A webinar on ' SCHOOLS of WESTERN PHILOSOPHY ' organised by Department of Education, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. Invited Resource Person Ms Kalpana Chavan St. Xavier’s Institute of Education, Mumbai.

1. SCHOOLS of WESTERN
PHILOSOPHY
Webinar
on
Department of Education
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University
Tirunelveli

4. SCHOOLS of WESTERN
PHILOSOPHY
Ms Kalpana Chavan
St. Xavier’s Institute of Education, Mumbai.

5. Let’s start with an old
Indian story

7. WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND
BLIND MEN
SUBJECTIVITY
EMOTIONS ARE
REAL
CHARACTER
BUILDING &
VALUES
PHIOSOPHY –
ONTOLOGY
EPISTEMOLOGY
ETHICS
AXIOLOGY

9. PARADIGM SHIFT IN
PHILOSOPHIES AND EDUCATION

10. https://ecampusontario.pressbo
oks.pub/robsonsoced/chapter/_
_unknown__-2/

11. WHAT WAS EDUCATION
LIKE IN THE 19TH
CENTURY?
FORMAL OR
INSTITUTIONAL
EDUCATION STARTED
WITH ADVENT OF
SCIENCE AND
INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION

12. SCENARIO
• At a conference some
Principals were asked to
describe their education
system – any unique
feature of their school,
college or university

14. RELATION BETWEEN
PHILOSOPHY & EDUCATION
Mrs.Kalpana Chavan,SXIE

15. Philosophy
Sets the goals and
essentials of good
life
Education
Acquaints us with
the means of
achieving these
goals
Mrs.Kalpana Chavan,SXIE

16. Philosophy Education
Is speculative in nature Is pragmatic in nature
Is idealistic Is practical
Is theoretical,
contemplative
Is active
Deals with abstract Deals with Concrete
Discusses values Interested in
experiences that
inculcate values
Mrs.Kalpana Chavan,SXIE

17. CONCLUSION
Education ……
applied philosophy.
dynamic side of
Philosophy.
“Education and Philosophy are
two sides of the same coin” -
Ross
Mrs.Kalpana Chavan,SXIE

18. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION????
Mrs.Kalpana Chavan,SXIE
Philosophy of education –
What is education?
What is the purpose of education?
What does it mean to know something?
What is the relationship between education and society?
The philosophy of education recognises that the
development of a civil society depends on the education of
the young as responsible, thoughtful and enterprising
citizens.

19. Idealism
• Oldest philosophy
• Idealists believe that true reality hides within the people’s mind.
• Ideas is the true reality,
• Material world is characterized by change, instability, uncertainty
• Search for the Ultimate Reality- perfect and unchanging , it is beyond
this world
• Real knowledge is discovered only in mind
• The world is ‘Being’
• Plato, St. Augustine, Descartes, Kant, Hegel are some of the idealists

20. Idealism
• Idealism believes in the "Universal Mind”
• The world of ideas or values are important than the'world of
matter. They are in contrast to materialism
• Values are absolute. Idealism believes in spiritual or eternal values.
• The primary aim of human life is to achieve spiritual values. The
outstanding spiritual values are - Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
• These values are absolute, undying and permanent. In pursuit of
these values, man rises higher and higher in the, moral plane till he
becomes one with the "Universal Mind.

22. Education based on Idealism
• Aims – Spiritual and moral Development, character development, self –
realization, discovering the Ultimate Truth,
• Subjects like Philosophy, Grammar, Classical Languages, classical literature,
Mathematics
• Teacher should be a role-model, students imitate the teachers and be like
them, lead a disciplinarian life, be perfect
• Teaching Methods Reading, Holy books ,Astronomy, Oral methods, Lecture,
Discussion, Dialogue,
• Traditional methods even in Indian context ,
• Sravana • Manana • Nididhyasana
• Deliberations, debates, discussions

24. References for idealism
• https://www.academia.edu/29503571/Teacher_in_Id
ealist_Inspired_Classroom?auto=download
• http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/
31614/1/Unit-1.pdf

25. REALISM

26. What is Realism
• Realism comes from the Greek word
‘res’which means real.
• The belief in a reality that is completely
ontologically independent of our conceptual
schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc.
• A philosophy that things exist objectively.
• Deals with the fact that reality has an
absolute existence independent from our
thoughts, ideas and even consciousness.

28. Contrast to Idealism
• The most central thread of realism is
what can be called the principle or
thesis of independence..
• Idealism stated objects don’t have
an independent existence outside
our mind- chairness, tableness ir real
, table or chair are mere copies of
the Idea.
• But Realist believe that Objects exist
whether or not, there is a human
mind to perceive them
PLATO AND ARISTOTLE

31. St. Aquinas

33. AIM OF REALISM IN EDUCATION

35. Curriculum
Day to day life incidents
Reaction against the
curriculum consisting of
studies which are bookish,
abstruse.(idealism)
Importance to those subjects
which will prepare the child
for the day to day life.

36. METHOD OF TEACHING - REALIST

38. ROLE OF TEACHER IN REALISM

40. Let’s check the following images and deduce our next theory

43. Pragmatism as a School
of Philosophy
William James
John Dewey

45. Contrast it to
Idealism
You might find
pragmatism closer
to realism but away
from idealism

46. Pragmatism encourages people to
find processes that work in order
to achieve their desired
ends…action oriented,
experientially grounded

48. Education starts with the needs and
interests of the child, allows the child to
participate in planning her course of study,
employ project method or group learning,
depend heavily or experiential learning.
Children are active, organic
beings…needing both freedom and
responsibility.
Ideas are not separate from social
conditions, philosophy has a responsibility
to society.

51. Teacher is not the authoritarian but the
facilitator…encourages, offers suggestions,
questions and helps plan and implement courses
of study…has command of several disciplines
Inquiry method, problem solving, integrated
curriculum, learning by doing, project method,
experimental and experiential, correlation
ROLE OF TEACHER & METHOD OF TEACHING

53. Curriculum
• Activity Centered Curriculum
• Principle of Utility, learning by doing interest,
flexibility, experiences, integration etc.
• Exploratory, discovery method,
• Learner centered not subject centered
• Focus on real life , problem-solving methods

55. Difference between
Idealism and
Pragmatism

58. Naturalism and
Education

59. Naturalism as a Philosophy
• Naturalism means belief in nature. It advocates
return to Nature.
• According to W.E. Hocking, “Naturalism is a type of
metaphysics which takes Nature as the whole of
reality”.
• The philosophy of Naturalism excludes whatever is
supernatural or other worldly. Even life is a part of
the scheme of nature. This philosophy believes that
“everything comes from nature and returns to
nature.”

60. Naturalism appeared as a revolt against formalism and stereotyped
system of education.
In the words of Adams, “Naturalism is a term loosely applied to
systems of training that are not dependent on schools and books but
on the manipulation of the actual life of the educand.”
According to Ross, “Education is merely the fostering of natural
development and true education takes place when the nature, power
and inclinations of the child are allowed to develop freely with a
minimum of guidance.”
Naturalism in Education

62. Aristotle, Comte, Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau,
Comenius, Huxley, Herbert Spencer, Tagore and T.P.
Nunn are among those who thought of education along
naturalistic philosophy.

63. Principles of Naturalism
• Natural Setting: The essence of naturalistic
philosophy of education lies in providing
natural environment to the child. It is in this
setting that proper development of the child
can take place.
• Child-Centredness: Naturalism gives central
position to the child. Accordingly, the teacher
should understand child psychology and guide
the educand according to his needs and
attitudes.
• Children should be treated as children and
not as miniature adults.

64. Self Expression: Self expression, not self realization is an
important aim 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 equip the child to struggle
to exist.
Economic Efficiency: Naturalism believes that education should
be geared to the fulfillment of economic needs of the child.
Sublimation of Instincts: Education should aim at the redirection
and sublimation of child’s instincts.
Maintenance of Social and Political relations: Naturalist
educators believe through education the rate of development
should increase so that social and political justice is maintained.

65. Naturalism in India –
Shantiniketan and Nai Talim

66. Naturalism was a revolt against traditional system
of education which gave very little freedom to the
child.
Naturalism gives maximum freedom and central
position to the child. Its watch words are: "follow
nature", "back to nature", "maximum happiness"
and "utmost freedom to children".
Naturalism believes that education should be
according to the nature of the child.
Textbooks, curriculum and even teachers are not
so important as the child. It advocates creation of
conditions in which the development of the child
can take place in a natural way

68. Marxism can be defined as the
social, political, and economic
theories of Marx, which
interpreted Western history as
class struggle.

71. Marxism is the intellectual tradition that arose out of
the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It
encompasses a whole range of ideas, including an
approach towards history, an analysis of capitalism
and a new vision of the future

72. Karl Marx sees society as an arena of social conflict. To him,
function and role of social institutions can be best
understood by its economic system.
As per his doctrine, social institution; education system
strengthens existing class system that contains two main
classes: bourgeoisie, haves; and proletariat, have nots.
The education arranged for the children was the
education which the bourgeoisie thought was
required for the children of the working class.
Moreover, the bourgeoisie did not want educated
workers.
With regard to the pathetic school system and
education available to the children of the workers,
Engels concludes: “It cannot be otherwise; the
bourgeoisie has little to hope and much to fear, from
the education of the working-class” WHY???

73. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/07e9/ef0a9a09052382b5c41836fc48128d3f6a05.pdf
Marxism has historically presented critical perspectives on
capitalism and the ways that economic imperatives shape
institutions like schooling to correspond to the interests of the
ruling class.

74. Education is seen as functioning within the hegemonic social
system which is organized by and serves the interest of capital,
while calling for alternative modes of education that would
prepare students and citizens for more progressive socialist mode
of social organizations.
Transforming social relations would produce the
basis for a new society of non-alienated labor in
which individuals could utilize their free-time to
fully develop their human capacities and labor itself
would be a process of experimentation, creativity,
and progress.

75. “Free education for all children in
public schools. Abolition of children's
factory labour in its present form.
Combination of education with
industrial production, etc” (Marx
and Engels 1982: 53).
They argue that the economic restructuring of the global economy
suggests both the need to reconstruct education to make it
relevant to the needs of a new economy, but also provides
challenges to resisting the imposition of a market-based model of
education that would impose similar business models and
imperatives on educational institutions throughout the world, with
problematic results.

76. Existentialism in
Education

80. Philosophy of Existentialism
• Examining life through authentic thinking involves
students in genuine learning experiences.
• Existentialists are opposed to thinking about students
as objects to be measured, tracked, or standardized.
• Such educators want the educational experience to
focus on creating opportunities for self-direction and
self actualization.
• They start with the student, rather than on
curriculum content.

82. Existentialists

83. • To assist in development of self-realization in the child
• To develop authentic self of the child
• To inculcate choice making power in student.
• To develop sense of responsibility in the child
• To develop unique personality of the child
• To empower the student to face crisis in their times
AIMS OF EDUCATION AND EXISTENTIALISM

85. Existentialism
• Related to education, the subject matter of
existentialist classrooms should be a matter of
personal choice.
• Teachers view the individual as an entity within a
social context in which the learner must confront
others' views to clarify his or her own.
• Character development emphasizes individual
responsibility for decisions. Real answers come from
within the individual, not from outside authority.

87. Approaches have changed
20th Cty 21st Cty
• A perfect example of real-life, relevant,
project-based 21st century education• 1960 s classes, only in
four walls of classroom,
teacher centered, rote
learning

88. To conclude

90. Transformation of Learning
How can you as tomorrow’s educators transform
education?
How will you utilize the different approaches to
education in your teaching-learning process