Pragmatism and its Educational Implications
Uploaded by smorganw on Apr 29, 2013
Pragmatism, partly originated by John Dewey, is an approach on education that assesses the truth of meaning of beliefs in terms of the success of their practical applications. It is a philosophy that stresses practicality and learning through experience. Pragmatism, in education, seeks to conserve the culture, but also to renew aspects of social circumstances. The teacher—learner relationship in Pragmatic education uses a “problem—centered” solving method; in order for it to be successful, the teacher must guide and not control. (97)
For Pragmatism, the truth is practical. “Ideas are to be judged by their consequences when acted on; truth is a warranted assertion, a tentative statement based on the application of hypotheses to solving problems; logic, following the scientific method, is experimental; values are experienced within the context of ethical and aesthetic problems and issues charged by the unique features of particular situations.” (78) In this quote, Pragmatism is explained as a problem—solving educational theory. Each step of a decision is presented and the pragmatic solution follows. In education, Pragmatism is practical in teaching. “Intelligence, the ability to define and solve problems, is acquired through the experience of persisting and working through problem—solving situations.” (89) This quote shows how vital experience and practical application are to learning by stressing the definition of intelligence as the ability to problem solve. For example, a biology teacher can explain to a student how to dissect a frog, but until the student has first—hand experience, they will not actually know how to do it.
Experience also allows the student to branch out in to society. One of Dewey’s main points was the relationship between education and society. (93) He felt that education should equip the student to participate in the culture. Education has two main cultural goals; (1) conserving the heritage of our culture, and (2) reconstructing our culture for the better. “Cultural conservation does not mean that adults in a society use the school to reproduce currently held beliefs and values. Rather, it means that the young are provided the cultural skills and tools by which they can improve social conditions.” (93) Essentially, this quote explains that conserving culture does not mean saving the old, but rather making the new better. This quote also shows a little insight into Social Reconstruction and the implications of societal reform on our culture.
In education, Pragmatists assert that a teacher’s role is less controlling and more helping. “The teacher’s...