Education is a continuous process of adjusting
to varying situations in daily life (John Dewey, as cited in Khalid, 2005). Thus, the aim of education is to enable students to solve the problems encountered by
them in daily life and construct in them the capacities for solving those
problems. The skills required to solve problems according to pragmatism are
analytic and synthetic skills.
Curriculum on the basis of pragmatism
involves subject matter that is related to household occupations like cooking
food, stitching clothes, furnishings, and operating appliances connected with
production, exchange, and consumption. The students while studying household
occupations learn calculations and by keeping records they learn reading and
writing skills. Finding solutions to problems in such occupations.
The students
are given tasks to select and use the available material for carrying out
plans (Bhatia, 2004). In light of this philosophy, the curriculum for physics
contains such topics which are essential ingredients of household life. For
example heat, light, electricity, simple machines, and measurements are all such
topics where the students develop their competencies while doing practical work
in the laboratory. Calculating the mechanical advantage of any machine, for instance, an
inclined plane, the students measure lengths, calculate and keep records of the
readings. All these skills are used in daily life.
Khalid (2005) says that in pragmatism, the method
of teaching which is preferred is the problem-solving method and project method
while teaching physics. These methods require learning by doing any hands-on activity
on part of the students while the teacher performs the role of facilitator and
moderator presenting pervasive facts. The physics curriculum includes project
and problem-solving methods to teach some topics in the classroom. For example “simple
machines” are to be taught using problem-solving method while waves and sounds are to
be taught by the project method.
References:
Bhatia, K. K. (2004). Philosophical perspective of education. Ludhiana: Kalyan.
Khalid, T.(1998). Education: An introduction to
educational philosophy and history. Islamabad:
National book foundation.
further reading;
0 Comments
Post a Comment