Pragmatism is an American philosophy that emerged in the 1850s. It views ideas as tools for solving problems and believes that the meaning and truth of ideas come from their practical consequences and real-world applications. Major exponents include Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. Pragmatism emphasizes experience, action, and practical results over abstract theorizing. It influenced progressive education by stressing learning by doing, integrating subjects, using projects, and making education more relevant to students' lives and society.

1. ARSHA BABU

2.  Philosophy of Pragmatism is mainly an American
concept which come into prominence after 1850.
 The word Pragmatism is derived from a Greek word
‘Pragma’ which mean ‘to do’, ‘to make’ and ‘to
accomplish’
 Pragmatism also known as ‘Practical Philosophy’ and
Utilitarian Philosophy.
 Exponents of pragmatism – C.B. Pierce, William
James, John Dewey, Kilpatrick and others.

3. “Pragmatism offers us a theory of
meaning, a theory of truth of knowledge,
and a theory of reality”
- Gomes. B. Prett

5. Humanist Pragmatism
Those things or principles are true which satisfy the
needs requirements aspirations and objectives of human
beings and cater the welfare of man kind

6. Biological pragmatism
Power or capacity of a human being is valuable and
important which enables him to adjust with the
environment or which makes him able to change his
environment according to his needs and
requirements.

7. Experimental Pragmatism
According to this ideology that thing or
principle is true which can be verified as true
by experiment.

8.  Experience is the central idea in pragmatism.
 There are no absolute values of life.
 Action is real and ideas are tools.
 Man is an active being.
 Man has the ability to solve his problems.
 Utilitarian aspect is supreme.
 Past has little value.
 Present and future are more important.

9.  Education is based on philosophy and science.
 It emphasizes experiment and practice.
 Child is the focal point of all educational activities.
 It opposes book learning.
 Only sociability is emphasized.
 It is a progressive dynamic and changeable ideology.

10.  Aims of education are not predetermined.
 Educational aims change according to times places and
circumstances.
 Aims of education are not final and fixed.
 Education should provide more and more purposeful experience.
 Creation of new values.
 Social adjustment and harmonious development.

11. Principle of Utility :
The school must provide the experience that
are useful to the child.
Principle of Natural Interest:
It should be based on the natural instant of the child.

12. 1. Interest in conversation
2. Interest in investigation
3. Interest in construction
4. Interest in creative expression
Principle of graded curriculum :
The curriculum should consider the stages of child
development.

13. Principle of experiences based in occupations :
Curriculum attaches limited importance to book learning.
Besides the subject the curriculum include purpose,
procedure and socialized activity.
Principle of Integration :
The subjects are treated a mode of activities in relation to
life situation.
Principle of Social worth :
Curriculum, provides socially useful activities.
Principle of dynamism :
It does not believe the rigidity of the curriculum. It changes
according to the needs of the pupils and the society

14. In the lower classes pragmatists prescribe an
integrated curriculum. The 3 R’s Reading,
Writing and Arithmetic; Craft, Drawing and
Music, etc should be included in their
curriculum in order to satisfy their interest in
communication, enquiry , construction and
artistic expression.

15. Learning by doing
It is the principle of pragmatic methodology
“the child learns by doing”
- John Dewey
 All learning must come as a byproduct of action, and
never as something learned directly for its own sake.
 The pragmatic teacher suggests a few problems,
indicates the lines of activity and loves the child to
experiment for himself.

16. The Project method
It is a direct outcome of pragmatic philosophy.
“ a whole hearted purposeful activity
proceeding in a social environment”
- Kilpatrick
“ a problematic act carried to completion in its
natural setting “
- Stevenon

17.  Pragmatism holds that discipline should be social
through free, purposeful and co-operative activities
organized in the school that lead to social discipline as
well as self discipline.
 Such activities create values like interactive, self
relations tolerance, sympathy.
 These values help in building the morals and training
the character.

18.  There is no place for rewards and punishments
 Morals grow from democratic living.
 Students develop a sense of self control.

19.  Teacher as a helper and guide.
 The teacher assume the role of an arranger of
experience or he is a facilitator or stage setter and the
teacher create a suitable environment for learning.
 According to Dewey, “The teacher is a guide and
director, he steers the boat, but the energy that propels
it must come from those who are learning”

20.  The child is creative and constructive by nature.
 He is not a passive listener but an active participant in
the educative process.
 Educators must exploit the activities of children for the
teaching and learning processes.

21.  Unlike the previous conception of education as a bipolar
process, the child and the educative process being the
two poles, pragmatists think of it as a tri – polar
process, the immediate society being the third pole.
 The child needs to be familiarized with the life –
customs, traditions, norms, values and behavior of the
society.

22.  The progressive school classroom is one in which
students assume more responsibility and initiative for
their own learning.
 They are actively engaged in learning activities, such as
conducting their own science experiments.
 Instruction is individualized to accommodate their
different interests, needs and learning rates.

23.  Socialization activities such as discussion, dramatics,
music and other group activities are emphasized.
 The progressive classroom provides more freedom and
activity.
 Fundamental skills are taught more through the
discovery method.

24.  Importance of child
 Emphasis of activity
 Faith in applied life
 Infusion of new life in education
 Social and democratic education
 Progressive and optimistic attitude
 Construction of project method

25.  No pre determined aims of education
 Opposition of pre determined ideals and values
 Opposition of ideal truths
 Negation of spiritual values
 Negation of past

26.  Condemnation of formal education
 Difficulty in the construction of curriculum
 Pragmatism is a method only.

30.  It keeps the children close to their experiences. It has
promoted the value of experimentation in educational
practice. The project method of learning is the most
important contribution of pragmatism to educational
practice.