This document provides an overview of pragmatism and existentialism as philosophies of modern education. It discusses key aspects of each philosophy including their views on the aims of education, curriculum, teaching methods, and the role of the teacher. Pragmatism supports progressive education and emphasizes activity, experience, and problem solving. Existentialism focuses on individual freedom, responsibility, and uniqueness, and supports self-directed learning opportunities for students to define their own essence.

1. Welcome
Modern philosophies of
education
(Pragmatism & existentialism)
by: gemma t. cabello

2. Philosophy of
pragmatism

3. “everybody is a genius. but if
you judge a fish by it’s
ability to climb a tree, it
will live it’s whole life
believing that it is stupid.”
-albert einstein

4. Pragmatism as a philosophical
tradition began in the United
States around 1870. Charles
Sanders Peirce is the principle
proponent of pragmatism.

5. The word pragmatism is derived
from the Greek.
Pragmatism means practice and
action.
 Pragmatism means utility.

6. Pragmatism is an American philosophy.
According to this thought whatever is
useful is good and whatever is good is
useful.

7. A pragmatist lives in a world of
facts and not in a world of ideas
or ideals.

8. Charles Sanders Peirce
William James
John Dewey
George Herbert Mead

10. Pragmatism & Education
 Pragmatism supports for progressive trends in
education.
 Pragmatism has influenced the modern
education greatly.
 According to pragmatism “activity” lies at the
center of all educative process. Education is a
continuous process which is progressive and
flexible.

11. Pragmatism & Education
 It stands for freedom and worth of the
individual. It works on the principle of democracy
and education as a social necessity.
 According to this school of thought education
should help an individual to meet human needs
and solve problems and thereby enable an
individual to lead a happy life.

12. Pragmatism & Aims of Education
1. Creation of new values.
2. Activity and experience
3. Personal and social judgement
4. Reconstruction of experience
5. All round development

13. New Values
Pragmatism has no fixed aims or goals
of education. According to Ross, the
general education aim of pragmatism
is “creation of new values”.

14. Activity and Experience
Activity and experience are essential to
create new values. Therefore the
educational system aims at providing the
learner, physical, intellectual, moral and
aesthetic activities.

15. Personal and Social Judgement
Pragmatism lays stress on an individual solving
problems of life.
 Pragmatism emphasizes adaptation to
environment, construction and reconstruction of
experience and development of capacities to
control the environment.

16. All Round Development
The most important aim of education
is “all around development”. An
individual must develop physically,
mentally, socially, morally and
aesthetically

17. Pragmatism and Curriculum
Pragmatism do not advocate a fixed curriculum
in advance. Only an outline of the activities may
be kept in mind at the start of he programme.
 Curriculum should be evolved according to the
requirement of situations. Thus, pragmatism
advocates a flexible curriculum. Hence, the
nature of the learner has to e taken into
consideration.

18. Pragmatism and Methods of
Teaching
1. Learning by Doing
2. Provision of Real Life Situation
3. Project Method

19. Learning by Doing
Pragmatism believes in experimenting
with new methods of teaching. These
methods of teaching are devised by the
teacher in the real light of real life
situations.

20. Provision of Real Life Situation
Pragmatism stresses on action rather than
reflection. The learner has to be put in to the
real situation which will result in purposeful
creative activity and problematic acts.

21. Project Method
Project method is the most important
contribution of pragmatism. It is referred to
as the “problematic act carried to completion
in its natural setting.

22. Pragmatism and Teacher
The main function of a pragmatic teacher is to
create a real life situation in which some problems
may emerge and guide the child in solving the
problems.
Thus, the teacher puts the pupil in the position of
discoverer and experimenter.
The teacher is a friend and a helper and a person
who provides opportunities for experimentation.

26.  It is the modern philosophical view which takes
the TAO as its starting point.
 It is subjective.
 Humans possess free will and stand in an
absurd and meaningless world or universe.
 Every individual is unique.
 Individuals have to take responsibility for their
own actions and and shapes their own
destinies.

27.  Emphasis on human responsibility and
judgement in ethical matters.
 The individual is the sole judge of his
or her own actions.
 Human freedom is understood
precisely as the freedom to choose.
 “Existence precedes essence.’

28.  Human persons do not possess the essence,
they make choices that create their own
nature.
 Choice is vital and inevitable to human
existence, even the refusal to choose is a
choice.
 Freedom of choice entails risk, responsibility
and commitment.

29. Existentialism deals with:
Concreteness of experience
Personal concern
Commitment
Uniqueness of the individual

30. The values of existentialism are:
Freedom of choice
Individual dignity
Personal love
Creative effort

31. Factors that affect freedom of choice
( Calderon, 2004)
 Influence of family especially the parents
 Influence of peers and associates
 Religious orientation
 Social approval
 Cultural patterns
 Financial status
 Psychological traits especially intelligence
 Sex
 Health and physical fitness
 Education

32. The Proponents
of Existentialism

33. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

34. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

35. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

36. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

37. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

38. Mercury is
the closest
planet to the
Sun and the
smallest one
in the Sollar
System, it’s
only a bit
larger than
Moon.

39.  To help students understand and appreciate
themselves as unique individuals who accept
complete responsibility for their thoughts,
feelings and actions.
 To educate the whole person, not just the mind,
since feeling is not divorced from reason in
decision making.

40.  Learning is self-paced, self- directed.
 Students are given a wide variety of options from
which to choose.
 Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of
subject matter.
 The humanities are given emphasis to provide
students with vicarious experiences that will help
unleash their own creativity and self- expression.

41.  Composed of fine arts, drama, creative expression,
literature and philosophy.
 Vocational education is seen more as a means of
teaching students about themselves and their
potentials than that of earning a livelihood.

42.  Focus is on the individual
 In teaching history, existentialist
focus on the actions of historical
individuals who provide possible models
for the students’ own behavior rather
than emphasizing historical events.

43.  In arts, existentialism encourages
individual creativity and imagination more
than copying and imitating established
models.
 In teaching values, teachers employ
values clarification strategy to help students
know themselves and their place in society

44.  To help students define their own essence
by exposing them to various paths they
take in life.
 To create an environment in which they
freely choose their own preferred way.
 To relates with each student openly and
honestly.

45.  To freely choose what subject/s
they want to study along as they
interested in it.
 To define their own essence or
meaning of life.

46. “There is no reality
except in action.”

47. Thank You