PRAGMATISM AND

EDUCATION
PEARL JANE P. QUINTO X WYNEMA GAY B. TOLENTINO
PRAGMATISM

GREEK WORD “PRAGMA” = WORK, PRACTICE,

ACTION OR ACTIVITY
PROPONENTS
 PHILOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT IN THE US (1800)

 CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE

 WILLIAM JAMES
 JOHN DEWEY
 ALL MEMBERS OF THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB)
PROPONENT
 CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE (1839 – 1914)
 THE FATHER OF PRAGMATISM
 COINED THE WORD “PRAGMATISM”
 “THOUGHT MUST PRODUCE ACTION RATHER THAN
LINGER IN THE MIND AND LEAD TO INDECISIVENESS
PROPONENT
 WILLIAM JAMES (1842 – 1910)
 PHILOSOPHER, PSYCHOLOGIST AND PHYSICIAN
 MOST INFLUENTIAL PHIOSOPHER IN U.S.
 LABELLED AS THE FATHER OF AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGY
 AUTHOR OF “PRAGMATIC THEORY”
 “AN IDEA MUST HAVE PRACTICAL AND
SATISFACTORY RESULTS”
PROPONENT
 JOHN DEWEY (1859 – 1942)
 HE WAS A LEADING PROPONENT OF PHILOSOPHICAL PRAGMATISM
AND REJECTED TRADITIONAL METHODS OF TEACHING BY ROTE
 FATHER OF MODERN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
 EARLY PROPONENT OF PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION
METAPHYSICS OF PRAGMATISM
 REALITY IS DETERMINED BY INDIVIDUAL’S SENSE OF
EXPERIENCE – MAN CAN KNOW NOTHING BEYOND HIS
EXPERIENCE. SO QUESTIONS RELATED TO NATURE OF
MAN OR UNIVERSE – SIMPLY CANNOT ANSWER
 REALITY IS NOT ONE BUT MANY
 REALITY IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING
EPISTEMOLOGY OF PRAGMATISM
 KNOWLEDGE BASED ON EXPERIENCE IS TRUE. ALL THAT CAN BE
KNOWN IS DEPENDENT UPON EXPERIENCE.
 PHENOMENON ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING TO KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT TRUTH MUST CHANGE ACCORDINGLY
 THEY EMPHASIZE IN FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING
 NO SPIRITUAL OR ULTIMATE VALUE
AXIOLOGY OF PRAGMATISM
 MAN, BEING A PART OF SOCIETY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS
ACTIONS ARE EITHER GOOD OR BAD. IF THE CONSEQUENCES ARE
WORTHWHILE, THEN THE VALUE OF THE ACTION IS PROVEN TO
BE GOOD.
 VALUES CHANGE ACCORDING TO DIFFERENCE IN TIME AND SPACE
FORMS OF PRAGMATISM
 HUMANISTIC PRAGMATISM
 EXPERIMENTAL PRAGMATISM
 NOMINALISTIC PRAGMATISM
 BIOLOGICAL PRAGMATISM
FORMS
 HUMANISTIC PRAGMATISM
 THE SATISFACTION OF HUMAN NATURE IS THE CRITERION OF UTILITY.
 IN PHILOSOPHY, IN RELIGION AND EVEN IN SCIENCE, MAN IS THE AIM OF ALL
THINKING AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE HUMAN SATISFACTION.
 EXPERIMENTAL PRAGMATISM
 NO TRUTH IS FINAL, TRUTH IS KNOWN ONLY TO THE EXTENT IT IS USEFUL IN
PRACTICE. THE HUMAN PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED ONLY THROUGH EXPERIMENT.
FORMS
 NOMINALISTIC PRAGMATISM
 ACCORDING TO NOMINALISTIC PRAGMATISM, THE RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENT
ARE ALWAYS PARTICULAR AND CONCRETE, NEVER GENERAL AND ABSTRACT.
 BIOLOGICAL PRAGMATISM
 EDUCATION DEVELOPS SOCIAL SKILLS WHICH FACILTATES ONE’S LIFE. THE
SCHOOL IS A MINIATURE SOCIETY WHICH PREPARES THE CHILD FOR FUTURE
LIFE.
PRINCIPLES OF PRAGMATISM (SHARMA, DEVI
AND KUMARI (2018)
 PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
 MEANS THAT EVERYTHING SHOULD BE USEFUL TO THE STUDENT
 PRINCIPLE OF INTEREST
 CURRICULUM CONTENT SHOULD INCLUDE STUDENTS’ INTERESTS
 CONVERSATION, INVESTIGATION, CONSTRUCTION AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION
 PRINCIPLE OF EXPERIENCE
 PRAGMATISTS VALUE EXPERIENCE OVER ALL ELSE
 CREATE PROJECT – BASED, EXPERIMENTAL AND EXPERIENTIAL LESSONS THAT HELP
CHILDREN “LEARN BY DOING”
 PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRATION
 CURRICULUM CONTENT IS NOT SEPARATE. PRAGMATIC TEACHER LINKS THE
CURRICULUM CONTENT TOGETHER THROUGH A PROCESS CALLED “INTEGRATION”
 KEY IDEAS IN PRAGMATIC EDUCATION THEORY
 FACTS CAN CHANGE - WHAT IS “TRUE AND FACT” IS WHATEVER WORKS AND GETS
RESULTS AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
 PRAGMATISTS ARE “UTILITARIAN” – SOMEONE WHO VALUES THINGS THAT ARE
USEFUL.
 EXPERIENCE IS KING – A PRAGMATIST IS ALWAYS TAKING ACTION AND TRYING THINGS
OUT.
 THOUGH AND ACTION ARE INTERCONNECTED – THE ONLY THOUGHTS THAT MATTER
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE APPLIED IN REAL – LIFE PRACTICAL CIRCUMSTANCES
 SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING – PRAGMATISTS REWARD RESULTS. THEY
DON’T CARE IF SOMETHING IS PERFECT, THEY CARE MORE THAT SOMETHING WORKS.
IF AN IDEA HAS PRACTICAL RELEVANCE TO REAL LIFE, THEY’RE HAPPY!
 HUMANS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS – PRAGMATISTS BELIEVE THAT SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
ARE IMPORTANT. THEY ARE, AFTER ALL, ONE OF THE PRIMARY EXPERIENCES THAT
EVERYONE HAS IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE.
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

 EDUCATION AS LIFE
 EDUCATION AS GROWTH
 EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL PROCESS
 EDUCATION IS A CONTINUOUS RESTRUCTURING OF EXPERIENCE
 EDUCATION AS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE
ROLES IN A PRAGMATIC EDUCATION
 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS
 TEACHER WORKS AS A FRIEND AND GUIDE TO THE CHILDREN
 TEACHER KNOWS STUDENTS INTEREST AND UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE CONDITIONS
OF CHANGING SOCIETY
 TEACHER PUTS PROBLEMS IN FRONT OF STUDENTS WHICH ARE INTERESTING AND STUDENTS
ARE EXPECTED TO SOLVED IT
 ACTS AS A FACILITATOR AND HELPS GUIDE STUDENTS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
 PRAGMATISM BELIEVES IN SOCIAL DISCIPLINE BASED ON CHILD’S INTEREST, ACTIVITIES AND
SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. IT CONDEMNS ENFORCED DISCIPLINE.
 STUDENTS
 WANT EXPERIENCES TO MAKE THE LEARNING REAL FOR STUDENTS
 PRAGMATISTS BELIEVE THAT LEARNERS SHOULD APPLY THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO REAL
SITUATIONS THROUGH EXPERIMENT AND INQUIRY
 SCHOOLS
 SCHOOLS PHILOSOPHY IS HAVING STUDENTS GAIN REAL EXPERINECES OF ACTUAL
LIFE WHICH DEVELOPS SOCIAL SENSE AND SENSE OF DUTY TOWARDS SOCIETY AND
THE NATION
 IT IS NOT ONLY A SENSE OF EDUCATION BUT A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
 PREPARING STUDENTS TO BE BETTER CITIZENS.
THANK YOU 