Pramatism and Education

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Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice. Important positions characteristic of pragmatism include instrumentalism, radical empiricism, verificationism, conceptual relativity, and fallibilism. There is general consensus among pragmatists that philosophy should take the methods and insights of modern science into account. Charles Sanders Peirce (and his pragmatic maxim) deserves much of the credit for pragmatism, along with later twentieth century contributors, William James and John Dewey.

 For pragmatists, only those things that are experienced or observed are real. In this late 19th century American philosophy, the focus is on the reality of experience. Unlike the Realists and Rationalists, Pragmatists believe that reality is constantly changing and that we learn best through applying our experiences and thoughts to problems, as they arise. The universe is dynamic and evolving, a "becoming" view of the world. There is no absolute and unchanging truth, but rather, truth is what works. Pragmatism is derived from the teaching of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who believed that thought must produce action, rather than linger in the mind and lead to indecisiveness.

John Dewey (1859-1952) applied pragmatist philosophy in his progressive approaches. He believed that learners must adapt to each other and to their environment. Schools should emphasize the subject matter of social experience. All learning is dependent on the context of place, time, and circumstance. Different cultural and ethnic groups learn to work cooperatively and contribute to a democratic

society. The ultimate purpose is the creation of a new social order. Character development is based on making group decisions in light of consequences. Education must teach one how to think so that one can adjust to an ever-changing society. The school must aim at developing those experiences that will enable one to lead a good life. These objectives include: 

1.      Good health.

2.      Vocational skills.

3.      Interests and hobbies for leisure living.

4.      Preparation for parenthood.

5.      Ability to deal effectively with social problems.

Additional specific goals must include an understanding of the importance of democracy. Democratic government enables each citizen to grow and live through the social interaction that takes place with other citizens. Education must help its students become excellent citizens in the democracy. 

For Pragmatists, teaching methods focus on hands-on problem solving, experimenting, and projects, often having students work in groups. Curriculum should bring the disciplines together to focus on solving problems in an interdisciplinary way. Rather than passing down organized bodies of knowledge to new learners, Pragmatists believe that learners should apply their knowledge to real situations through experimental inquiry. This prepares students for citizenship, daily living, and future careers. According to the Experimentalists and Pragmatists, the democratic tradition is a self-correcting tradition. As such, the social heritage of the past is not the focus of educational interest. Rather, the focus is for the good life now and in the future. The standard of social good is constantly being tested and verified through changing experiences; therefore, education must work to preserve democracy. The nature of this democracy is dynamic and changing as a result of its continually undergoing reconstructive experiences. However, this reconstruction does not demand or include total change. Only the serious social problems of society are re-examined in order to arrive at new solutions. 

In the Experimentalists and Pragmatists view, the curriculum of the education imparting institution must not exist apart from the social context. The subject matter of education is the tool for solving individual problems and as the individual learner is improved or reconstructed, society is improved in similar fashion. Therefore, the problems of democratic society must form the basis of the curriculum; and the means to resolve the problems of democratic institutions must also be included in the curriculum. Therefore, there must be 

1.      A social basis to the curriculum.

2.      Opportunity to practice democratic ideals.

3.      Democratic planning at every level of education.

4.      Group definition of common social goals.

5.      Creative means to develop new skills.

6.      Activity-centered and pupil-centered curriculum.

In Experimentalism and Pragmatism, learning is always considered to be an individual matter. Teachers ought not to try to pour the knowledge they have into the learners, because such efforts are fruitless. What each learner learns depends upon his own personal needs, interests, and problems. In other words, the content of knowledge is not an end in itself but a means to an end. Thus, a learner who is faced by a problem may be able to reconstruct his environment so as to solve this felt need. To help him the teacher must 

1.      Provide experiences that will excite motivation. Field trips, films, records, and guest experts are examples of activities designed to awaken learner interest in an important problem.

2.      Guide the learner into formulating a specific definition of the problem. Because each learner approaches the problem from his own experiential background, the teacher should encourage the learners to formulate their own aims and goals.

3.      Plan with the class the individual and group objectives to be used in solving the problem.

4.      Assist the learners in collecting the information pertaining to the problem. Essentially, the teacher serves as a guide by introducing skills, understandings, knowledge, and appreciations through the use of books, compositions, letters, resource speakers, films, field trips, television, or anything else that may be appropriate.

5.      Evaluate with the class what was learned; how they learned it; what new information occurred; what each learner discovered for himself. 

The teaching-learning method just described is the method of problem solving. Experimentalists and Pragmatists are committed to the use of the problem-solving inquiry and discovery method. This approach to teaching requires that a teacher be 

1.      Permissive.

2.      Friendly.

3.      A guide.

4.      Open-minded.

5.      Enthusiastic.

6.      Creative.

7.      Socially aware.

8.      Alert.

9.      Patient.

10.  Cooperative and sincere.