CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF PHILOSPHY

AND PRACTICE OF EDUCATION

ADVOCATED BY
DEWEY AND FREIRE
JOHN
DEWEY
“ Education is not preparation
for life; education is life itself.
”
Background
◦ John Dewey, the greatest of pragmatists was born at Burlington, in Vermont, in 1859.
◦ In 1879, he graduated from the University of Vermont.
◦ He obtained his PhD in philosophy in 1884, John Hopkins University.
◦ He was a faculty at University of Michigan (1884) and Chicago (1894).
◦ He further developed his progressive pedagogy in the Chicago University’s laboratory school found by
him.
◦ In 1904 he was assigned as the Head of Department of Education and Philosophy in Columbia
University, New York.
Educational Philosophy
◦ Learning by Doing
◦ Interactions
◦ Problem based learning
◦ Progressive teaching
◦ Role of curriculum
◦ Role of school
◦ Interdisciplinary approach
◦ Active learning environment
◦ Aesthetic experiences
◦ Treating students as ‘Active learners’ and not as
‘Passive recipients’
◦ Cost of education
◦ Prepares the student to live in a democratic
society
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
◦ Enables critical thinking skills
◦ Enhances problem solving skills
◦ Extrinsic to Intrinsic motivation
◦ Progressive and active learning
Disadvantages:
◦ Project based methods are expensive and time
consuming
◦ Limitations of learning by doing
◦ Emphasizes on present interests only
Role of Teacher
◦ Facilitator
◦ Implement student centric learning
◦ Bring appropriate stimuli and energy
◦ Include demonstrations and activity wherever required
◦ Encourage interactive learning to develop social skills
PAULO
FREIRE
“Learning is a process where
knowledge is presented to us,
then shaped through
understanding, discussion, and
reflection.”
Background
◦ Born in September 19, 1921 in Brazil
◦ Lived in an impoverished community in Recife, Brazil
◦ Freire stated that hunger and poverty severely affected his ability to learn, this influenced him to dedicate
his life to improving the lives of underprivileged.
◦ He studied Philosophy and Language psychology at University of Recife, Brazil
◦ Major work – Pedagogy of the oppressed
◦ He was exiled for his work in National literacy campaign
◦ He was the most significant educational thinker of the 20 th century
Educational Philosophy
◦ Educator and learner are equal participants
◦ Continuous dialogue between teacher and learner
◦ Criticized banking method of education
◦ Problem-posing education method is an alternative for banking method
◦ Conscientization
◦ He advocated praxis
“ A humanizing education is the path through which men and women can
become conscious about their ‘presence’ in the world.”
Role of Teacher
◦ Egalitarian teacher-student relation
◦ Co-construction of knowledge
◦ Learning circles
THANK
YOU!