PHILOSOPHY OF PRAGMATISM & EDUCATION

1. PHILOSOPHY OF
PRAGMATISM &
EDUCATION
DR. MAHESWARI JAIKUMAR
maheswarijaikumar2103@gmail.com

2. • Pragmatism as a philosophical
tradition began in the United
States around 1870. Charles
Sanders Peirce is the principle
proponent of pragmatism.

3. • The word pragmatism is
derived from the Greek.
Pragmatism means practice
and action. Pragmatism
means utility.

4. • Pragmatism is an American
philosophy. According to this
thought what ever is useful is
good and whatever is good is
useful.

5. • A pragmatist lives in a world
of facts and not in a world of
ideas or ideals.

6. PROPONENTS
• Charles Sanders Peirce.
• William James.
• John Dewey.
• George Herbert Mead.

9. PRAGMATISM &
EDUCATION
• Pragmatism supports for
progressive trends in
education. Pragmatism has
influenced the modern
education greatly.

10. • According to pragmatism
“activity” lies at the centre of
all educative process.
Education is a continuous
process which is progressive
and flexible.

11. • It stands for freedom and
worth of the individual. It
works on the principle of
democracy and education as a
social necessity.

12. • According to this school of
thought education should
help an individual to meet
human needs & solve
problems and thereby enable
an individual to lead a happy
life.

13. PRAGMATISM & AIMS
OF EDUCATION
• Pragmatism has the following
aims of education :
1. Creation of new values.
2. Activity & experience

14. 3. Personal and social
adjustment.
4. Reconstruction of
experience.
5. All round development.

15. NEW VALUES
• Pragmatism has no fixed aims
or goals of education.
According to Ross the general
education aim of pragmatism
is “creation of new values”.

16. ACTIVITY & EXPERIENCE
•Activity & experience are
essential to create new
values. Therefore the
educational system aims at
providing the learner,
physical, intellectual, moral
and aesthetic activities

17. PERSONAL & SOCIAL
ADJUSTMENT
• Pragmatism lays stress on an
individual solving problems of
life.

18. • Hence the aim of education
should be the formulation and
cultivation of a dynamic
adoptable, resourceful and
enterprising mind.

19. • Pragmatism emphasizes
adaptation to environment,
construction and re-
construction of experience
and development of
capacities to control the
environment.

20. ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT
• The most important aim of
education is “all round
development”. An individual
must develop physically,
mentally, socially, morally and
aesthetically.

21. PRAGMATISM AND
CURRICULUM
• Pragmatist do not advocate a
fixed curriculum in advance.
Only an outline of the
activities may be kept in mind
at the start of the programme.

22. • Curriculum should be evolved
according to the requirement
of situations. Thus
pragmatism advocates a
flexible curriculum. Hence the
nature of the learner has to
be taken into consideration.

23. • Pragmatism focuses on
including multiple activities of
life for the inclusion into the
curriculum. Pragmatism does
not include cultural activities
in the curriculum.

24. • It emphasizes only the
utilitarian aspect and
therefore, neglects subjects
such as poetry and art.

25. PRAGMATISM &
METHODS OF TEACHING
• The methods of teaching
advocated by pragmatism are
as follows:
• 1. LEARNING BY DOING.

26. • 2. PROVISION OF REAL LIFE
SITUATION.
• 3. PROJECT METHOD.

27. LEARNING BY DOING
• Pragmatism believes in
experimenting with new
methods of teaching. These
methods of teaching are
devised by the teacher in the
light of real life situations.

28. • Education is not teaching but
to encourage learning through
self – effort and creative
activity, and knowledge is not
obtained through book but by
actually doing things.

29. PROVISION OF REAL LIFE
SITUATION
• Pragmatism stresses on action
rather than reflection. The
learner has to be put in to the
real situation which will result
in purposeful creative activity
and problematic acts.

30. PROJECT METHOD
• Project method is the most
important contribution of
pragmatism. It is referred to
as the “problematic act
carried to completion in its
natural setting”.

31. • The learner is given a real and
purposeful activity to carry
out.
• In doing so the learner
acquires principles, skills and
methods incidentally.

33. • Thus the learner obtains
knowledge and skills from the
experiences gained in the
accomplishment of that task.

34. PRAGMATISM & DISCIPLINE
• Pragmatist opine that
purposeful and co-operative
activities, carried on in a fee
and happy environment, are
conducive to good discipline.

35. • Such activities inculcate
virtues like tolerance, mutual
respect, self-control, initiative
and originality among the
learners thus leading to
character building.

36. • This aspect may also be called
as “self-discipline”. Discipline
in such cases are not imposed
from any external authority.

37. • Pragmatism promotes social
discipline through participation
in cooperative activities in the
school.

38. • Thus the learner imbibes
virtues like tolerance, mutual
respect, sympathy, initiative
and service of humanity.

39. PRAGMATISM AND
TEACHER
• The main function of a
pragmatic teacher is to create
a real life situation in which
some problems may emerge
and guide the child in solving
the problems.

40. • Thus the teacher puts the
pupil in the position of a
discoverer and experimenter.
Thus the teacher is required
to provide opportunities for
activity and learning.

41. • The teacher is a friend and a
helper and a person who
provides opportunities for
experimentation.

42. THANK YOU