Naturalism in Education

1. NATURALISM IN
EDUCATION
JERAMIE G. BUENSUCESO

2. NATURALISM IN EDUCATION
We are born weak, we need strength; helpless,
we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that
we lack at birth, all that we need when we come
to man’s estate, is the gift of education.
~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

3. Naturalism as a philosophy of education
was developed in the 18th century. It is based
on the assumption that nature represents the
wholeness of reality. Nature, itself, is a total
system that contains and explains all
existence including beings and human nature.
• Education must conform to the natural
processes of growth and mental
development.

4. • Education should be pleasurable.
• Education should engage the
spontaneous self-activity of the child.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF
EDUCATION
Education is for the body as well as the
mind- Even if it were possible, there is
no point in making a man mentally fit

5. for life and neglecting his physical
fitness.
Herbert Spencer (Naturalist) first regards
the pupil from the physical side. For the
child is at the bottom a little animal,
whatever else he may be. He has a body,
or to be more accurate, he is a body one
of his first requirements therefore is that
he be health, a vigorous animal, able to
stand the wear and tear of living.

6. Schools should develop the “whole child”.
Naturalist proposes that the child be given
opportunity to grow physically, mentally,
socially, emotionally, aesthetically,
vocationally, under the auspices of the school.
“ That education which prepares for direct and
indirect self-preservation; that which prepares for
parenthood; that which prepares for citizenship;
that which prepares for the miscellaneous
refinements for life.” - Spencer

7. General Aim – Complete living
1.Self-preservation- In order to live
completely, as man has first of all to live, he
has to continue his own existence. While
instinct is the chief guarantee of this
objective, education may also help by
acquainting the learner with the laws of
health and enabling him to earn a living.

8. 2. Securing the necessities of life- It is
especially in the realm of developing
economic efficiency that education helps in
preserving life. Money is not life, but it is a
necessity in maintaining life. Education
should train directly for success in this
important function.

9. 3. Raising children –Though a bachelor,
Spencer held that the most important function
that most men and women have to perform is
that of being parents.Therefore education
should deal unashamedly both with the care of
children in the nursery and the discipline of
them as growing boys and girls.

10. 4. Maintenance of social and political
relations- Beyond the home in the far –
reaching social structure, man must have some
understanding and mastery of social and
political processes if living is to be complete. He
must be a wise citizen who is equipped for
effective social and political action.

11. 5. Enjoyment of leisure- Life is not all serious
struggles, keeping physically strong, earning a
living, being a responsible parent and an earnest
citizen. Complete living also includes freedom
from struggle some of the time for “gratification
of the tastes and feelings.”

12. THE CONCEPT OFTEACHER
The teacher’s role is to remain in
background. The natural development of
child should be stimulated. Since, Nature is
considered to be best educator.
According to naturalists, the teacher is the
observer and facilitator of the child’s
development rather than a giver of

13. information, ideas, ideals and will power or a molder
of character.
For Rousseau, the teacher is a person who is
completely in tune with nature. He believes that
human beings have their own time-table for
learning.
- Opines that teacher should not be in a hurry to
make the child learn. Instead he should be patient,
permissive and non-intrusive.

14. - The teacher is an invisible guide to learning.
While ever-present, he is never taskmaster.
Naturalist are of the view that teacher
should not be one who stresses books,
recitations and massing information in
literary form, “rather he should give
emphasis on activity, exploration, learning
by doing.

15. THE CONCEPT OF STUDENT
Rousseau – “Everything is good as it comes
from the hands of the author of nature. Man
meddles and they become evil.”
Teachers do not teach subjects, they teach
pupils.
“I hate books; they only teach us to talk
about things we know nothing about.”

16. Its curriculum is usually based on the needs,
interest and abilities of the child in relation to
its levels of development. So, a child-centered
curriculum forms an amicable answer of the
Naturalist. It helps in recognizes individual
differences and experiences of the child
should form the core element of the
curriculum In like manner the curriculum of
the naturalists might be classified as
experience-centered.

17. METHODOLOGY OF INSTRUCTION
Methods of instruction should be inductive.
The educational implication of the
naturalistic theory holds that good
education is pleasurable, thus, methods of
teaching should be based upon the belief
that the child is not averse to learning but
enjoys it.

18. The natural mode of self expression is PLAY and
learning should be done through cheerful
spontaneous and creativity of play.The process of
discovery is given importance.The activities like
excursions, fieldtrip and practical experiments are
recommended to enhance learning.
Rousseau – “How to teach”- experience is the only
teacher.
Spencer-The scientific naturalist, enthroned
experimentation, the usual method of empirical
sciences, as the only valid method of teaching.

19. CONCEPT OF DISCIPLINE
• Rousseau- advocates maximum freedom for
the child and further stresses in freeing the
child from the tyranny of rigidity and strict
discipline.
• Discipline should derive from the natural
elements of the situation