intelligently and responsibly (Ornstein,

1984)
UNIT 1: Foundation of Comments:
For him, education is not acquisition of
Education knowledge contained in great books. It is
learners interacting with concrete
experience, comparing and reflecting on
Topic 1: Philosophical Thoughts
it, since they are an active agent learners
of Education not passive. From the social dimension,
education is seeing citizens participate
Learning Outcomes: actively and intelligently in establishing
their government and in choosing who
At the end of this unit, you should be able will govern them from among themselves
to discuss at least 6 philosophical because they are convinced that no one
thoughts of education. person is destined to be ruler forever.

Presentation of Content: B. HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903):

Education can be caught and taught Utilitarian Education
anywhere. Its arts and practices were
already discussed by many a brilliant His concept of “Survival of the Fittest”
mind and in different displays, each means that human development had gone
discussed the nature of education. through an evolutionary series of stages
from the simple to the complex and from
the uniform to the more specialized kind
A. JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704): The of activity. He believed that social
Empiricist Educator development had taken place according to
He believed that one can acquire an evolutionary process by which simple
knowledge about the world through the homogeneous societies had evolved to
senses (learning by doing and by more complex societal systems
interacting with the environment). He characterized with humanistic and
proposed that simple ideas become more classical education. He stated that
complex through comparison, reflection industrialized society requires vocational
and generalization (the inductive method). and professional education based on
He questioned the long traditional view practical and scientific (utilitarian)
that knowledge came exclusively from objectives rather than on the very general
literary sources, particularly the Greek educational goals associated with
and Latin classics. He opposed the humanistic and classical education. He
“Divine Right of Kings Theory” which mentioned that curriculum should
held that the monarch had the right to be emphasize the practical, utilitarian and
an unquestioned and absolute ruler over scientific subjects that helped humankinds
his subjects. He assumed that political master the environment. He adhered that
order should be based on a contract schooling must be related to life and to
between the people and the government. the activities needed to earn a living. He
He viewed that aristocrats are not destined despised rote learning. He rested on the
by birth to be rulers. People were to belief that curriculum must be arranged
establish their own government and select according to their contribution to human
their own political leaders among survival and progress. He insisted that
themselves. For him, civic education is Science and other subjects that sustained
necessary. He commended that people human life and prosperity should have
should be educated to govern themselves curricular priority since it aids in the
performance of life’s activities. He argued
that individual competition leads to social children, ae brought to participate in the
progress. He who is fittest survives society. He declared that the school is a
(Ornstein, 1984). special environment established by
members of society, for the purpose of
simplifying, purifying and integrating the
Comments: social experience of the group so that it
can be understood, examined and used by
Specialized Education of Spencer vs. its children. He stated that the sole
General Education purpose of education is to contribute to
He favored specialized education over the personal and social growths of
that of general education to survive in a individuals. He argued that the fund of
complex society. For him, the expert who knowledge of the human race (past ideas,
concentrate on a limited field is useful, discoveries and inventions) was to be
but if he loses sight of interdependence of used as the material for dealing with
things, he becomes a man who knows problems. This accumulated wisdom of
more and more about less and less. cultural heritage has to be tested. If it
served human purposes, it becomes part
of a reconstructed experience. For him,
Survival of the Fittest the school is social, scientific and
democratic, for it introduces children to
He who is fittest survives. Individual society and their heritage vis-a-vis the
competition leads to social progress. The school as a miniature society is a means
competition in class is what advocates of of bringing children into social
whole-child approach and Socio- participation. He stipulated that the school
emotional Learning (SEL) atmosphere is scientific in the sense that it is a social
negates. The whole-child approach, a laboratory in which children and youth
powerful tool for self-focused schools has could test their ideas and values. In here,
tenets, each student learns in an the learner acquires the disposition and
environment that is physically and procedures associated with scientific or
emotionally safe for students and adults” reflective thinking and acting. The school
and “each student has access to is democratic because the learner is free to
personalized learning and is supported by test all ideas, beliefs and values. Cultural
qualifies and caring adults…”(Frey, N. heritage, customs and institutions are all
2019). subject to critical inquiry, investigation
and reconstruction. He contested that
The highlighted words point to no school should be used by all, it being a
competition for competition works democratic institution. No barrier of
against an emotionally safe environment. custom or prejudice segregate people.
People ought to work together to solve
C. JOHN DEWEY 91859-1952): common problems. He questioned
Learning Through Experience authoritarian or coercive style of
administration and teaching. For him, this
He adhered to the belief that education is is out of place because they block genuine
a social process and so school is inquiry and dialogue, for education is a
intimately related to the society that it social activity and the school is a social
serves. He believed that children are agency that helps shape human character
socially active human beings who want to and behavior. He magnified that values
explore their environment and gain are relative but sharing, cooperation and
control ever it. He pointed that education democracy are significant human values
is a social process by which the immature that should be encouraged by schools
members of the group, especially the (Ornstein, A. 1984).
 encouraged to participate in the
democratic process of decision-making.
Dewey’s Scientific or Reflective Learners and stakeholders practice and
Method Steps Essential for his experience democracy in schools.
Educational Theory

 The learners have a “genuine D. GEORGE COUNTS (1989-1974):

situation of experience” – Building a New Social Order
involvement in an activity in
which they are interested. He argued that education is not based on
 Within this experience, the eternal truths but is relative to a particular
learners have a “genuine society living at a given time and place.
problem” that simulates thinking. For him, by allying themselves with
The learners possess the groups that want to change society,
information or do research to schools should cope with social change
acquire the data needed to solve that arises from technology. He believed
the problem. that there is a cultural lag between
 The learners develop possible and material progress and social institutions
tentative solutions that may solve and ethical values. Thus, instruction
the problem. should incorporate a content of a socially
 The learners test the solutions by useful nature and a problem-solving
applying them to the problem. methodology. Students are encouraged to
With this, they discover their work on problems that have social
validity for themselves. significance. He claimed that schools
become instrument for social
Comments: improvement rather than an agency for
preserving the status quo and teachers
The Fund of Knowledge of Human should lead society rather than follow it,
Race for they are agents of change. They are
Dewey did not disregard the accumulated called to make important choices in the
wisdom of the past. These past ideas, controversial areas of economics, politics
discoveries and inventions, our cultural and morality because if they failed to do
heritage, will be used as the material for so, others would make the decision for
dealing with problems and so will be them. Hence, schools ought to provide an
tested. If they are of help, they become education that affords equal learning
part of a reconstructed experience. If they opportunities to all students (Ornstein, A.
are not totally accurate, they will still be 1848).
part of the reconstructed experience. This
means that the ideal learners for Dewey
are not just those who can learn by doing, Comments:
e.g., conduct an experiment, but those
who can connect accumulated wisdom of For him, schools and teachers should be
the past to the present. agents of change. Schools are considered
instruments for social improvement rather
than as agencies for preserving the status
Schools are For the People and By quo. Whatever change e work for should
the People always be change for the better not just
change for the sake of change.
Schools are democratic institutions where
everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity,
social status, is welcome and is
Lag Between Material Progress and reflect the dominant social values… then
Ethical Values organized education will merely transmit
the social ills that are symptoms of the
Counts asserts that “there is a cultural lag pervasive problems and afflictions that
between material progress and social beset humankind… The only legitimate
institutions and ethical values.” Material goal of a truly human education is to
progress of humankind is very evident but create a world order in which people are
moral and ethical development seem to in control of their destiny. In an era of
have lagged behind. A friend once wrote, nuclear weapons, the social
“The Egyptians had their horses. Modern reconstructionist sees urgent need for
man has his jets, but today, it is still the society to reconstruct itself before it
same moral problems that plague destroys itself (Ornstein, 1984).
humankind.” Indeed, with science and
technology, we become very powerful yet
powerless. We have conquered a number Hence, technological era is a generation
of diseases and even postponed death for of interdependence; thus, education must
many. We have conquered aging, the be international in scope for global
planets, the seas, but we have not citizenship. Likely, education is designed
conquered ourselves. “to awaken students’ consciousness about
social problems and to engage them
actively in problem solving” (Ornstein,
E. THEODORE BRAMELD (1904- 1984).
1987) – Social Reconstructionism

As the name implies, social More so, those who believe in this
reconstructionism is a philosophy that ideology are firmly committed to equality
emphasizes the reformation of society. or equity in both society and education.
The social reconstructionist contends that For them, barriers of socio-economic
“humankind has moved from an class and racial discrimination should be
agricultural and rural society to an urban eradicated. They also emphasize the idea
and technological society… there is a of an interdependent world. The quality of
serious lag in cultural adaptation to the life needs to be considered and enhanced
realities of a technological society. on a global basis (Ornstein, 1984).
Humankind has yet to reconstruct its
values in order to catch up with the  Comments:Like John Dewey and
changes in the technological order and George Counts, Brameld believes
organized education has a major role to in active problem-solving as the
play in reducing the gap between the method of teaching and learning
values of the culture and technology  Social reconstructionists are
(Ornstein, 1984). convinced that education is not a
privilege of the few but right to be
enjoyed by all.
So, the social reconstructionist asserts that  Education is a right that all
schools should critically examine present citizens regardless of race and
culture and resolve inconsistencies, social status must enjoy.
controversies and conflicts to build a new
society not just change society… do more
than reform than reform the social and F. PAULO FREIRE (1921-1997) –
educational status quo. It should seek to Critical Pedagogy
create a new society… Humankind is in a
state of profound cultural crisis. If schools
Critical Pedagogy and Dialogue vs. of teachers’ ideas on the students
The Banking Model of Education (Ornstein, 1884).

Freire, a critical theorist, like social

reconstructionist, believed that systems Comment: All these education
must be changed to overcome oppression philosophers point the need of interacting
and improve human conditions. Education with others and of creating a “community
and literacy are the vehicles or social of inquiry” as Charles Sanders Pierce put
change. He viewed that human must learn it. The community of inquiry is a “group
to resist, neither not become its victims of persons involved in inquiry,
nor oppressors, for the development of investigating more or less the same
awareness to overcome domination and question or problem and developing
oppression requires dialogue and critical through their exchanges a better
consciousness. He viewed that teaching understanding both of the questions as
and learning are inquiry processes in well as the probable solutions.” (Lee,
which the child must invent and reinvent 2010), A community inquiry will engage
the world rather than “teaching as learners in active problem solving..
banking” in which the educators deposit
information into students’ heads. Further, Teacher
teachers must not see themselves as the
sole possessors of knowledge and their Student
students as empty receptacles. He called
this pedagogical approach the “banking
method” of education. Additionally, he TeacherStudent
asserted that a democratic relationship
between the teacher and the students is
necessary in order for the conscientization
process to take place. Freire’s critical TAKEAWAYS
pedagogy is problem-posing education
and his pedagogy’s central element is
dialogue. It is love and respect that allow JOHN LOCKE – The Empiricist
us to engage people in dialogue and to
discover ourselves in the process and
learn from one another. By its nature,  Education is not acquisition of
dialogue is not something that can be knowledge contained in the
imposed, but is characterized by respect classics. It is learners interacting
of the parties involved toward one with concrete experience. The
another. We develop a tolerant sensibility learner is an active not passive
during the dialogue process and it is only agent of his/her own learning.
when we come to tolerate the points of  From the social dimension,
view and ways of being of others that we education is seeing citizens
might be able to learn from them and participate actively and
about ourselves in the process. Dialogue intelligently in establishing their
means the presence of equality, mutual government and in choosing who
recognition, affirmation and a sense of will govern them from among
solidarity with people and remaining open themselves. They are of the
to questions as this serves as basis for thinking that no one person is
critical and problem-posing pedagogy, as destined to be ruler forever. This
opposed to banking education, where is in keeping with the Anti-
there is no discussion, only the imposition Political Dynasty bill.
 inventions, our cultural heritage,
will be used as the material for
dealing with problems and so will
be tested. If they are of help, they
become part of reconstructed
Spencer – The Utilitarianist experience. If they are not totally
accurate, they will still be part of
 To survive in a complex society,
a reconstructed experience. This
Spencer favors specialized
means that the ideal learner for
education over that of general
Dewey is not just one who can
education.
learn by doing, e.g., conduct an
 The expert who concentrates on a
experiment, but one who can
limited field is useful, but if he
connect accumulated wisdom of
loses sight of interdependence of
the past to the present.
things, he becomes a man who
 Schools are for the people and by
knows more and more about less
the people. Schools are a
and less. We must be warned of
democratic institution where
the early peril of over-specialism.
everyone regardless of age,
We do not prefer the other
ethnicity, social status is welcome
extreme, the superficial person
and is encouraged to participate in
who every day knows less and
the democratic process of
less about more and more.
decision making. Learners and
 Who is fittest survives. Individual
stakeholders practice and
competition leads to social
experience democracy in schools.
progress.
 The competition in class is what GEORGE COUNTS – Building a New
advocates of the whole-child Social Order
approach and Socio-Emotional
Learning (SEL) atmosphere  Schools and teachers should be
approach negates. The whole- agents of change. Schools are
child approach, a powerful tool considered instruments for social
for SEL-focused schools has improvement rather than as
tenets of “each student learns in agencies for preserving the status
an environment that is physically quo. Whatever change we work
and emotionally safe for students for should always be change for
and adults” and “each student has the better not just change for the
access to personalized learning sake of change.
and is supported by qualified and  Problem-solving, like Dewey,
caring adults…”(Frey, N. 2019). should be the dominant method
 The highlighted words – for instruction.
emotionally safe and caring adults  “There is a cultural lag between
point to no competition, for material progress and social
competition works against an institutions and ethical values.”
emotionally safe environment. Material progress of humankind
is very evident but moral and
ethical development seem to have
lagged behind.
JOHN DEWEY – Experience
THEODORE BRAMELD – The Social
 Dewey does not disregard the
Reconstructionist
accumulated wisdom of the past.
These past ideas, discoveries and
  Social Reconstructionist critically C. Building of an interdependent
examines present culture and world that is international in
resolve inconsistencies, scope
controversies and conflicts to D. Narrow concept of
build a new society nit just nationalism
change society. 4. Why is Spencer’s educational
 Technological era is a generation thought described as utilitarian?
of interdependence and so A. He emphasized vocational
education must be international in and professional education
scope for global citizenship. based on scientific and
practical
B. He stressed on general
PAULO FREIRE – Critical Pedagogy education goals associated
vs. Banking Method with humanistic and classical
education
 Employ critical pedagogy and C. He stressed a balance of
dialogue in contrast to the specialized and general
banking system of education. education in the curriculum
 Learners are not empty D. He eliminated the vocational
receptacles to be filled. and professional education
1.1 Theodore Brameld – The component of the curriculum
Social Reconstructionist 5. For which educational practice
1.2 Paulo Freire – Critical was John Dewey?
Pedagogy vs. Banking A. Problem-solving
Method B. Banking method
C. Emphasis on the Humanities
Make a table summary of the LET
D. Teaching of the Classics
Clinchers
1. Which is NOT TRUE of social
Reconstructionist?
A. Use of problem-solving
B. Study of the Great Books
C. School as an agent of change
D. Introduce a new society
2. Which teaching practice goes
with the “banking system” of
education which was contrary to
Paulo Freire’s educational
thought?
A. Rote memorization
B. Project-based learning
C. Problem-based learning
D. Community of inquiry
3. For which teaching will social
reconstructionist be?
A. Stress of isolationism
B. Inequality and inequity as
normal for an international
society