Download Philosophers Education and more Essays (university) Philosophy in PDF only on Docsity!
READINGS ON DIFFERENT PHILOSPHERS OF EDUCATION
November 30, 2019 Analyn R. Alegre Subject: MAEDF3 203 Philosophy of Education Professor: Dr. Heide S. Hofileña Date Submitted: November 30,
Mortimer J. Adler
Adler (1902- 2001) was an American philosopher and educator, and a proponent of Educational Perennialism. He believed that one should teach the things that one deems to be of perpetual importance. He proposed that one should teach principles, not facts, since details of facts change constantly. And since people are humans, one should teach them about humans also, not about machines, or theories. He argues that one should validate the reasoning with the primary descriptions of popular experiments. This provides students with a human side to the scientific discipline, and demonstrates the reasoning in deed. Recommendation/Reaction Educational Perennialism is a teacher centered instruction. The center in this kind of method are the “great works” and not the student. It is called teacher centered instruction because it gives more importance on the subject taught rather than the receiver of knowledge. Focusing on everlasting ideas, it gives importance to the principles and concepts that are
deemed to be of perpetual importance. Meaning, those teachings that are constant and do not change over time. I do not agree in the teacher centered approach. I believe that in teaching, the students should be the focus of learning.If it is teacher centered, the teacher will no longer care about the learnings of the pupils. We must remember that children have multiple intelligences. Every individual is unique. As such, one technique in the teaching learning process is to differentiate the ability and the capability of a pupil. To have deep knowledge, I believe that the children should experience the lessons. They should be given the chance to explore, engage to every task the teacher provides. If the pupils will only listen and not have the chance to explore after that the knowledge, the lessons will be easily forgotten. “The objective of Education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.”
Nel Noddings
Notable American feminist, educationalist, and philosopher, Noddings (1929-Present) is best known in her work Ethics of Care. The Ethics of Care establishes the obligation, and the sense, to do something right when others address us. We do so because either we love and respect those that address us or we have significant regard for them. In that way, the recipients of care must respond in a way that authenticates their caring has been received. The same goes for education. As teachers respond to the needs of students, they may design a differentiated curriculum because as teachers work closely with students, they should respond to the students’ different needs and interests. This response should not be based on a one time virtuous decision but an ongoing interest in the student’s welfare.
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (1 861-1925) was an Austrian philosopher and social reformer, and founder of Anthroposophy. His Philosophy highlights a balanced development of cognitive, artistic and practical skills. He divides education into three developmental Stages: Early childhood, where teachers offer practical activities and a healthy environment; Elementary, which is primarily arts- based, centered on the teacher’s creative jurisdiction; and Secondary, which seeks to develop the judgment, reasoning, and practical idealism. Recommendation/Reaction: Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner believed through his spiritual movement called anthroposophy, that the child’s moral, spiritual and creative sides need as much attention as their intellect. We should put God above all. As teachers, we should also teach spiritual concepts to children because it is important to develop a child’s character as a member of society. Developing values is as important as developing intelligence. While the children learn values at home, when they are in school, it is the time to refine what they have learned at home. Creativity should be focused on as well because it is perceiving the world in new ways. It involves thinking and producing. Here the teacher should give the pupils tasks where they can use their thinking ability to produce what is expected of them. Creativity requires passion and commitment. These two are essential to achieve
excellence. Excellence develop the mental discipline and collaborate with nature’s laws. As Steve Jobs once said, “pupils with passion can change the world for the better”.
William James
William James (1842-1910), an American psychologist and philosopher, ascribed to the philosophy of pragmatism. He believed that the value of any truth was utterly dependent upon its use to the person who held it. He maintained that the world is like a mosaic of different experiences that can only be interpreted through what he calls as “Radical empiricism”. This means that no observation is completely objective. As the mind of the observer and the act of observing will simply just affect the outcome of the observation. Contributions of William James in Education, whose writings were responsible for the empirical and experimental approach to the field of education. His books which influenced education the most were - 'Principles of Psychology,' 'Briefer Course,' and 'Talks to Teachers'. Focuses attention on the fundamental educational theories of James, who established the method of introspection on a scientific basis and applied the spirit and methods of psychology in teaching. Knowledge of psychology aids teachers in numerous ways. The mind-body interaction is one of the most important presuppositions underlying James' educational psychology. He focused on the native resources of the child and how these could be incorporated into education. His work on instincts, memory and other topics led to the focus on problems like, transfer of training. He contributed to the field of emotions and held a biological point of view in education. Recommendation/Reaction
Jean Piaget
Piaget (1896-1980), a Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher, was recognized for his epistemologicalstudies with children, and the establishment of Genetic epistemology. It aims to explain knowledge, on the basis of its history, its sociogenesis, and particularly, the psychological origins of the notions and operations upon which it is based. Piaget concluded he could test epistemological questions by studying the development of thought and action in children. Because of this, he created Genetic epistemology with its own approaches and questions. Recommendation/Reaction: Jean Piaget is known for theory of constructivism. His theory of constructivism argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences. Piaget's theory covered learning theories, teaching methods, and education reform. Two of the key components which create the construction of an individual's new knowledge are accommodation and assimilation. Assimilating causes an individual to incorporate new experiences into the old experiences. This causes the individual to develop new outlooks, rethink what were once misunderstandings, and evaluate what is important, ultimately altering their perceptions. Apart from learning theories, Piaget's theory of constructivism addresses how learning actually occurs, not focusing on what influences learning. The role of teachers is very important. Instead of giving a lecture the teachers in this theory function as facilitators whose role is to aid the student when it comes to their own understanding.
I agree that with Jean Piaget’s theory. Teachers are facilitattors in the child’s learning process. They help the child learn more through proper guidance and assimilation. Assimilating new experiences helps students retain information better. This medium allow students to engage with their environment to make new experiences. I think learning through engaging into the subject being learned is the highest form of learning.
