REALISM IN EDUCATION
. Realism . developed . as . a . formal . school . of . philosophy . only . in . 17th . Century . as . a . protest . against . the . philosophy . of . Idealism. . The . rapid . growth . of . scientific . knowledge . led . to . its . acceptance . as . a . distinct . philosophy.
Meaning . : . Realism . accepts . its . existence . in . real . things . which . can . be . comprehended.
· Aristotle . generally . regarded . as . the . profounder . of . this . philosophy.
· In . India . Samkhaya . Darshan, . Charvak . Darshan, . Vaishishka . Darshan, . Jainism . and . Buddhism . all . opposed . the . existence . of . God . or . soul . and . considered . only . material . world . to . be . real . as . this . can . be . perceived . by . our . senses. . Thus . all . these . are . based . on . realism.
Chief . contributors . : . Aristotle, . Irasmus, . rebellias, . Milton. . Lord . Montaigne, . John . Locke, . Francis . Bacon, . Comenius, . Bertrand . Russell . etc. .
Definitions . : . Following . are . the . important . definitions . of . realism- .
· According . to . Ross, . “As . naturalism . developed . against . showy . education, . similarly . realism . came . in . to . being . as . a . result . of . bookish . knowledge”.
· Butler . has . observed, . “Realism . is . the . refinement . of . our . common . acceptance . of . the . world . as . being . just . what . it . appears . to . be”.
· In . the . words . of . Carter . V . Good, . “Realism . is . the . doctrine . that . objective . reality . of . the . material . universe . exists . independently . of . the . conscious . mind, . its . nature . and . properties . are . being . affected . by . being . known”.
Forms . of . Realism
I. Humanistic . Realism . : . This . form . of . realism . emphasizes . the . general . human . welfare . through . education. . English . philosopher . Irasmus, . French . rebellias, . Great . English . Poet . John . Milton . are . the . main . contributors.
i. John . Milton . expressed . his . ideas . in . his . book . “Tracts . of . Education”. . He . structured . a . curriculum . for . the . age . group . of . the . 12-21 . years . and . gave . the . system . of . main . [language, . literature, . moral . science . etc. . ] . and . subsidiary . [physiology, . agriculture, . sculpture . etc.] . subject
ii. Milton . is . different . from . most . of . the . realists . in . two . ways:
iii. He . believes . in . God
iv. He . opposes . education . of . the . masses.
II. social . Realism . : . In . this . kind . of . realism . the . thing . which . is . socially . useful . to . us . in . only . real. . They . say . education . must . promote . the . working . efficiency . of . the . individual . in . any . way. . For . this . purpose . History, . Geography, . Arithmetic, . Diplomacy . Law, . Warfare, . Horse . riding, . Gymnastics . etc. . are . included . in . curriculum.
i. Lord . Montaigne . and . John . Locke . are . the . chief . contributors . of . this . kind . of . realism. .
Lord . Montaigne . expressed . his . idea . in . “Pendentry . of . Education . of . the . Children” . and . “Affection . of . father . to . their . Children” . the . supports . tours . and . excursion . for . children . and . purposes . use . of . mother . tongue . first . at . schools . as . he . advocates . learning . by . self-experience. .
ii. John . Lockes . famous . book . ‘ . Some . thoughts . concern . Education . reveals . his . thoughts. . According . to . him, . the . aim . of . education . is . to . inculcate . virtue, . wisdom . and . capacity . to . learn . in . children. . He . too . opposed . education . of . the . masses . and . emphasizes . mother . tongue. .
III. . Sense . Realism . : . The . philosophy . gives . preference . to . knowledge . gained . by . observation . and . experience . i.e. . by . the . contact . between . external . world . and . senses. . The . sense . realists . was . greatly . influenced . by . scientific . researches . and . inventions. . They . too . give . due . importance . to . mother . tongue, . science . subjects . and . practical . aspects . of . education. . Here . deductive . method . is . more . important . than . inductive. .
Mulcaster, . the . English . Philosopher, . Francis . Bacon, . the . English . Writer[book- . The . New . Atlantis . & . Advancement . of . Learning]. . Comenius . are . the . main . contributors. .
IV. Neo . Realism . : . According . to . this . form . of . realism . rules . and . procedures . of . science . are . also . changeable. . So . usefulness . of . a . knowledge . or . value . also . changes . with . the . change . of . time. .
Whitehead . and . Bertrand . Russell . [analysis . method] . are . main . supporters . of . Neo . Realism.
Educational . Implications . of . Realism . :
Nature . and . Characteristics . of . Education . : . In . realism . education . should . be . :
i. Based . on . science
ii. Based . on . present . life . of . the . child
iii. Education . should . emphasise . application . of . knowledge
iv. Action . rather . than . thinking . is . important . so . material . education . is . a . must .
v. It . gives . more . freedom . to . the . child
vi. Vocational . subjects . should . be . included . in . curriculum
vii. Knowledge . is . acquired . through . senses, . so . senses . of . the . pupils . should . be . trained . effectively
viii. Individual . as . well . as . social . development . is . necessary
Aims . of . Education:
i. To . prepare . the . child . for . happy . and . successful . life . by . solving . the . real . problems . of . life . successfully
ii. To . make . the . child . practical . minded .
iii. To . make . the . child . strong . enough . to . face . the . bitter . realities . of . life .
iv. To . train . the . child . use . his . senses . to . the . maximum
v. To . enable . the . child . earn . his . livelihood . through . vocational . & . practical . knowledge
vi. To . bring . the . child . closer . of . the . nature
vii. To . develop . his . physical . and . mental . powers
Curriculum . : . The . realists . aim . at . acquainting . the . child . with . understanding . and . application . of . knowledge . in . planning, . deciding . and . executing . action. . Realists . prefer-
i. A . system . of . general . education . at . earlier . stage
ii. Specialisation . in . later . period . of . academic . life
iii. Vocational . education . at . later . stage.
Subjects . would . include . :
i. Courses . in . physics, . chemistry, . mathematics, . life . sciences, . social . sciences . in . a . integrated . way
ii. Literature, . biography, . philosophy, . psychology . and . art . also
iii. No . separate . curriculum . for . moral . science. .
. Method . of . Teaching . : . Between . aims . of . education . curriculum . and . methods. . There . exists . a . common . thread. . Following . methods . are . proposed . by . realists:
i. Observation, . sense . experiences . and . self-experiment.
ii. Action . (experimentation) . rather . than . thinking
iii. Audio . visual . aids
iv. Inductive . method
v. Travelling . & . excursion. .
. Role . of . Discipline . : . Role . of . teacher . though . not . as . high . as . idealism . is . important . as . he . must . know . want . amount . of . knowledge . should . be . given . to . children . at . a . particular . time . and . why . it . is . to . be . given? . So . he . should . be . have . full . command . over . the . subject . along . with . full . knowledge . about . pupils’.
. Discipline . : . Self- . discipline
. Criticism . of . Realism . :
Limitation . of . Realism . are . as . follows . :
i. Realism . lays . undue . stress . on . the . needs . of . the . material . world.
ii. Realism . neglects . the . spiritual . world
iii. Curriculum . suggested . by . realism . is . lopsided
iv. By . placing . more . emphasis . on . material . aspects . realism . neglects . the . human . aspects.
v. Realism . does . not . aspect . the . importance . of . eternal . value . without . which, . it . is . not . possible . to . attain . real . happiness.
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