2. Naturalism
• Nature is everything, there is nothing beyond
it.
• Nature is also termed as materialism.
• Man should investigate the truth of nature by
scientific methods with all his capacities and
resourcefulness.
• It doesn’t believe in sentimentalism,
spiritualism, and supernaturalism.
3. Meaning of Naturalism
• It emphasis on the nature in every field of
education.
• It does not believe in existence of God.
• It gave importance to the matter and the
physical world.
• It is a philosophy which considers nature
as everything and denies the existence of
spirit.
5. Definition
• Naturalism is metaphysics, which considers
nature as the whole reality. It excludes what is
supernatural or the other world”.
- Hocking.
• “Naturalism is a term loosely applied in
educational theory to systems of training that are
not dependent on schools and books, but on the
actual life of the education.”
- Adam
6. Forms of Naturalism
Forms of
Naturalism
Atomistic
Naturalism
Scientific
Naturalism
Physical
Naturalism
Biological
Naturalism
Mechanical
Naturalism
Historical
Naturalism
7. Principles of Naturalism
• Stress on Physical environment.
• Universe is a huge machine. Man is also a part of this
machine.
• Reality can be truly analyzed by natural science.
• The present in the real life, man should try to make
this life happy and comfortable.
• Education in accordance with the nature of the child.
• Man is the highest creature or animal according to his
nature. So the essence of his life is animal instinct and
not spiritually.
8. Aims of Education
• The aim of education is according to Herbert
Spencer, to enable the individual to lead a
complete life.
• it is the general aim, which comprises of five
specific objectives.
• The objectives are as follows:
1) Self-preservation
2) Securing the necessities of life
3) Upbringing children
4) Maintain of social and political relations
5) enjoyment of leisure
10. Aims of Education
• Self-expression: Self-expression, not self-realization
is an important aims of naturalistic education.
• Self-Preservation: Education should help the child in
self-preservation. It includes self health along with
healthy environment.
• Fullest Development: Naturalism believes that the
chief aim of education is the fullest development of
the child.
• Survival of the individual: Naturalism believes that
the fittest alone should survive. Education must
equipe the child to struggle to exist.
11. Characteristics of Naturalism
• Back to nature
• Negative education
• It is against bookish knowledge and verbalism
• Freedom of the child
• Material education
• Scientific education
• Naturalism gives central position to the child in the
educational process.
• Education prepare the child for his future adult life.
• It gives emphasis on the training of senses as senses
are the gateway of knowledge.
12. Naturalism and Curriculum
• Naturalist do not advocate a fixed curriculum.
• Curriculum must be child-centered.
• It gives place for skills and other useful educational
activities.
• It lay stress on physical education and health
training and home science also.
• It considers literacy subjects as useless and gives no
place in the curriculum.
• Curriculum should contain games, sports, physical
culture, biology, physics, nature study, language,
history, geography, and other allied subjects.
13. • Herbert Spencer classifies all human activities
into five and assigns a place to each of them in
the curriculum. The five activities in order of
priority are
i) Activities of self-preservation
ii) Activities of a Vocation
iii) Activities of a worthy citizenship
iv) Activities of a worthy home membership
v) Activities of the leisure time
Naturalism and Curriculum
14. Naturalism and Method of Teaching
• Naturalism is a result against the old, traditional,
bookish system of education.
• Direct experience with nature, things, and men is
the keynote of instruction according to naturalists.
• They follow different method of teaching according
to the interests, capacities, and aptitude of the child
• Learning by doing
• Heuristic Method
• Direct method
15. • Observation and excursion
• Play way method
• Learning through senses
• Learning through participation
• Other methods: Naturalists adopt Dalton
plan, Kindergarten, Excursion method,
Montessori Method, Experimentation so
as to bring about a natural development
in the child.
Naturalism and Method of Teaching
16. Naturalism and Teacher
• Teacher should behave sympathitically and
affectionately forwards the children.
• Nature- supreme Teacher
• Teacher the observer
• Understand about child
• Teacher the stage setter
• Teacher the gardener
17. Naturalism and Discipline
• Naturalist gives full freedom to the child to
perform and learn whatever he likes.
• No punishment
• Full freedom
• Free society
• Naturalists assume that the child has no
knowledge of good and bad, but suffers pain
when he makes a mistake, and pleasure when he
does something right. Thus he gets reward or
punishment for his actions.
18. • They disapprove of punishment to
children.
• Punishment should be determined by
natural consequences of wrong deeds.
• If the child breaks the windowpane of
his room, he should not be punished
physically as Rosseau did imagine for
Emile.
Naturalism and Discipline
19. Naturalism and School
• School environment should be completely free, flexible
and without any rigidity.
• It should be helpful for the free and natural development
of the child.
• It should be situated in the lap of nature, far away from
cities.
• There should not be any fixed time table and ready dozes
of knowledge.
• School develops the feeling of self learning and self-
discipline.
• It does not want to burden the child with examination.
• There should be no provision for punishment.
20. Limitations of Naturalism
• Naturalism does not offer definite aims of
education.
• It neglects books, which are treasure of
knowledge contained in the printed material.
• Naturalism does not give due importance to
the moral and spiritual development of the
child.
• Naturalism assigns very little importance to the
teacher in the educative process.
21. Merits of Naturalism
• It gives the child a very important place in the
educational process. It treats a child as child and not as
an adult. The child is good and pure at the terms of
birth.
• It motivates the child to acquire more knowledge in the
natural environment.
• It considers nature as the best teacher in whose
company the child learns better.
• It prepares and encourages the child to engage in
experimentation, discoveries and inventions.
• It considers individual interests, aptitude, inclination,
needs and capacities while structuring the curriculum.
