2. Educational Philosophers
Philosophy on education can be studied from two perspectives.
1. Eastern Philosophies/ Philosophers
2. Western Philosophies/ Philosophers
Plato (427- 347 B.C.) Idealism
• Education should produce people with a sense of morality. The main purpose was to make an ideal society with ideal people.
• A curriculum to develop deep mental thinking was introduced for
Basic Education - Music, Physical Education
Secondary Education - Science, Mathematics, Logic
• Child was enlisted to an education system of 55 years.
• Formal education was started at the age of six years.
• Introduced teaching methodology that develop mental thinking abilities such as play method, imitation, music, story- telling and drama.
Principles of education according to idealism
• Lifelong education
• Child-centered education
• Moral education
• Family based community education
• Equal education for both sexes
• Compulsory education
• Responsibility of Education in the State
• Spiritual development
• Character development
• Self – realization
Jean Jaques Rousseau (1712-1778) Naturalism
• A child should grow according to the nature.
• Nature wants children to be children before they are men.
• Childhood has ways of seeing, thinking and feeling peculiar to itself and nothing can be more foolish than to substitute our ways to them.
• A child is not a small adult.
• Education consists of four stages:
1. Infancy -from birth to 2 years
2. Childhood -from 2 years to 12 years
3. Pre- adolescence -from 12 years to 15 years
4. Adulthood -over 20 years
• Child- centered education.
• Introduced alternative teachers so as not to depend on the teacher (various media, observation, exploration, travelling)
• Designed curricular based on student interests, desires and skills.
• Competency- based learning.
• Dissuade corporal punishment.
• More attention for individual learning
• Nature alone is the source of all knowledge
• Learning through experience.
Karl Marks (1818-1883) Marxism
• Education should be a responsibility of the state.
• Religious influences on education should be avoided.
• Compulsory education
• Education should not depend on class differences.
• Education should be integrated with the world of work.
1. 9-12 years -should be worked for 2 hours
2. 13-14 years -should be worked for 4 hours
3. 14-17 years -should be worked for 6 hours
• Education should produce a fully developed individuals.
• Equal educational opportunities should be given for everyone.
• Separate education from the Church.
• Complete development of body and mind.
• Every child should participate in the production of goods.
• Man must be saved from dehumanization.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869- 1948)
• Education consist of three main principles.
1. Intellectual Training
2. Spiritual Training Developing the head + heart + hand
3. Physical Training
• Main aims of education.
1. Primary education is compulsory for all.
2. Education should be based on a handicraft.
3. Self-discipline should be internalized by Education.
4. Education should be given in the mother tongue.
5. Education should not be given by force.
John Dewey (1859- 1952) Utilitarianism
• The child is the starting point, the centre and at the end. His development, his growth is the ideal. It alone is standard.
• There are no pre- determined aims in education. It is a continuous process. Education is a progression forwarded by reconstructing the previous experiences.
• Education is not preparing for life but for living.
• Education should be child-centered.
• Education should be based on activities.
• Project method encourages group learning.
• Introduced learning methods such as:
1. Activity method – teach things rather than words.
2. Exploration method
4. Problem solving method and
5. Group learning
• Education should be competency- based. (a competency is a concept of which knowledge, skills, attitude and practice from the components)
• Transformation teacher role should be more powerful than transmission role.
• Providing learning opportunities outside the school is more important than opportunities inside the school.
Maria Montesoori (1870-1952)
• Introduced education for pre- childhood.
• Education should be given through enjoyable games.
• Pay attention to the basic education given at the family.
• Teacher should facilitate the child’s free behaviour.
• Child’s classroom should be a pleasant place.
• Unnecessary help is a hindrance to child’s development.
Paulo Freire (1921-1997) (Brazilian Educationist)
• Attention towards adult education.
• Conscientization
• Banking concept of education.
• Education should be centered in relation to cultural circles.
• Read not only books but also read the world too.
Julius Nyerere (1922) – a president of Tanzania
• Introduced an education system suitable for a self – sufficient rural agricultural economy.
• He anticipated the Africanization of education.
• Criticized the prevailing education system.
• Education should be for self - reliance.
• Down played the capitalistic competition in the school by the Arusha Declaration of 1967.
• Introduced different stages of education.
1. Pre – school
2. Primary school
3. Secondary education
4. Higher education
• Attention was paid mainly for education.
