Educational Philosophy

Written By: Dale Marriott (April 3, 2010) (APA 5th Ed)

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

This paper is written from a personal viewpoint of specific philosophies and how these philosophies can change the Western society.  This paper explores the personal philosophies of the writer, which include social reconstructionism, existentialism, and pragmatism. The goal of this paper is to give an overview of the problems in education and society to establish the cause of those problems, and to discuss some solutions to the problems with the philosophies. This paper is important to the writer because Western society is moving in a downward motion and needs to re-evaluate education to save the society in which the writer resides.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Statement and Problem

There are many obstacles that students face in their educational journeys. These obstacles can hinder the goals and advancement of the student’s and in turn penalize the society of which they, the students are a part. A third party must be involved to guide the students and educate them in the proper methods to counter these obstacles. This third party is education; the student needs to be able to understand some fundamental learning habits to be successful and productive in a society. These fundamentals are critical thinking, enhanced public speaking skills, comprehension of cultural norms and habits, reading, writing, and the ability to ask essential questions about life and the world around them.

These essential questions should include questions about values, attaining knowledge, and the reality they live in. Education should also teach a student to be open-minded and to remove their personal ideas and beliefs to better understand and communicate with others. If students attain this discipline, they will be better adapted to overcome obstacles in their lives, at home and in their society. This discipline could aid a student in understanding her personal views or expressing these views to others who lack the discipline.

Possible situations could be foreign to both parties and could be taken offensively if the viewpoint is not expressed in a disciplined way. This could make communication and understanding difficult, and neither party will accomplish its goals or come to a medium. A disciplined student who is open-minded is accurate, fair, and able to listen to points of view, and express her views clearly and thoroughly. Communication is the key to relationships (both personal and professional) and is the only means to create a better society or world. Without communication in any form, progress cannot happen. A student disciplined in the above topics can express better communication and be a productive citizen in society.

The Purpose

The writer believes that every person in society fits under many different philosophies but one philosophy dominates over the others. For example, a person may believe that educational institutions need to be reshaped, which is identified under Social Reconstructionism. She may also believe that education should be an experimental enterprise of social renewal (Ozmon & Carver, 2007) which is pragmatism. But they may have a strong belief that humans change their essence of nature and that they are not subject to scientific pretences, which is considered Existentialism.

These three different philosophies make up one personal belief. The writer believes that no one person in the Western world has a single philosophy. The society that people live in is not constructed in this manner. It is known that the United States is made up of many different cultures and beliefs. With these many differences, which consist of many different philosophies, beliefs, and backgrounds, the society comes into contact with new ideas and systems. A citizen in the Western world is comprised from these differences and they are woven into her being.

This being said, it is hard to imagine a person with only one philosophy. By understanding and identifying personal philosophies, a person can improve on interactions with individuals and society as well as educate others. Once these philosophies have been determined, having the student or individual understand them will give a better starting point for her to become disciplined as stated above. This paper is a representation of the writer’s personal philosophies. By evaluating said philosophies, the writer anticipates a greater in understanding of these philosophies, which will increase critical thinking, moral values, ethics, knowledge of world views, written, and oral skills.

The Author’s Personal Theories and Philosophers of the Theories

In this section of the paper, the writer will review the personal philosophies and the philosophers who have made the philosophies what they are today. This section will show the philosophies in the order of importance.

Social Reconstructionism

This philosophy focuses on the idea that educational institutions need to be the forefront to better society. This is done through education, where the educational institutions reconstruct students to be a productive citizen in society (Grant, 2009). This philosophy can be applied to any level of education from preschool to graduate programs; it is not limited to public or private schools. The philosophy is designed to be integrated into all areas in educational institutions, from teaching methods to the curriculum itself.

One way educational institutions can assist with this goal is to be more involved in the society itself. In most cases, it can be limited to the local community. If the local community (which would include parents, businesses, governmental, and societal agencies) organized, communicated, and created activities with educational institutions, they could meet the goal of social reconstruction (Elliott, 1996). The key for the educational institutions is to become a community within itself (Elliott, 1996).  This would benefit the students, educators, and the communities.

Philosopher of Social Reconstructionism

C. A. Bowers (1935-Present)

“Bowers holds a Ph. D. from the University of California in educational studies (with an emphasis on education and social thought)” (Bowers, 2010). Bowers is an advocate for social reconstructionism, “He stresses the need to move beyond the liberal view of the autonomous individual to a view of the individual as a social-cultural being” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). One of the more important issues in this philosophy is how reforms of education have hindered the philosophy from taking shape.

An example of these reforms is that educational institutions are forced to keep the current curriculum, and budget cuts force the institution to conform to business needs (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). With these kinds of restraints on educational institutions, it is difficult to work with the community in the way that the philosophy should work. Not only do these restraints harm the institutions, but they also harm the students, which in turn harms the communities and society.

If the educational institution works hard with local communities and raises money to help achieve the philosophical goal, there may still be a chance to overcome the odds and make this system work. It is in the writer’s opinion that social reconstructionism is one of the many answers to solving social problems in today’s society. Using the educational institutions as a base of operations to implement this philosophy will make for a stronger and better future.

Existentialism

The philosophy of existentialism is one that expresses a person’s development. This development is composed of self-learning through experience, choice, responsibility, and free will. This type of philosophy is seen in educational institutions that are mainly private. An example of one of the more popular private institutions is the Montessori schools. Traditional education does not permit this type of education in their systems.

This could very well be partly because the system itself is not designed to support the methods. Educational institutions that do not support existentialism control the students and mold them to what the institutions believe is the correct way the student should be. This control has forced students into a reestablished means of education (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). In a radical view, educational institutions being controlled by private interests are creating pre-programmed students who will enter society and affect what is already in despair. In the view of existentialism, children should be allowed to choose their own paths from different options available to them (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

In order to assist in this philosophy, students need to be seen as individuals and should be encouraged to take a positive role and shape their own educations and lives (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). As adults, people learn from their experiences; whether they make good or bad decisions, the outcome is that they learn. Students should be allowed to learn in the same manner. Existentialism encourages students to do what they want to do (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

For example, if a student is interested in oceanography, she is more likely to learn it because she wants to learn it. Adults make their own decisions; it is very rare to see people go into educational fields that they do not want to pursue. Every person and student brings special backgrounds and experiences that will influence her educational decisions. This being said, why wouldn’t educational institutions encourage this type of education (Ozmon & Carver, 2007)?

Philosophers of Existentialism

Martin Buber (1878 – 1965)

Burber was a Jewish philosopher, social activist, and educator. This philosopher focused on the inter-connectedness of human beings (Roberts, 2001). In a general sense, he observed how people reacted with their surrounding environments. In comparison to modern day existentialism, this is used to assess or gauge a student in her education; it is an environment that is safe and prepared for students’ interests.

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

Sartre, a French philosopher, has been commonly known as the father of existentialism (Flynn, 2004). He was a philosopher who believed that “man is a value to be invented each day and that the questions he raises are always moral” (Flynn, 2004). Looking at this quote, you can see the commonality with modern day existentialism, whereas a student needs to be seen as an individual and should be encouraged to take a positive role and shape her own education and life (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a measuring tool used to find a better way of life; it can be applied to many areas (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). It is important to be mindful when using this philosophy. Applying personal thoughts into the process of finding a better way of life can change the outcome and possibly create worse consequences for the beneficiary (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). This philosophy has been primarily used in the Western culture and grew with the industrial revolution (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). This philosophy (if used properly) can drive people to look for more answers to solve the problems in economics, politics, and in society (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

Using this philosophy in education as a tool to help their students requires educators to first find out the students’ interests (which should be self-motivating) and base their curriculum around the students interests to better motivate their students’ to learn (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). Doing this allows the student to use her inherent interests to learn the educational material. This is also a hypothetical imperative, which refers to “what we feel we should do based upon what we may desire to do” (Brannigan, 2005, (4), pg.7, ¶ 2). John Dewey (1859-1952), a pragmatist, believed “that education is a necessity of life” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (2), pg. 22, ¶ 4), by examination; it can solve social problems and focuses on the interactions of people and the environment (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

Dewey continues that with pragmatism, education should not be regarded as a preparation of life, but the process of life. He also argues that education should be based on problem solving (Murphy, 2006). Another pragmatist by the name George Sylvester Counts (1889–1974) focused on education, creating “implications for teacher, students, the curriculum, the methodology, and the role of the school” (Murphy, 2006, (11), pg. 24, ¶ 11). His work was based on children, but his implications are seen throughout the educational systems.

This philosophy is designed to benefit society itself. Dewey wanted to have education as the forefront to make this change and benefit society as a whole. He wanted to prepare students (specifically children) to exist in society while working on changing it (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

Philosophers of Pragmatism

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Rousseau had many philosophical points, but most notable were those reflective of the human nature and society. He also believed that people in this kind of society were not free to be virtuous. Rousseau believes that this kind of society brings jealousy, greed, malice, and other vices (Rousseau, 2008). He proves his philosophy in “The Social Contract” (a book on Principles of Political Right) were he used Egypt and ancient Greece as examples (Delaney, 2006). He believed that both these civilizations fell because of their political and educational views that governed the society (Rousseau, 2008). The second philosophical point is his philosophy of education, in his book titled “Emile”,

Rousseau recommends that education of children should be natural, child centered, and experienced-based (Christie, 2005, pg. 2). His philosophy was intended to let society know that society itself corrupts children and limits their development that and that children should be allowed to develop naturally (Christie, 2005, pg. 2).

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

Kant was a philosopher, mathematician, and physicist (Liukkonen, Pesonen, 2008). Kant was influenced by Rousseau’s philosophy; in 1755, his first production was the “General History of Nature and theory of the Heavens” (Liukkonen & Pesonen, 2008). This production argued that the Heavenly bodies could have been created by an unformed nebula (Liukkonen & Pesonen, 2008). Many years later, he produced three more books which followed Rousseau’s philosophy. These three books focused on the theory of knowledge, the theory of beauty, metaphysics, and metaphysics of morality (Brannigan, 2005).

Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914)

Peirce was another theorist in the field of pragmatism. One of his more influential works was an article he published in 1878 in Popular Science Monthly (Ozmon, & Carver, 2007). This article was based upon dualism of the mind and matter or subjective vs. objective (Ozmon, & Carver, 2007). Towards the end of Peirce’s works, he concluded “That true knowledge of anything depends upon the testing of  one’s idea in actual experience because, in and of themselves, ideas are little more than hypotheses until tried upon the anvil of experience” (Ozmon, & Carver, 2007, (4), pp. 7, ¶ 4).

William James (1842-1910)

James has also been considered the most influential American philosopher (Pragmatism, 2003). James added more to pragmatism with ideas about Truth (or leading), morality, and religion (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). One of the more interesting notes of James is how he “applied the inductive method to his moral and religious questions” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (4), pp. 2, ¶ 2). The inductive method is to observe nature and creating statements of what was observed and proving what is fact and not factual. James used this method and found interesting facts within morality and religion. With morality, he found that the method can be capable of adding an extension to the human experience (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). With religion, he found “that religious belief had value if they provided suitable consequences” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (4), pg. 2, ¶ 2).    

John Dewey (1859-1952)

Dewey also had an effect on pragmatism. Many of his ideas were pragmatic, but some fell under experimentalism and instrumentalism (Murphy, 2006). Dewey focused on the social and logical theory which is still seen in today’s educational institutions (Pragmatism, 2003). As he progressed, he started to apply the scientific way of thinking in education (Ozmon & Carver, 2007).

By using this way of thinking, Dewey believed that “people think in an orderly and coherent fashion, they are thinking along the lines of scientific method although they may not be conscious of it as such” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (2), pp. 22, ¶ 4). “He also believed that orderly thinking and using an experimental approach on a person’s problem will bring a better lifestyle for that person” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (2), pp. 22, ¶ 4).

George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)

Mead used the inductive approach which is a characteristic of pragmatism (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). The inductive approach is defined as “the analysis of data and examination of practice problems within their own context rather than from a predetermined theoretical basis" (Inductive Approach, 2010). He applied this approach to the social and psychological behavior in people and children in education (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). Mead believed that using this approach, “the self is by nature social and not some mental inner thing hidden from view” (Ozmon & Carver, 2007, (2), pp. 22, ¶ 4).

THE IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Examining the three different philosophies that the writer has composed, the reader can see that pragmatism has the most philosophical supporters then other philosophies. It is important to note that this philosophy has been the primary philosophy used in Western culture and grew with the industrial revolution (Ozmon & Carver, 2007). More philosophers have used this philosophy because it is a part of the society in which they came from.

The three philosophies stated above can meet the fundamental goals if applied to the educational systems. Critical thinking, enhancing public speaking skills, understanding cultural norms and habits, reading, writing, and actively asking essential questions about life and the world around them can be achieved. It is more important to apply these philosophies in modern education systems, but more importantly, students should study specific courses to aid in this goal.

A few courses that can help with this are environmental, legal, political, social, medical philosophy and classes in ethics. Students who take these classes can apply the curriculum to be more responsible citizens, to be more aware of global problems, and to be more thoughtful. All of these would benefit the society they live in. In the writer’s opinion, that there are many social problems in Western society such as poverty and unemployment. Using social reconstructionism, existentialism, and pragmatism can assist in countering social and personal issues.

Personal Note to the Reader

The writer has come to these conclusions from personal experience in education as a student, facilitator, and administrator and believes that the current educational system is not enough to overcome the crumbling society. Retaining students in education has been an issue in local society.

In many cases, students come to a college campus and say they have a specific type of documentation; after research, it was discovered that the student did not have the requirements to attend the college. In current years, since the decline in the economy and the rising unemployment rate, many more students are attending schools than before.

“This can be seen in the annual report on dropout and graduation rates for the 2007-08 school years. 68.3* percent of public school students in California graduated, up from 67.7 percent last year. The adjusted four-year derived dropout rate for the same school year is 20.1 percent, down from 21.1 percent last year” (2007-2008 Rates, 2009).

Looking at these numbers, a person can see that there has been an increase in student attrition meaning that students are staying in school. But 20.1% of the population is in society and possibly being unproductive in the society (2007-2008 Rates, 2009). From a personal point of view, the attrition should be higher; students should want to go to school, but they choose not to pursue further education because they are not motivated to attend school. Educational institutions need to find the reason why and address it.       

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the philosophies of social reconstructionism, existentialism, and pragmatism can help to make a better society. The philosophers who have added empowering knowledge to these philosophies believed that through education, the needs of society can be improved. In this paper, we have looked at the problem, the purpose, the writer’s personal philosophies, and the philosophers behind the philosophies. This paper has also reviewed the affects that this philosophy has had on education, and the importance of these philosophies to Western society. These philosophies have the ability to change the way society has been run, and the lives of Western and Non-Western societies.

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