Hence knowledge should
be provided to children through spontaneous activities. He was very critical of the contemporary
methods of dividing knowledge into separate compartments because, he considered such
fragmentation of knowledge as unnatural and recommended that as far as possible the various
subjects in the curriculum should be harmonized. He advocated the methods like, learning by
doing, field visit, project, problem solving, inquiry and problem-based learning, experimentation,
observation, critical analysis, debate and discussion for a
successful teaching learning process.

CLASSROOM/APPLICATION:

John Dewey’s principle of teaching states that the core of the educational process is the youngster.
He too considered that students learn best when they have to work out problems that are
meaningful to them. He got the idea of a mentally active, hands-on learning. He also believed that
kids learn effectively through personal conflicts in which they must inspect, gather thoughts,
procedure data and put thoughts into practical usage. He stressed that people determine by acting
and contemplating on what they serve. This places Dewey in the educational philosophy of
pragmatism. Pragmatists believe that reality must be experienced. From Dewey's educational point
of view, this means that students must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn.

PAGE 1
PAGE 2