Educational philosophy is a branch of applied philosophy that focuses on the nature of education. It analyzes the goals, problems, and aims of education. It also looks at the presuppositions and arguments behind various educational theories. Here are five of the main types of educational philosophy. What is the main goal of education? And how should it be achieved? Read on to find out what makes educational philosophy a valuable branch of philosophy. And get to know its many facets.
Philosophical analysis
While the two most widely used educational philosophy theories, essentialism and postmodernism, focus on different topics, these concepts share some commonalities. Both emphasize the importance of education and the pursuit of universal and absolute truths. Essentialism emphasizes the importance of reason and intellectual development, while postmodernism focuses on character development. Philosophical analysis of educational philosophy has been a controversial topic since its emergence in the 1980s.
Both critical and prescriptive educational philosophy have their merits. Critics can also draw from a prescriptive impulse that emphasizes the motivational qualities of individuals and groups. Although philosophical analysis of education does not address the effectiveness of education in a particular context, it can provide a useful meta-analysis of educational theory. The results are often valued in and of themselves, as they may help inform substantive or normative conclusions.
The most prominent prescriptive approaches to educational philosophy cite canonical Great Works. However, these great philosophers rarely considered educational philosophy a separate field of inquiry. Instead, they built systems across multiple issues and worked out implications for teaching and learning. These prescriptive approaches, on the other hand, tend to refer to canonical works by influential philosophers. They often reference works from other fields and argue from the same premises.
While it is possible to understand and evaluate complex systems of thought using the tools of philosophical analysis, this approach is not without its limitations. It seeks to dissect complex systems of thought by separating them into simpler elements and their relationships. In the twentieth century, this analytical impulse became more widespread, and became integrated into Russell’s logical theory. During the 1930s, the logical positivists argued that analysis is the only legitimate philosophical investigation.
Reconstructionism
Reconstructionism is a philosophical movement in education that emphasizes the need for educators to reshape society and develop new pedagogical practices. This approach claims that educators must create new pedagogical practices that can meet the needs of a broad range of social classes, and is also concerned with the globalization of education. Reconstructionists have a particular interest in international education and are concerned with global issues such as education and social inequality.
Reconstructionism in education advocates the teaching of history from the perspective of those who have personally experienced it. Rather than focusing on the past, students are taught to understand the events of their own lives and those of other cultures. This approach is also more engaging for students and allows them to better understand the material they are learning. The philosophy has similarities to pragmatism and Dewey’s instrumentalism.
Reconstructionism is an educational philosophy whose capstone is social self-realization. The philosophy focuses on a democratically empowered world civilization and a commitment to cooperative relationships with others. Reconstructionists pay special attention to human relations, politics, and religion, but their commitment to existential humanism remains constant. The defended partiality of reconstructionist philosophy suggests that they look for answers to human problems.
A reconstructionist view is based on the philosophy of democracy. As such, it emphasizes the role of democracy in educational philosophy. Theoretically, no issue should be off limits in education. In addition, a democratic approach focuses on the individual. The educational system should be a vehicle for social change. It should also promote reasoned debate outside the classroom. Its principles are largely similar to those of the reconstructionists.
Perennialism
In the early 20th century, a strong movement emerged in educational philosophy called Perennialism. The idea behind it was to return to the classical ways of learning and instruction, to help the individual become a well-rounded human being. Its advocates promoted the study of the classics and believed that human beings need to learn the truth and the principles that govern them. This philosophy was developed in reaction to progressivism, which they viewed as anti-intellectual.
Perennialism in educational philosophy rejects the concepts of progress and materialism, and is opposed to any kind of education that emphasizes progress for its own sake. Perennialists emphasize the value of education as an eternal and timeless process. Perennialists also believe that culture is the sum of the behaviour of a race, and that civilization is the outcome of this. As a result, Perennialists believe that children learn from their culture through self-learning, self-activity, and even religious education.
For decades, educational philosophy has fought against the notion of progressivism. Proponents of Perennialism promoted a universal curriculum and a common educational system. However, it has been challenged by the needs of the working class, which has led to the formation of alternative views on education. Neo-scholasticism, a philosophical movement based on idealism, has been the major influence on Perennialism. Perennialism focused on higher education and high school but has since spread to all educational levels, including elementary. Some of its leading supporters were Maynard Hutchins and Motimer Adler.
A common misconception about Perennialism is that it is deterministic. That is, it assumes that people are good. This is false because humans are not inherently bad. Instead, they have free will, and we should strive to be like them. Perennialism also rejects the idea of universal values. This makes Perennialism an anti-intellectual theory. Consequently, it fails to account for the complexity of human behavior.
Community-based learning
There is much controversy and debate surrounding community-based learning as an educational philosophy. Some people fear that community-based learning will water down the curriculum and teach students less. Others believe that the approach will not adequately teach fundamental knowledge and will cause test scores to fall. Whatever the reasons, community-based learning is one of the best ways to improve student achievement and retention of knowledge. Let’s take a look at the philosophy’s benefits.
The concept is essentially a combination of community engagement and academic learning. Students participate in projects with community partners. They may undertake a research project on a community problem, participate in a job shadowing program, or volunteer with a nonprofit or advocacy group. Students may also conduct research in the community, interviewing health insurance executives, doctors, and urgent-care providers. Students may also interview people who lack health insurance to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the community.
Service-learning is a method of learning whereby students apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life situations. Service-learning helps students develop a sense of civic responsibility and replaces reliance on government programs. It also enriches the teaching profession. It promotes citizenship and civic responsibility among students and community agencies. Further, it gives educators and students a chance to connect classroom learning with real-world situations.
Community-based learning as an educational philosophy draws inspiration from alternative learning communities. It emphasizes community-based education, deemphasizes age and academic ability, and rejects hierarchical power structures. It has been practiced for over forty years and draws its inspiration from the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. However, there are some disadvantages associated with this approach.
Social epistemology
Using social epistemology in educational philosophy means understanding how the process of belief formation takes place in a broader context. Throughout history, social epistemology has focused on the role of social context in determining the optimal methods of individual belief formation. Social epistemology focuses on the evidential input of others, as well as on the epistemic agents’ attitudes and reactions to testimony and propositions.
Although radical social epistemologists have long emphasized the role of social contexts in forming knowledge, they rarely refer to it by that name. In contrast, radical social epistemologists advocate studying the actual communities of researchers in order to better understand their process. As a result, radical social epistemology argues for studying scientific communities from a humanistic and sociological perspective. This way of thinking is not easily applied to educational philosophy, where the social context plays a crucial role in understanding the process of knowledge production.
An increasing number of philosophers have embraced social epistemology. The concept of social epistemology encompasses various approaches to understanding the ways in which society influences the process of knowledge and justification. Despite the ubiquity of this concept, the growing respect for it signals a broadening of the scope of philosophical debate. It has become a highly respected field of study, requiring respect for its contributions.
Radical social epistemologists have also contributed to the debate, most notably Steve Woolgar and Bruno Latour. Their book Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts describes how scientific research is performed and how it benefits society. However, both of these perspectives are controversial and a variety of approaches are needed to properly assess the value of scientific knowledge in society. For many, however, a combination of approaches is the best way to understand the role of social epistemology in educational philosophy.