SCHOOL OF GRADUATES

CHRIZIA MAY A. SANTIAGO

Master of Education in Social Studies
June 22, 2023

MODULE 4: Poverty, Citizenship, and Political Life, and Human

and the Problem of Education in the Solidarity
Engage: John Dewey’s Democracy and Education Philippines

1. Take one of the listed resources below. What is the challenge to our way
of knowing or the teaching-learning process that this article offers? What
concrete response can be made to respond to this challenge?

The colonizers that came to our nation introduced various changes to the
Philippine Education System. A range of educational variants and lines of
emphasis have been produced by its lengthy exposure to and contact with the
Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese (de Guzman, 2003). Surprisingly, Dr. John
Dewey's philosophical outlook had a big impact on the Philippines' educational
system, both past and present. When the Philippines gained independence,
Dewey's influence on Philippine education became clearly apparent (Papong,
2014). Student government associations or councils were created on both an
institutional and a nationwide level. Dewey stressed the value of student input in
the educational process. Students' attendance and participation in the learning
process are considered crucial.

The K-12 Basic Education Program is currently advocating the restructuring

of the educational system in the Philippines. The pragmatic and cognitive
constructivist principles of Dewey are reflected in this program. The current
curriculum incorporates a spiral method and inquiry-based learning. The Philippine
educational system needs to be kept contemporary in a society that is developing
quickly. In addition to imparting knowledge on a factual or conceptual level,
education must also include the social, political, and economic facets of a person's
existence. Education becomes more useful and practical in this way (Damian,
n.d.). By connecting learning to the real world, students will be able to take control
of and be accountable for their learning.

In Deweyan principle pointed out that “The nature of the child is made the
center of the educative process.” I genuinely believe and I mean this with great
affirmation that the student is the reason a school was founded, above everything
else. The child should be valued for who he is, with all of his strengths and
weaknesses, that these should be taken into account when training him, and that
all children cannot thus be treated equally. The child should be the center of
attention, not the resources, tactics, or curriculum. Therefore, it is important to take
into account the demands and interests of the students. If the learner does not
participate in the process, the goal of education will not be met. The teacher take
the responsibility to reach the goal to have an excellent classroom learning.