Philosophies of Education

Introduction

In this week's learning, I have reflected on the works of European educational theorists like Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, an academic realist using children's sensory persuasion over the past 200 years to build a rich understanding of pedagogical teaching. The other theorist was Fredrich Froebel, a realist and idealist who established the earliest kindergarten system and believed that all children are good and must be encouraged to build their self-confidence. The American educational theorist, the father of American Education, Horace Mann, established universal public education, bringing social change by giving equal opportunity for every child to be educated. A great advocate of "no child being left behind". The other American educational theorist was John Dewy, whose progressive education movement brought significant social reconstruction in not only America but China, Japan, and Russia (Sharpes, 2001).

My other readings are on Paulo Freire's educational philosophy, where he teaches people to understand the political and economic forces that influence the structure of society to prepare them to work for social change. His critical pedagogy "If education, as a practice and research, should be critical, it must discuss primary conditions for obtaining knowledge, be aware of social problems, inequalities, suppression etc., and try to make education an active progressive social force. A critical education must be a challenging prolongation of existing social relationships. It cannot be an apparatus for prevailing inequalities in society. To be critical, education must react to social contradictions." (Stinson, 2016).

I was also engaged by Michel Foucault's educational philosophy on discursive formation by performing an archaeological analysis—a method that examines the history of discourse. To explain the limits of these formations, he wrote: "The field of discursive events…is a grouping that is always finite and limited at any moment to the linguistic sequences that have been formulated; they may be innumerable, they may, in sheer size, exceed the capacities of reading, recording, or memory: nevertheless, they form a finite grouping." (Stinson, 2016)

My inquiry into Confucianism's philosophy informs me of how Confucianism and Legalism were represented in the Imperial Examination (Kējǔ) system, which officially began during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) and ended in 1905. Party leaders, civil servants in administrative institutions, public organizations and (in a separate category) military leaders were borrowed from Russia during the 1950 and were also loosely based on Kējǔ through the ranking system called The "Cadre System". The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE; Gao Kao) we know today was established in 1952 under the Ministry of Education, reminding me of a similar ranking process in Singapore (Bonnie, 2010).

My last reading on Islamic education has given me yet another dimension to my educational philosophy. I was well informed by the Naqli (revealed knowledge) and the Aqli (rational understanding) approach for teaching and learning in the classroom. I would agree with the author that "much of the Islamic worldview is based on universal truths as, indeed, knowledge is universal and neutral; likewise, we cannot have Hindu physics or Christian sociology." (Faryadi, 2015)

Philosophies and practices.

All the authors, educational theorists and philosophers have one thing in common that resonates with me: they are all finding a social system of education that works within the larger context of society, including political, economic, and socio-cultural factors.

However, it is inherent that differences exist in multicultural, diverse, and heterogeneous societies. These differences that divide us must be understood, and the opportunity for an education system to progress and mitigate these discourses can be improved, as seen in the search for educational excellence where the learner is both the teacher and the student and that educational system cannot overlook this relationship in the classroom.

Exceptional and innovative practices.

One of the essential educational philosophies that struck me most was "critical pedagogy of the oppressed" - the use of problem posing to link education to students' lives. In my teaching, I know that over half of the world's population is still impoverished. This has given me time to ponder and reflect on the world's impending need for education.

As my education is rooted in Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, the educational philosophy of Realism has been natural to me. I am reasoning and experiencing my learning and teaching methods continuously. I am also a pragmatist and social reconstructionist in my approach to learning and teaching. I am always experimenting with how our diverse languages, ethnicities and differences can radically change our current universal education with the advancement of neuroscience and artificial intelligence technology.

Conclusion

This week's reading has been intensive, engaging, and profoundly reflective, as I completed the "School of Philosophy Organisation Chart" from another article by Dr. Charlene Tan (Tan, 2006).

References

Bonnie, M. (30 April, 2010). Two key theories in education are Confucius and John Dewey. Academia. Retrieved 23 Feb 2021, from https://www.academia.edu/1120169/Two_Key_Theories_in_Education_Confucius_and_John_Dewey

Faryadi, Q. (Nov-Dec, 2015). An Islamic perspective of teaching philosophy: A personal justification. ERIC.

Sharpes, D. K. (2001). Nineteenth and twentieth-century trends. In Advanced Educational Foundations for Teachers: the history, philosophy, and culture of schooling.

Stinson, D. W. (2016). Dewey, Freire, and Foucault and an ever-evolving philosophy of (mathematics) education. Journal of Research in Curriculum & Instruction, 20(2), 70-78. Retrieved 23 Feb 2021, from https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038&context=mse_facpub

Tan, C. (2006). Philosophical perspectives on education. Prentice Hall.