CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES EDUCATION

EDUC104-EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

TERM PROJECT

SUBMITTED BY: SILA GAMAR 22112082

SUBMITTED TO: ASST. PROF. DR. GÜLİZ ÖZÜTÜRK

2022-2023 SPRING SEMESTER

NICOSIA

Turkish Cypriot Education Philosophy and Movements

Educational philosophy; is a philosophical field that deals with the nature, process, goals, and

ideals of education. Education can be considered in the context of social institutions or the

process of existential development. The philosophy of education, on the other hand,

approaches education in terms of humanity rather than the social aspect of the subject.

Educational philosophers produce new theories by considering the needs of the society they

live in, and they direct the education of society thanks to these theories they produced. The

TRNC education process. While it was determined that the national education attainment was

the absence of any education, Idealism, and Experimentalism were found to be the most

accepted philosophy and Existentialism was less accepted as a result of the scale, the

interviews revealed that education ended at the end of.

The educational philosophy currents used in the Northern Cyprus education system are

Idealism, empiricism, and existentialism.

Advantages of the Idealism movement:

Idealism offers positive views on man and human nature.

It is aimed at the individual to understand himself, to reach the absolute good and the

immutable truth. Human nature tends to be good. Therefore, it is liable to help, solidarity, and

cooperation. Prefer peace over a war it does. People's bad behavior is not due to their nature.

Negative environmental conditions and conventional and structural regulations that do not

meet the needs lead people to act selfishly toward others. Selfishness and aggression at their

last stage cause wars and large-scale casualties. However, in the idealist understanding, wars

are inevitable. If the anarchic feature of the international structure is eliminated can be

prevented or reduced.

The use of idealism in the classroom:

Some of the Goals of an idealist in the classroom or the role of the student are to share ideas,

allow them to think outside the books or the teacher’s words not take them as a universal

truth, knowing that their ideas are also equally major and getting related in their learning

process. As we have mentioned, the methods of instruction teachers use the most are lectures,

which are aforethought important because it allows the students to listen to the teacher

(teacher-centered approach), combined with the Socratic method where the teacher involves

students in learning activities (student-centered approach). Finally, the aims of education

should be directed toward the search for true ideas, self-realization, and character

development.

Teacher factor of idealism movement:

Based on the educational teachings of Idealism, teachers play a dominant role in the

pedagogical process. They constantly evaluate their pupils’ learning by asking them precise

questions regarding the subject ingredients they transmit to students through lectures.

Lecturing in Idealism, along with dialogues, are the central and most important teaching

methods as has already been aforenamed. The teacher’s role is an icon and a representative of

good character, a knowledge principal responsible for the pedagogical process, whereas pupils

are obstinate intractable receivers and reflectors who learn and embrace the subject matters

and aforenamed through their teachers. In Idealism, teachers are responsible for choosing the

suitable materials and curricula to deliver them to their learners. In conclusion, idealistic

educational implications include the nature of existence, implying that all existing things in

the universe are in the soul, spirit, or mind, and the subject matters are represented by the

preceding generations, who transmit, impart, and inspire ‘Wisdom’ to the next generations,

teaching methods help the mental capabilities of pupils to be implanted, motivated, and

inspired by the teachers, who then have significant roles. The roles of teachers as an idealistic

educational implication implies transmitting social and cultural heritage from one generation
to another and being role models before their students spiritually and culturally, the roles of

students entail that they are acknowledged as receivers and reflectors who learn and embrace

essential values, norms, and principles through skill repetitions and examinations, and they

have the autonomy to think immaterially or abstractly, the roles of schools are viewed

idealistically as mental growth environments in which absolute, unchangeable, consistent,

fixed, and idealistic values must be taught to students. Additionally, schools are places where

knowledge must be gained through the mind and discovery through reasoning. Idealism’s

educational implications, principles, and values ensure human values in debates, dialogues,

lectures, and discussions.

Student’s factor of idealism movement:

Idealism is believed to be one of the most conventional philosophical doctrines in education,

in which a teacher has the central role of a role model, showing them how to become good

citizens. Students are meant to answer the questions the teacher asks and subsequently, the

teacher provides feedback that allows students to advance themselves.

Advantages of the empiricist movement:

Empiricism is the theory of knowledge that claims that most or all our knowledge is obtained

through sensory experimentation rather than through rational deduction or innateness.

Empiricists such as John Locke and David Hume emphasize the role of evidence and

experience as the main way of justifying our knowledge claims. Therefore knowledge gained

a priori is considered by empiricists to be inferior to knowledge gained a posteriori. John

Locke, along with many other empiricists, the argument that we are a blank slate at birth and

all the ideas and concepts that we have built up as we experience more and more things. The

main strength of using empiricism as a way of finding the truth is that rationalism doesn’t

necessarily account for the way that the world works, whereas empiricism does. Empiricism is
widely used in science as a method of proving and disproving theories. This is backed up by

Galileo who stated that beliefs must be tested empirically to check that they work within the

laws of physics. An example of this is Aristotle’s theory of movement in which he used

rational thought to explain the motion of objects. He argued that each of the four terrestrial (or

worldly) elements move toward their natural place and that heavier things fell faster than

lighter things. Galileo disputed this, arguing that it was air resistance that was responsible for

how fast things fell. This was later tested empirically on the moon when an astronaut dropped

a feather and a hammer and they hit the ground at the same time. This is a strong argument for

empiricism because it shows that it is much easier to see if something is true if it is tested than

if the reason is used alone.

The use of empiricism in the classroom:

Using the senses, knowledge of the external world is gained based on experience, which in

philosophical chatter is called empiricism. The senses are the most widely used faculty, from

the informal setup in everyday life to the formal classroom setup. Each sense has its learning

characteristic, and all senses help students learn the material more concretely. It can be said

that learning opportunities with a blend of senses are more likely to provide opportunities for

students to learn and develop. Is pedagogy. Empiricism manifests itself both inside and

outside the classroom in terms of assigned learning activities. In the classroom, the teacher

encourages students to listen carefully, observe, and taste and smell something, some of the

most frequently repeated activities.

Teacher factor of empiricism movement:

Empiricism or the use of the senses is a widely used pedagogy in the classroom with its

different manifestations. Empiricism manifests itself both inside and outside the classroom in

terms of assigned learning activities. In the classroom, the teacher encourages students to
listen carefully, observe, and taste and smell something, some of the most frequently repeated

activities. Students acquire information using their senses and learn about what is happening

in the environment. However, one form of sense is preferred over the other, depending on the

nature of the activities assigned for effective learning. Although the senses are also used in the

narration method, more senses come into play to create space for learning in collaborative and

interactive activities in which concrete materials are added. Additionally, a demonstration by

the teacher in the Classroom is a learning opportunity where the senses are more involved

through the observation of concrete materials than the direct method. Teachers also learn

consciously or unconsciously while they are teaching in the classroom, and this is called

experiential learning. This type of learning is highly valued and appreciated under the

umbrella of adult education. A teacher decides to plan or design a lesson for the next day

based on his experience that day. A teacher makes lesson plans daily and applies them in the

classroom for better learning outcomes. In addition, a teacher should think regularly about the

implemented plan for the day. The purpose of reflection is to reveal the strengths of the lesson

to generalize to other subjects and other subjects.

Students’ the factor of empiricism movement:

It can be concluded that the inclusion of students in practice and applied work is the

distinguishing feature of empirical learning, enabling them to learn by doing and observing.

With the addition of critical thinking, reasoning, and observation skills, it enables the student

to develop self-confidence and self-esteem. Therefore, as a teacher and teacher educator, the

use of empiricism in the classroom should be encouraged to make the student a critical

observer and advocate of knowledge with evidence using a mix of senses or a single sense.

Advantages of the Existentialism movement:

Existentialism has the advantage of helping people create meaning in their lives. Individuals

can reduce their anxiety about the unknown by becoming aware of freedom and choice.

Living meaningful lives can reduce fear of the unexpected and help us deal with

overwhelming emotions such as fear. Existentialists believe that each individual is unique and

that education should address individual differences. Therefore, education aims to enable each

individual to develop their unique qualities, use their potential, and develop their

individuality. But existentialism, one of the educational philosophy currents, is not used much

in the schools of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The use of Existentialism in the classroom:

An existentialist classroom typically involves the teachers and school laying out what they

feel is important and allowing the students to choose what they study. All students work on

different, self-selected assignments at their own pace. Teachers act as facilitators, directing

students in finding the most appropriate methods of study or materials, and are often seen as

an additional resource, alongside books, computers, television, newspapers, and other

materials that are readily available to students. From an existential perspective, education puts

primary emphasis on students' directing their learning. Students seek their meaning and

direction in life and define what is right and wrong, what is pleasant and satisfying, what is

unpleasant and unsatisfactory, and what is right and wrong. The purpose of existential

education is to train students to develop their unique understanding of life.

Teacher factor of the Existentialism movement:

A teacher with an existentialist perspective would be surprised at how students are taught.

They would see it as oppressive and even with a tendency towards being a form of

propaganda. Students would need much more choice and responsibility for their actions since

the current form of teaching destroys individualism. The existentialist teacher is not the center
of the instruction but rather a facilitator. The goal is to help students better understand who

they are as individuals. This also means that the student should have a choice in what they

learn and that the curriculum needs to be somewhat flexible. The goal is the development of

the individual and not the society as the society does not care for the ultimate development of

the individual.

Students’ the factor of Existentialism movement:

Students search for their meaning and direction in life as well as define what is true and what

is false, what is pleasant and satisfying, what is unpleasant and dissatisfying, and what is right

or wrong. The goal of existentialist education is to train students to develop their unique

understanding of life.

References:

 Wiles, J. ve Bondi, J. (1984). Curriculum development: A guide to practice (2.nd ed.).

New York: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.

 Altınkurt, Y., Yılmaz, K. and Aytunga, O. (2012). Educational beliefs of primary and

secondary school teachers. Ondokuz Mayıs University Journal of the Faculty of

Education, 31(2), 1-19.

 Arslan, A (2016). Eğitim Felsefelerinin Temelleri. (3. Bölüm) (içinde 44-63). Ankara:

Nobel Yayıncılık.

 Reboul, Olivier (1991). "Philosophy of Education". Communication Publications

Pocket University. Translated by: Işın Gürbüz.

 Mustafa, K. (2015, August 5). The Relationship between Idealism in American

Foreign Policy: Conflict or Cooperation? March 12, 2020 Turkish Asian Strategic

Studies Center (TASAM)

 Khan, A. (2021, March 16). Philosophy in Practice: Different Manifestations of

Empiricism in the Classroom. The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational

Development (AKU-IED)Professional Development Centre (PDC) Chitral