PRAGMATISM IN EDUCATION
. Pragmatism . is . recent . in . origin . (1905) . Charles . Sanders . Pierce . is . considered . to . be . the . founder . of . pragmatism. . Although . its . core . teaching . “philosophy . is . change” . was . propounded . by . Heraclitus . of . Greece . in . B.C. . 535. . Where . all . other . philosophies . of . life . & . education . originated . either . in . Europe . or . in . the . east, . pragmatism . originated . in . North . America.
Meaning . : . According . to . Concise . Oxford . Dictionary . ‘Pragmatic’ . means . dealing . with . matters . according . to . their . practical . significance . or . immediate . importance. .
Etymo0logically, . the . word . Pragmatism . has . been . derived . from . the . Greek . words . “PRAGMA” . means . action . or . “PRAGMATIKOs” . means . Practicability . or . utility.
Other . Name . of . Pragmatism
i. Thus . it . is . a . philosophy . based . on . action . or . experimentation . and . criteria . of . action . or . experimentation . is . utility. . Technically, . Pragmatism . is . a . philosophy . in . which . activity . or . experiments . are . done . first . and . on . the . basis . of . its . result . idea . or . principle . is . formed. . That’s . why . this . philosophy . is . also . known . as . ‘Experimentalism’.
ii. If . this . result . is . useful . to . the . individual . or . the . society . the . idea . is . accepted . otherwise . it . is . rejected. . So . this . philosophy . is . called . ‘Consequentalism’.
iii. Instrumentalism, . practical . philosophy, . utilitarian . philosophy . are . some . other . names. . Major . contributors . are . John . Dewey, . William . James, . and . Charles . Pierce. .
. If . Idealism . speaks . of . ideas . or . ideals, . pragmatism . is . concerned . with . facts.
Definitions . :
i. Durant . sums . up . the . meaning . and . concepts . of . pragmatism . as . , . “Pragmatism . is . the . doctrine . that . truth . is . the . practical . efficacy . of . an . idea.”
ii. William . James . defines . pragmatism . as . , . “Pragmatism . is . a . temper . of . mind, . an . attitude, . it . is . also . a . theory . of . the . nature . of . ideas . and . truth . and . finally, . a . theory . about . reality”.
iii. According . to . Ross, . “Pragmatism . is . essentially . a . humanistic . philosophy, . maintaining . that . man . creates . his . own . values . in . the . course . of . activity . that . reality . is . still . in . the . making . and . awaits . its . part . of . completion . from . the . future, . that . to . an . unascertainable . extent . our . truths . are . man-made . products.”
Forms . of . Pragmatism: . Forms . of . pragmatism . are . as . follows:
I. Humanistic . pragmatism . : . According . to . it, . whatever . fulfil . our . purpose . satisfies . our . desire . develops . our . life . is . true.
II. Experimental . pragmatism . : . An . experimental . pragmatism . believes . whatever . can . be . experimentally . verified . is . true.
III. Biological . Pragmatism . : . A . biological . pragmatism . believes . that . by . this . type . of . pragmatism . best . is . found . in . the . function . of . thought, . in . adopting . the . human . organism . to . its . environment. . John . Dewey . and . William . James . are . chief . exponents. . Biological . pragmatism . has . its . roots . in . Darwin’s . theory . of . evolution.
Principles . of . Pragmatism .
i. Reality . is . over . changing . and . dynamic. . The . world . as . reality . is . not . ‘made’: . it . is . ‘making’. . The . world . is . not . a . product; . it . is . a . ‘process’.
ii. Useful . result . is . the . criterion . of . truth. . If . it . is . able . to . solve . human . problems . and . give . desired . results . only . then . it . is . accepted.
iii. Man . is . very . powerful . and . can . change . his . environment . and . make . it . useful.
iv. Flexibility . is . necessary . for . progress.
Educational . implications . of . Pragmatism . :
Meaning . of . Education . : . To . pragmatist . education . is . the . process . of . life . which . prepares . a . man . to . test . knowledge . or . truth . on . the . basis . of . its . usefulness. . It . always . involves . experiences, . experimentalism . and . free . thinking.
Characteristics . of . Education . : .
i. Education . provides . a . child . more . and . more . opportunities . to . get . involved . in . activities . and . experiences . to . get . real . knowledge.
ii. Society . is . undergoing . a . process . of . continuous . change. . Nature . and . organization . of . education . also . change . to . cope . with . these . changes. .
iii. Man . is . a . social . animal, . so . he . should . be . educated . through . the . medium . of . society . in . order . to . develop . desirable . social . habits. .
iv. Education . is . the . birth . right . of . each . individual. . So . state . takes . the . responsibility . to . provide . education . to . its . citizens.
Aims . of . Education . : . Aims . of . education . is . different . for . different . people, . in . different . countries . at . different . spans . of . life. . So . education . must . create . environment . for . the . democracy . to . flourish. . Specific . aim . of . life . in . a . free . and . democratic . environment. .
Curriculum . : . These . are . the . principles . must . be . followed . while . constructing . the . curriculum . for . children.
1. Principle . of . Utility . : . Only . those . subjects, . activities . and . experiences . should . be . included . which . have . direct . relevance . and . usefulness . in . life. . Languages, . physical . education, . geography, . history . , . science, . mathematics, . agriculture . and . home . science . included . vocational . and . technical . education . may . be . the . most . suitable . subjects.
2. Principle . of . interest . : . student . should . be . given . full . freedom . to . opt . their . choice . of . subjects . according . to . their . interests.
. John . Dewey’s . four . kinds . of . interests
i. Interest . in . conversation
ii. Interest . in . Investigation
iii. Interest . in . Construction
iv. Interest . in . Creative . expression
3. Principle . of . Activity . or . Experience . : . Pragmatism . is . not . in . the . favour . of . cramming . and . teaching . of . academic . subjects. . It . advocates . practical . subjects . with . lots . of . activities . and . experience.
4. Principle . of . Integration . : . According . to . this . philosophy . all . knowledge . is . like . a . tree . and . different . subjects . are . its . branches. . So . subjects . be . correlated . and . integrated . in . order . to . make . the . knowledge . one . unit.
Method . of . Teaching . :
i. Child . Centred . Teaching . : . Method . of . teaching . are . changed . according . to . the . individual . differences . of . children. . But . in . all . these . methods . child . is . made . the . pivot . of . all . educational . activities. .
ii. Activity . Centred . Teaching . : . Thoughts, . ideas . and . rote . learning . find . no . place . in . pragmatism. . It . develops . the . creative . power . of . the . child . through . activities . and . experiences. .
iii. Problem . Centred . Teaching . : . A . number . of . relevant . problems . are . put . before . the . children . and . teaching . is . done . through . these . problems. . Project . method . of . Kilpatrick . is . very . suitable . here. .
iv. Purposive . and . Progressive . Teaching . : . Since . purpose . of . life . keeps . on . changing . with . age . and . place, . teacher . guides . the . students . change . their . activities . and . experience . accordingly . and . make . progress. .
v. Integrated . Approach . of . Teaching . : . All . subjects . are . taught . in . a . correlated . and . integrated . manner . to . make . knowledge . a . single . unit. .
. Pragmatism . and . Teacher . : . The . teacher . is . not . a . dictator . but . a . leader . of . group . activities. . He . should . not . overshadow . the . personality . of . the . pupil. . He . plans, . organizes . and . provides . opportunities . for . experimentation. . He . should . treat . the . pupil . on . his . own . equals . in . regard . to . social . life. .
. Freedom . and . Discipline . : . pragmatism . aim . of . education . is . growth . and . it . happens . only . under . conditions . of . freedom. . Freedom . is . not . absence . of . discipline. . Discipline . based . on . punishment . or . external . control . is . defective . an . hinders . the . growth . of . the . individual. . So . self-discipline . is . brought . about . by . giving . the . children . full . freedom . to . get . involved . in . purposeful . experience . and . activities. . If . activities . are . rooted . in . the . interests, . specific . needs, . capabilities . and . preferences . of . children, . then . there . is . no . problem . of . discipline. .
John . Dewey
. He . was . a . great . thinker . and . prolific . writer . and . philosopher, . psychologist . and . practical . educationist . of . modern . times. . He . was . born . in . 1859 . in . New . England . at . Vermont . in . USA.
In . 1882, . he . wrote . is . first . article . ‘Metaphysical . assumption . of . materialism’ . in . a . journal . on . speculative . philosophy. . He . also . worked . as . a . director . of . school . education . from . 1902-1904. . In . 1896, . he . founded . his . laboratory . school . in . Chicago . University.
According . to . Dewey, . “The . teacher . is . a . guide . and . director, . he . steers . the . boat, . but . the . energy . that . peoples . it . must . come . from . those . who . are . learning.”
Criticism . of . Pragmatism
Limitation . of . Pragmatism:
i. Pragmatism, . by . and . large, . ignore . interval . values.
ii. Pragmatism . pays . little . attention . to . spiritual . values.
iii. Pragmatism . advocates . a . utilitarian . approach . only.
iv. It . provides . very . insignificant . placed . to . cultural . values.
v. Pragmatism . believes . that . experience . is . all . in . all. . It . ignores . the . knowledge . accumulated . through . the . ages.
vi. Pragmatism . does . not . give . due . importance . to . regular . and . systematic . instruction. .
vii. The . entire . knowledge . and . experience . needed . by . child . cannot . be . obtained . through . projects. .
viii. Pragmatism . does . not . indicate . fixed . educational . goals. .
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