Philosophy

Original Text: Philosophy

The study of philosophy of education should help develop a teacher’s ideas about education and give them the tools to think of education through a broad spectrum. Through the use of educational philosophies we can use these ideologies to think clearly about what we as teachers are doing in the context of developing individuals and the interaction with social development.
Education has played a major role in the development of civilization. By carefully studying the marriage of philosophies of education and social development, we as teachers, can gain better insight into understanding the problems with education. Ultimately, the goal is to understand the needs of the learner, what one should learn, and how best to achieve this goal.
In studying each philosophy of education one can see the merits of each, how each philosophy intertwines, and their impact on education. Idealism stresses that not only should education develop the mind but also focus on things of lasting value. Plato is the earliest educational thinker. He stressed that education should be holistic. Realism, despite its many proponents and interpretations, introduced Aristotle’s view of education. His philosophy states that education should be a balance of theoretical and practical applications in order to produce good citizens. Being a good citizen is one of the tenets of Eastern philosophy. This philosophical thought sees education as a way of achieving wisdom, supporting family values, and addressing social and economic issues. By addressing our ever-changing society, John Dewey popularized the philosophy of Pragmatism. Along with Dewey, Karl Marx also saw the clash of education of children and curriculum. This clash is seen in the talent of the student and the structure of an outmoded school system. This led to the philosophy of a progressive model of active learning where social values and life adjustment are more important than academic skills. John Dewey’s pragmatic view allowed evolutionary changes in education, which Reconstructionist philosophy view is indebted to him. Reconstructionists believe that society is in need of constant change and uses education as a way of reconstructing society. They view the school as a social agent that can provide the foundation in these changes. Through changes one assumes learning takes place. The behaviorist theory focuses on the observable aspects of learning. Learning is therefore seen as process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors and how these factors make changes in one’s knowledge, skills, values and world views. B.F. Skinner is seen as the father of behaviorism and viewed the educational process as a way to shape culture and behavior which directly leads to one’s contribution of their own learning. One’s contribution to their own learning requires one to be a participant in their own education. This engagement is the bases of Existentialism in which the student creates ideas that are relevant to their existence. Through questioning their existence, it will release their potential as a learner. To reach your potential as a learner one must examine their learning. The examination of learning is the premise of Analytic philosophy. The aim of Analytic philosophy is to help the student and teacher to clarify the language used in order to educate the child.
At various times in education one of these philosophies has played a major role in educating our children. The philosophy I subscribe to can be viewed as eclectic, being influenced by all of the philosophies studied. By studying these philosophies, it has helped me to become more conscious of where our educational system began and where we can evolve to in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revised Text:

The study of the philosophy of education should help develop a teacher’s ideas about education and give him or her the tools to think of education through a broad spectrum. Through the use of educational philosophies we can use these ideologies to think clearly about what we, as teachers, are doing in the context of developing individuals and the interaction with social development.

Education has played a major role in the development of civilization. By carefully studying the marriage of philosophies of education and social development we, as teachers, can gain better insights into understanding the problems with education. Ultimately, the goal is to understand the needs of the learner, what one should learn, and how best to achieve this goal.

In studying philosophies of education one can see the merits of each, how each philosophy intertwines, and their impacts on education. Idealism stresses that not only should education develop the mind but also focus on things of lasting value.

Plato was the earliest educational thinker. He stressed that education should be holistic. Realism, despite its many proponents and interpretations, introduced Aristotle’s view of education. His philosophy states that education should be a balance of theoretical and practical applications in order to produce good citizens. Being a good citizen is one of the tenets of Eastern philosophy. This philosophical thought sees education as a way of achieving wisdom, supporting family values, and addressing social and economic issues.

By addressing our ever-changing society, John Dewey popularized the philosophy of Pragmatism. Along with Dewey, Karl Marx also saw the clash of education of children and curriculum. This clash is seen in the talent of the student and the structure of an outmoded school system. This led to the philosophy of a progressive model of active learning where social values and life adjustment are more important than academic skills. John Dewey’s pragmatic view allowed evolutionary changes in education, for which the Reconstructionist philosophy view is indebted to him.

Reconstructionists believe that society is in need of constant change and uses education as a way of reconstructing society. They view the school as a social agent that can provide the foundation for these changes. Through changes, one assumes learning takes place.

The behaviorist theory focuses on the observable aspects of learning. Learning is therefore seen as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors and how these factors make changes in one’s knowledge, skills, values and world views. B.F. Skinner is seen as the father of behaviorism and viewed the educational process as a way to shape culture and behavior, which directly leads to students’ contributions to their own learning. Students contribution to their own learning requires them to be participants in their own education. This engagement is the bases of Existentialism, in which the student creates ideas that are relevant to their existence. Through questioning their existence, their potential as learners will be released. To reach their potential as learners, they must examine their learning. The examination of learning is the premise of Analytic philosophy. The aim of Analytic philosophy is to help the student and teacher to clarify the language used in order to educate the child.

At various times in education one of these philosophies has played a major role in educating our children. The philosophy I subscribe to can be viewed as eclectic, being influenced by all of the philosophies studied. By studying these philosophies, it has helped me to become more conscious of where our educational system began and where we can evolve to in the future.

Editor:

1. Please review the text carefully to ensure your intended meaning was not mistakenly changed.

2. Before you leave this page, please take a moment to use the "Click here to post comments." link at the bottom of the page to rate the proofreading and leave a comment if you wish.

Proofreading and editing pages that receive ratings and comments are moved to the top of the list.