PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO EDUCATION

PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO EDUCATION

IDEALISM

Plato ----------------- Father of Idealism

ü  According to Plato, Ideas are the only true reality

ü  Two world exist(Duality of Mind & Body)

§  Mental or Spiritual world(Eternal, Permanent, Orderly, regular & Universal)

§  World of Appearance (Experience via touch, sight, smell, taste & sound; that is changing, imperfect & disorderly.

ü  Soul is fully formed prior to Birth; & birth process checks its perfection, therefore education requires bringing latent ideas to consciousness.

ü  The aim of education is to discover & develop each individual’s ability & full moral excellence in order to better serve the society.

ü  Teaching methods focus on holding ideas through lectures, discussions, & Socratic dialogues( a method of teaching that uses questioning to help students discover & clarify knowledge).

ü  Introspection, intuition, insight & whole-part logic are used to bring to consciousness/concepts which are latent in the mind.

ü  Character is developed via imitating examples & heroes.

PLATO & EDUCATION:

ü  Plato was the earliest most important Greek Philosopher & Educational thinker & born in upper-class family.

ü  He was the student of Socrates; & perused philosophy after Socrates death.

ü  He thinks education as a KEY for a society.

ü  He wants to search for intelligent & gifted children in the whole society.

ü  He doesn’t believe that talent belongs to a limited class; all talented children should be provided the chance to shine.

ü  Plato contributed a lot in the form of IDEAS.

ü  He did not directly contribute to the science & Mathematics, but his philosophy influenced the development of these subjects in centuries to come.

ü  He shown his ability of writing in different field; ethics, drama, poetry, metaphysics, dance architecture.

ü  He doesn’t only consider better education for men but also believe on strong body & sound mind . For body he recommend sports & for sound mind music.

ü  No man should bring children into the world, who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature & education.

PLATO AIMS OF EDUCATION:

ü  To develop leaders amongthe future rulers.

ü  To develop hard & competent workers.

ü  To produce leaders with Military skills among the warriors.

ü  To produce future Civil Servants of the State.

ü  Education is the knowledge of GOOD; to nurture a man to a better human being it is not merely an awareness of particular benefits & pleasures.

 

 

REALISM

Aristotle------- Father of Realism

ü  Realist believes that reality exists independent of human mind.

ü  Focus is on body.

ü  To understand an object, its ultimate form had to be understood, which doesn’t change.

ü  He was the first to teach ‘logic’ as a formal discipline (to be able to reason about physical events & aspects).

ü  The exercise of ‘Rational Thought’ is viewed.

ü  Curriculum emphasizes the subject matter of the physical world (Science & Maths.)

ü  The teacher organizes & presents content systematically within discipline.

 

ARISTOTLE

Scientist & Philosopher

 

Aristotle & Education:

 

ü  He believed on purposefulness of Education

ü  Education’s aim is to attain knowledge plus happiness or goodness in life.

 

Goodness has two categories;

§  Goodness of intellect

§  Goodness of character

ü  Goodness of intellect can be produce & increased by teaching, training & experience.

ü  Goodness of character is the result of habits, & it can be attained by the formation of good habits.

ü  He defined ‘Education’ same as his teacher(Plato);

‘The creation of sound mind in a sound body’.

Curriculum:

ü  Like his teacher, he stresses on ‘Gymnastic’ to develop the spirit of sportsmanship & above all to develop good habits for the control of passion & appetite.

ü  He considers music & literature useful for the moral & intellectual development at an early stage of education.

ü  Teaching of Maths at Higher level education & & teaching of Physics & Astronomy is also necessary at higher level of education.

ü  ‘The difference between an Educated & Uneducated men is like a difference between the Living & the Dead.