LECTURE NINE: APRIL 23rd, 2019
CREATIVE AND
DIALOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS OF
PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION
CREATIVE DIMENSION OF EDUCATION
Introduction
The
human person comprises of four
elements.
Ability to think- Cognition
Ability to decide
voluntarily -Volition
Ability to
act-Production
Ability to relate (with
others) – socialization.
The
task of education is to humanize the child. In this case is two-fold:
(i)
The
individualization of man: Limitations/
inhibitions to his/her potential are deliberately removed or minimized. This is
done by:
Inculcating rationality in the
learner to foster critical thinking ability to comprehend, justify and
appropriately apply acquired knowledge.
Transmission of morality, ethics
to enable the child attain moral judgment and moral behavior.
Inculcating skills and know- how
(occupational capacities).
(ii)
The socialization
of man: Genuine
humanization should enhance the social dimension of man where one is able to
mutually interact with others and co-exist with them.
(a) Education and Human
Creativity
Creativity
is the capacity or ability of an individual to create, discover or produce a
new or novel idea or object including the rearrangement or reshaping of what is
already known to him which proves to be a unique personal experience. In
education, creativity refers to those aspects of education geared towards the
development of an individual’s potential.
Operationalizing
Creativity in Education
In
order to ensure the component of creativity in education, several aspects need
attention. These include:
(i)
Child centered
approach to education.
(ii)
Learning environment
should be warm and encouraging – free from intimidation/ coercion etc.
(iii)
Learner uniqueness
ought to be appreciated. Individual differences should be addressed in teaching
and learning.
(iv)
Teachers should
display care and concern towards learners – show understanding
(v)
Dialogue should be
the routine in educational communication.
(vi) Teachers should fully grasp the
essence of the process of knowledge production and dissemination/transmission
to learners.
(vii)
Usually, knowledge
tends to be produced/manufactured outside the classroom. It’s not only
contained in textbooks.
(viii)
When it is
transmitted in the class, it is viewed as alien isolating the learner; it
appears unrelated to the learning environment and realities.
(ix)
Need to exercise
these two moments concurrently in the teaching/learning environment. Learners
should feel that they too could produce knowledge and know it at the same time.
(x)
Teaching methodology
should involve problematization of content towards which both teacher and
learner approximate by way of seeking for answers – task oriented learning.
(xi)
Content
presentation should not be portrayed as though the content is final. Teachers
should endeavor to relearn the content while learners learn the content the
first time.
(xii)
The teacher should
encounter the learner as equals in this shared humanity. The learner may look
delicate, ignorant etc, but the focus should be on what the learner is becoming.
(xiii)
Identify learner’s
strengths and weaknesses and be able to advice them appropriately in terms of
careers, talents etc.
(xiv)
The teachers’ role
here is to guide, train and elicit the inner capacities that often lie dormant/idle.
The importance of creativity in
education is:
(i) To develop individuality.
(ii) It is an educational approach
that is directed at personal growth and personal liberalization from limiting
circumstances of life.
(iii)
Reflection and
action, inherent in creativity is bound to produce a human response that is
adequate and adaptive to the reality of a situation.
(iv)
Human beings are
usually actors, producers, creators and workers. An approach which seeks to equip
them appropriately is welcome.
(v)
It tends to promote
critical thinking and activity oriented learning process.
(vi)
It enhances the
independence of mind, thought and action leading to autonomy.
(vii)
Allows for the
exploration of self in connection with inherent potentialities.
(viii)
It helps the learner
to realize that he/she is a task/project, - not yet complete – open ended being
who can transform himself as he reconstructs the environment.
(ix)
It promotes self
esteem, self expression, self determination, self reliance etc.
(b)
Education and Human Consciousness
Consciousness
involves two aspects:
The subject person
who is knowing.
The object being
known.
Being
conscious always implies being aware of something. When one is conscious of
something, they direct their intellectual/mental attention to either something
outside themselves; to the subject of their attention or to themselves
introspectively i.e. in this process, one makes themselves actively present to
it. They come into contact with it.
Levels
of Consciousness
There
are four levels of consciousness:
(i)
Empirical consciousness
This
is the lowest level of awareness where man experiences things empirically
through senses. This level of consciousness is also shared with animals, even
plants that may be said to be conscious of the environment. It is also a level
of pre-reflection common to children.
(ii)Intellectual
consciousness
This
is the second stage of consciousness. It is a stage of concept formation where
the mind develops ability to identify things, to name them. It is a stage of
construction as opposed to concrete awareness. Concepts like table, chair etc
begin to form in the mind.
(iii)Rational
consciousness
Here
the process of reasoning begins. An individual begins to make judgements based
on values/norms of society. Conformity to societal norms sets in.
(iv)Responsible
consciousness
The
level is also called critical consciousness. It involves the ability to make
judgement about the world (phenomena) and react to it in critical turmoil.
Critical reflection involves questioning the norms, routine of things. It
transcends the known strives to bring novelty, new approaches to doing things.
Each stage of consciousness is essential for every individual. In
teaching/learning environment, it is important to develop all the four
stages/levels of awareness. The ultimate aim of education ought to be
attainment of responsible conscious news. Where an individual attains this
level, one discovers that they are limited in many ways; that there exists inhibitions along one’s development.
THE DIALOGICAL DIMENSION OF EDUCATION: EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL PHENOMENON
The
term dialogue means communication or speaking words between two or more people.
Education as a dialogue proposes a middle-ground approach between the
traditional approach and the progressive approach to education. It attempts to
bridge the gap between transmission and
socialization.This means that there should be no polarity between the
individual and the society rather, both the society and the individual need to
be catered for in education. Education ought to develop knowledge and understanding
in ways that are consistent with the society’s values as well as the
development of one’s personality; individual.The basis of the teacher learner
relationship ought to be realization that the learner is a human being who has
a right to exist and to express himself/herself. Dialogue requires the teacher
and the learner to encounter each other as equals, each of them playing an
essential role as far as education is concerned. Based on this equality,
education should be seen as a process of communication. This aspect rules out
methods and procedures of monologue which destroy the realization of a
fulfilling education. Monologue constitutes an assault on the consciousness of
the other, rendering it silent, passive etc. Dialogue makes education to be inter-subjective:
a process involving encounter, participation. Education as dialogue rules out
authoritarian approaches by the teacher i.e. force and corporal punishment.
Such measures make students to be docile and submissive.It also rules out the
alleviation of the learner above the teacher as advocated by the progressive
movement. This is because doing so reduces the educating environment into a
chaotic atmosphere. The teacher should not abdicate his position as an adult,
but should exercise his/her role with care and concern, be humane to the
learners. This will motivate them to seek after, to explore and inquire into
knowledge under the caring guidance of the teacher. Essentially, dialogue is a
democratic communication that affirms the freedom of the participants to make
and remake their culture in the following ways.
Dialogue puts the
object to be known between the two subjects of knowing. They meet around it and
through it for mutual inquiry.
The educator/teacher
normally has prior contact with the object to be known. It is he who presents
it to the class for learners to discuss. However, the teacher’s prior knowledge
of the object does not mean that he/she has exhausted all dimensions of the object.
It is required that
the teacher relearns to avoid transferring knowledge statically as a fixed
possession of the teacher; dialogue demands a dynamic approximation towards the
object.
Dialogue does not
mean that everyone in class must say something even if they have nothing to
say. It only sustains a level of freedom for any learner who may want to say
something.
Dialogue requires
that the starting point of learning be ordinary experiences of reality.
There should be no
dichotomy between reality and the content of study. Conceptualize knowledge as
much as possible.
Teaching should be
conversational; moderate your voice accordingly.
Making learning task
oriented – problem based.
Teacher must be able
to grasp the learner’s entry behaviour in terms of their critical level of
cognition, literacy and vocabulary, political and social ideas they possess.
The words used ought
to be familiar – clarity of words will result into clarity of thought hence
effective communication.
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
(I)
IDEALISM AND EDUCATION
Definition and meaning of Idealism
The main tenant of idealism is that
ideas and knowledge are the truest reality. Many
things in the world change, but ideas and knowledge are enduring.Proponents
include: Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Kant,
Hegel and Royce Bishop George Berkeley etc.
Aims of Education
o The purpose of education is to
contribute to the development of the mind and self of the learner.
o It emphasizes intellectual activities,
moral judgments, aesthetic judgments, self-realization, individual freedom, individual responsibility, and
self-control in order to achieve this development.
Education outcome: a literate person with good moral character
in order to better
serve
society.
The school has a responsibility to
find and to train future leaders
Education should
maintain and
transmit of the established values of
the past
The Concept of Student
The Idealistic pupil is characterized by that admirable
trait, the will to perfection. Whatever he
does, he does as well as he can.
He is
ambitious to deserve honors in scholarship.
He wants to grow
in knowledge and wisdom, to appreciate the aesthetic
things in life to deserve approbation, and to be a worthy person.
He strives for perfection because the ideal person is perfect.
The Concept of Teacher
The teacher
must be excellent, in order to serve as an example for the
student, both intellectually and morally.
Is the most
important element in the school to train learners on perfection.
Excel in knowledge and in human insight into the needs and
capacities of the learner.
Demonstrates moral excellence in
personal conduct and convictions.
Exercises great creative skill in providing opportunities for the learners' minds
to discover, analyze, unify, synthesize
and create applications of knowledge to life and behavior.
Serves as a
living ideal model for the student by teaching through example and guidance the lifelong habits of patience, tolerance and
perseverance towards a goal. He thus represents, to some degree, what the student can become.
In teaching, teacher’s role is to be a skillful questioner who encourages
students to think and ask more questions in an environment that is suitable
for learning.
The curriculum
The ideal curriculum teaches
children to think.
Teachers
should help students to explore texts for ideas about the purposes of life, family the nature of
peer pressures, and the problems of growing up.
Idealists believe that ideas can
change lives: classical literature, history and biographies can be used and
explored to help solve problems in today’s world.
Ideal curriculum selects subject matter that deals with ideal man and ideal
society: subjects essential for the realization of mental and moral
development.
Idealist’s rely on the world of the
mind; their curriculum has little contact with the experiential universe
characterized by field trips and
empirical or sensory data.
As the
curricular emphasis is subject matter of mind: literature, history, philosophy, and religion.
Instructional Methodology
All thinking
begins with a thesis (opinion) where all points of view are looked at.
It’s a dialectic, a process where
ideas are put into battle against each other, with the most significant idea
winning the battle.
At the end of
the discussion, the ideas or opinions will begin to synthesize as they
work closer to truth.
Knowledge can be
attained through skillful questioning.
Idealist education involves teaching the whole rather than its parts.
The idealist is
not concerned with turning out students with technical skills but to have a
broad view and understanding of the world in which they live.
Idealism
emphasizes the role of the teacher, a skillful questioner
The lecture method in an idealist’s education system, it is
considered more of a way to convey
information and to help students comprehend ideas.
Idealists thus
prefer project based learning as a
form self directed learning activity where learning can occur without a teacher’s presence.
Teaching methods
focus on handling ideas through lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue (a method of
teaching that uses questioning to
help students discover and clarify knowledge).
Imitation
should be of some exemplary person or persons who by
their behavior give evidence that they are close
to the nature of reality.
Common criticisms of this philosophical
school.
1. Sets Unobtainable Goals: if perfection
is unreachable there is very little desire on the part of
most to become perfect.
2. Ignores the Physical Self: The body cannot be ignored. To try to separate mental activity from the physical and to
try to place Ideas in a realm unrelated to the existent world becomes nothing more than an exercise in futility.
3. Deemphasizes Experience: Many ideas cannot have meaning apart from experience: to deny
the validity of this experience is to make the universe sterile.
4. Leads to Totalitarianism: Some of the critiques of idealism is that is discourages the
progress of science and our modern discovery.
5. Emphasizes Humanities: humanities oriented outlook, may lead to a rejection of the whole concept of a
technological society which is mechanistic
and “scientifically” oriented.
6.
Overlooks
possibility of Error: it fails to take into account the
possibility that it may be in error. This is especially true of idealism since
its truth is immutable and unchanging.
(II)
REALISM AND EDUCATION
According to Realism, the external world of objects is not
imaginary. It really exists, "Our experience is not independent but
determines reaction to the external objects. Experiences are influenced by the
external world which has real existence. According o realists, the external
world is a solid Reality, whether known or unknown to man. Reality is already
in existence and in the invention of man. It exists independently of being
known to perceive by, or related to mind. Man can only comprehend it, through
senses. One should dip below the surface to know the reality. Proponents
include: Mills, Comenius, Russel, Locke, Rouseau etc. Realism believes that,
the individual doesn't make reality, he only discovers it. Its main tenets
(beliefs) are:
Realism believes in
the world which we see of perceive to be real.
Realists believe in
the present life.
They believe
that the truth of life and aim of life are in the development from the present
unsystematic life.
Knowledge is real and
can be assimilated by the human beings.
The realists
distinguish between ‘appearance' and ‘reality'.
Realism believes that
there is an objective reality apart from that which is presented to the
consciousness.
Realism and Aims of Education
Realists do not
believe in general and common aims of education. The aim of education should be
to teach truth rather than beauty, to understand the present practical life.
The purpose of
education, is to prepare the practical man of the world.
Neo-realists aim at
developing all round development of the objects with the development of their
organs.
Realism and Curriculum
Classical literature
should be studied: not study its form and style but, its content and ideas
contained.
Essential subject from
ancient times: natural sciences and contemporary social life and on humanistic
feelings including subjects like physics and psychology, sociology, economics,
Ethics, Politics, history, Geography, agriculture varied arts, languages.
Realism and methods of teaching
· Education should proceed from simple to
complex and from concrete to abstract.
· Things before rules and words.
· Students to be taught to analyze rather
than to construct.
· Vernacular to be the medium of instruction.
· The order of nature to be sought and followed.
During teaching, realists argue that:
1.
Repetition is
necessary for retention.
2.
Individual's experience
and spirit of inquiry is more important than authority.
3.
No unintelligent
cramming. More emphasis on questioning and understanding.
4.
Methods of scientific
thinking (Inductive).
5.
Method of travel of
journey method – field trips (give real experience of varied aspects of
life improve knowledge and mental faculties).
Realism and the Teacher
A teacher should be
such that he himself is educated and well versed with the customs of belief and
rights and duties of people, and the trends of all ages and places.
He must have full
mastery of the knowledge of present life.
He must guide
the student towards the hard realities of life. He is neither pessimist, nor
optimist.
He must be able to
expose children to the problems of life and the world around.
A teacher should always keep in mind-
1.
Re-capitulation is
necessary to make the knowledge permanent.
2.
One
subject should be taught at one time.
3.
No pressure or
coercion be brought upon the child.
4.
The practice of
cramming should be given up.
5.
The uniformity should
be the basic principle in all things.
6.
Things should be
introduced first and then the words.
7.
The entire knowledge
should be gained after experience.
8.
The knowledge should
be imparted on the basis of organs.
9.
Straight forward method
should be adopted for teaching.
10.
There should be
a co-relation between utility in daily life and education.
11.
The child should
be told the utility of whatever is taught.
12.
The simple rules
should be defined.
13.
All the subjects
should be taught in proper order.
14.
Various organs of
education should be taught in chronological order.
15.
The topic should not
be given up unless the students understand it well.
16.
To find out the
interest of the child and to teach accordingly.
Realism and the child
Realism in education
recognizes the importance of the child. The child is a real unit which has real
existence. He has some feelings, some desires and some powers.
Child can reach near
reality through learning by reason.
Child has to be given
as much freedom as possible.
The child is to be
enabled to proceed on the basis of facts.
The child can learn
only when he follows the laws of learning.
The child is to
be understood a creature of the real world there is no sense in making him
a God (perfect). He has to be trained to become human.
Realism and school organization
1.
School organization
would be based on the real needs of society. It should be established d at a
place where it is not needed.
2.
The opening of science
classes in every school is must. Only academic and literary subjects are not
sufficient to fulfill the needs of the society.
3.
Realism doesn't oppose
co-education. Sex-drive is a real feeling. It is a natural happening so it
cannot be rejected.
4.
School is the mirror
of the society. It is a miniature form of society and it presents the real
picture of the society
Realism and discipline
Discipline is
adjustment to objectivity. It is necessary in order to enable the child to
adjust himself to his environment and concentrate on his work.
A disciplined student
is one who does not withdraw from the cruelties, tyrannies, hardships and
shortcomings pervading the world. Realism has vehemently opposed withdrawal
from life. One has to adjust oneself to this material world.
Dark side of realism
Realism recognizes the
real existence of the material world. This recognition remains an objected to
unless he says that only material world really exists.
The realist claims to
be objective. Objectivity in knowledge is nothing but the partnership of
personal knowledge. Knowledge is always subjective.
The realist recognizes
the origin of knowledge from the datum achieved by senses and asserts that only
objects are main and it is through their contact that knowledge is acquired.
The realist does not
accept the existence of transcendental (not based on experience or reason)
being.
Realism admits
real feelings and needs of life on the one hand, gives no place to imagination
and sentiment, on the other.
The realist is
satisfied simply by the fulfillment of the needs of daily life and be does not
care to make life sublime.
(III)
PRAGMATISM AND
EDUCATION
Definition
of Pragmatism
Pragmatic
means dealing with matters according to their practical significance or
immediate importance. Means doctrine that evaluates any assertion solely by its
practical consequences and its bearing on human interests. The origin is Greek
‘pragma’ meaning ‘use. Pragmatic theory states that, truth can be known only
through its practical consequences and is thus and individual or a social
matter rather than an absolute. Its major proponent is John Dewey.
Educational
Aims of pragmatism
Pragmatists believe that the aims
are always determined by individual not by any organization or any structure.
The aim for education is to teach
children to be comfortable in their learning environment: the environment is
not a preparation for life but life. Educators should thus know the things that
motivate and interest children and plan accordingly.
Helping of the child to develop in
such a way as to contribute to his continued growth.
Three characteristics of good educational aims by John
Dewey:
1. An educational aim must be founded
upon the intrinsic activates and needs (including original instinct and
acquired habits) of the given individual to be educated.
2. An aim must be capable of
translation into a method of cooperation with the activities of those undergoing instruction.
3. Educators have to be on their guard against ends that are
alleged to be general and ultimate. Pragmatists sole aim in education is to provide the conditions that make growth possible.
The
concept of Student
The student is an experiencing
organism capable of using intelligence to resolve its problems. As a thinking
organism his experiences,
and his reflections upon those experiences become
a part of him determining his likes, dislikes, and the future direction of his
learning.
The student is a whole organism
constantly interacting with the environment. The school is both a part of this
environment and a special manmade environment designed to provide the best
possible educative experience to the learner.
The whole organism which is the
child consists of the biological child, the psychological child, and the
social child. The experiencing organism that is the learner brings to school
with him all the meanings, values, and experiences that constitute his personality: his self.
The
concept of Teacher
The role of the teacher is important
in successfully educating children.
The teacher must capture the child’s
interest and build on the natural motivation that exists.
Teachers need to vary their teaching
methods to accommodate each individual learning style because not all children
learn at the same pace or are at the same point.
Teacher should organize knowledge
and relate it to current experiences.
The teacher, for the pragmatist, is
a member of the learning group who serves in the capacity of helper, guide, and
arranger of experiences. He is as involved in the educative process as are
these students.
The pragmatic teacher does not
abdicate responsibility. Uses child centered approach not lasses faire (free
style)
The teacher is responsible for
wiring with the students and helping them develop their own projects that arise out of the felt needs of the students
rather than those of the teacher.
Curriculum
Framework
Any educative experience is the
subject matter of the pragmatists curriculum: any experience contributing
to growth.
The curriculum is learner- centered.
In changes and shifts as the needs of
the learners vary.
Pragmatists see
subject matter as an arbitrary and
wasteful system to which all learners have been forced to conform. They reject
this system in order to center the subject matter on the problems and
needs of the learner.
Instructional
Methodology
Methods range from almost complete
laissez- the relatively structured.
The project method is the most
common.
Classroom discussion in a free and
open atmosphere is encouraged, as well as individual problem solving
research. All of this may well involve a tremendous amount of reading,
studying, and traditional subject matter mastery.
The curriculum for the
pragmatic philosophy supports a connection between knowledge and experience. It
is important for children to connect the two so learning can become meaningful.
Pragmatic method is rooted in the
psychological needs of the students rather than in the logical order of
the subject matter.
The teacher
will as well as possible help the learners at each stage of the effort: (i) to initiate the activity (to form or choose the
purpose); (ii) to plan how to carry the activity forward, (iii) to execute to
plan: (iv) to evaluate progress during the activity and the result at the end.
While all this is going forward the teacher will also (v) encourage the
learners to think up and note suggestions or new leads for other and
further work; (vi) help them to formulate these suggestions both for clarification
of thinking and for later recall and possible use (perhaps writing them in a
book or on the board for future reference); (vii) help pupils criticize
their thinking en route or at the close, as may seen wise; and finally
(viii) look back over the whole process to pick up and fix important kinds
of learning as well as draw lessons for the future from both successes and
failures.
Criticism
to pragmatism
1. Weak
Ontology: the whole structure of the
pragmatic position is relatively unstable due to its lack of a sound
ontological base.
2. Anti-Intellectualism: the main area of concern for pragmatists is the marketplace
of daily life thus not rationalistic.
3. Theory
of Truth: all other major philosophical systems
are concerned with the nature of truth, but pragmatism challenges the existence
of this core making it a dangerous and radical philosophy.
4. School
as Instrument of Social Change: Traditionally
the school has been viewed as society’s instrument for
the preservation and continuation of our cultural heritage but pragmatists
argue that, the school and the whole process of education should be an
instrument of social change and social
VIDEOS
Idealism
Idealism : Goals of Education
Idealism: Role of Teacher
Idealism: Pedagogical Methods
