Philosophy of education
The philosophy of education is an expansive field that examines the fundamental purposes and practices of education, exploring essential questions about why individuals should be educated, what knowledge should be imparted, and how learning occurs. Rooted in discussions dating back to ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, this discipline has evolved significantly, particularly in the modern era. It became more recognized as a distinct scholarly area by the twenty-first century, with academic programs and associations dedicated to its study. Key figures such as John Dewey have contributed revolutionary ideas, advocating for educational approaches that respect individual learning styles and promote active engagement, contrasting with traditional methods that emphasize conformity. Critics of progressive education, such as C. D. Hardie, argue for the importance of structured teaching to ensure that students receive a comprehensive education. Contemporary debates continue to address the balance between student autonomy and teacher guidance, the role of education in society, and the rights of diverse cultural groups within educational systems. This ongoing discourse reflects the complex, often conflicting perspectives that shape how education is understood and enacted across different contexts and cultures.
Philosophy of education
The philosophy of education is the structured, in-depth study of education, its purposes, and shortcomings. Philosophers and educators have discussed and debated the philosophy of education since the time of ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Some of the fundamental questions that the philosophy of education proposes include why should individuals be educated, what kind of knowledge should be taught, and how does learning occur.
Defining the Philosophy of Education
For some time, the philosophy of education was not a focused, mainstream scholarly discipline. One reason for this was that many philosophers and educators, in their professional research and publications, tended to ignore philosophizing the purpose of education. They instead devoted their efforts to analyzing specific areas of education, including classroom policy or the improvement of certain courses such as math and science. In addition, because education scholars assigned these issues more weight in helping to improve the quality of education, the philosophy of education was rarely offered as an available course in colleges and universities, even in philosophy departments. As attitudes concerning the role of philosophy of education changed, however, by the twenty-first century more study in the area had been conducted and universities throughout the world offered not only courses but entire programs devoted to the subject. Additionally, dedicated associations promoted and advanced philosophy of education, including the International Network of Philosophers of Education and the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, the latter of which published the Journal of Philosophy of Education.
The past offers only a select few definitive discussions of the core questions of educational philosophy. This is primarily due to the overabundance of voices that have crowded conversations about what the role and mode of education in schools should be. For example, the philosophy of education has been commented upon by such figures as Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece, and René Descartes and John Locke during the Enlightenment. Later, Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx, and numerous feminists and modernists, gave their input on the philosophy of education.
Despite the authority of these individuals in their own respective fields of philosophy, psychology, or sociology, their views on the subject are so discordant with one another that clear insights have not been easily derived from their debates. Those who believe that a philosophy of education is best arrived at using psychoanalysis might disagree strongly with scholars of the postmodernist persuasion, who themselves differ from the existentialists. Some historical figures, however, stand out for their particularly revolutionary views on educational philosophy.
Evolution of the Philosophy of Education
The modern age of Western educational philosophy began in the early twentieth century. Over approximately the next hundred years, this philosophy was debated and added to as many disparate minds contributed their own ideas about its proper development.
John Dewey
John Dewey was an important education reformer in the early twentieth-century United States. In his 1916 work Democracy and Education, he defined his own philosophy of education, which was in stark contrast to that of Plato. While Plato had discounted the need to tailor education to the individual, Dewey recognized the great range of cognitive abilities and learning methods that individuals possessed.
He believed that learning occurred when people used thought to determine the most efficient methods of solving problems. To Dewey, the best way to teach students to develop this kind of analytical thought was to encourage them to investigate new concepts as active participants in their own educations. Furthermore, Dewey opposed educators who attempted to force students into certain intellectual growth patterns when those students might draw their own conclusions from the lessons. In Dewey’s progressive education, as it was known, educators needed to help students learn in their own ways while imposing nothing on them.
Critics of Dewey’s progressive education attacked its overemphasis on students and downplaying of teachers. They argued that students would be denied the basic components of a strong education if they were allowed to control their own learning processes. Furthermore, critics said, the importance of teachers in the classroom would gradually diminish. Despite these attacks, supporters regarded Dewey’s education reforms as a seminal step forward in American education.
C. D. Hardie
In 1941, the education philosopher C. D. Hardie also criticized Dewey for encouraging children to grow and learn on their own terms, a theory that was sometimes called educating children “according to nature.” Hardie argued that if teachers acted only as gardeners to the young plants that were their students, nurturing them yet allowing them to develop as they willed, the children would miss out on the core elements of a full education. To Hardie, teachers were essential to the instruction of students in these elements.
Late Twentieth Century and Modern Era
Discussion of the philosophy of education lay mostly dormant until the mid-1950s, when scholars in multiple Western countries began publishing many new bodies of work on the subject. In 1957, for example, the British educator DJ O’Connor argued that the scientific term theory should not be used when speaking of educational philosophy because it did not apply to education in the same way it did to science.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the American education philosopher Israel Scheffler published several books in which he critiqued various aspects of modern education. One of his most prominent contributions to the philosophy of education was his ardent support of critical, reasoned thinking as a foundational element of a proper education.
The 1965 compendium work Philosophical Analysis and Education, edited by R. D. Archambault and featuring mostly British authors, presented many modern ideas on educational philosophy that education scholars throughout the Western world quickly lauded as authoritative. Some of the topics covered in the book include the definition of education as a kind of rite of passage, the study of knowledge itself, and the importance of teaching over indoctrinating.
In the 1980s and 1990s, academics began fusing their studies of the philosophy of education with other disciplines such as metaphysics, social philosophy, and moral philosophy. Topics raised in this era included individualism, the power of students in relation to that of their parents, and how the educational rights of specific cultural groups, such as the Amish, interacted with those of their larger, surrounding communities.
These types of concerns continued to permeate the study of educational philosophy into the twenty-first century. This remained primarily due to the dominant modern view of education as an institution that should be infused with liberal, humanistic policies that allow for the greatest intellectual growth of students.
Bibliography
Ball, Steve. “Letter: The Magic of DJ O’Connor.” The Guardian, 17 Oct. 2012, www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/17/the-magic-of-dj-oconnor. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Bristow, William. “Enlightenment.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 29 Aug. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Brooks, Ruth. "What Is the Philosophy of Education?" North Wales Management School, 20 Feb. 2023, online.wrexham.ac.uk/what-is-the-philosophy-of-education/. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
“John Dewey (1859–1952).” PBS, www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/john.html. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Noddings, Nel. “Preface.” Philosophy of Education. Westview Press, 2012.
Phillips, D. C., and Harvey Siegel. “Philosophy of Education.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 7 Oct. 2018, plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.