PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

A philosopher is concerned with all aspects of life. Philosophy attempts to evaluate the total sum of human experience. Some human experiences are political, economic, scientific, or educational in nature. For a philosopher, nothing is exempt from philosophical scrutiny. Philosopher analyzes discoveries made or knowledge developed in all subjects to get their relevance to human life.

Philosophy of Education analyses interprets and applies findings from all other disciplines to the field of Education. That is the content developed by other subject specialists must be philosophically scrutinized before it is included in the school curriculum. For example, one has to first scrutinize and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of teaching modern family planning methods to schools.

Besides scrutinizing the curriculum content philosophical principles are also applied in Education to analyze policies, aims and objectives, methodology, assessment methods, and so on. Philosophy of Education analyses how much authority and freedom a teacher and a learner respectively should have.

Education is part of human experiences. We have already said that as a process it involves many things and people interpreting over a long period. Philosophy of Education analyses and interprets the relationship and impact of all factors involved in Education. Therefore it can be said that the philosophy of Education is the application of philosophy to the study of those problems that are peculiar or unique to education. It involves the scrutinizing of goals, forms, methods, and the meaning of education. 

For example, let us check the problem of what a learner should learn at a particular age. Mathematics is a subject to enhance the critical thinking of a learner and so it must be progressive. A philosopher of education may want to make sure that a learner achieves the goal of mathematics by the end of the course. The philosopher of Education will create an appropriate pedagogy for the learner and the teacher to implement.

Philosophy is concerned with all that affects man’s life. It helps man to analyze his circumstances and make useful decisions. It is not passive love or acquisition of knowledge. John Dewey believed that philosophy is both a method of identifying problems and a source of suggestions about ways to handle these problems.

Philosophers differ in their analysis and interpretation of some educational theories, principles, or practices. They differ in interpreting human experiences. However, we make the following generalizations on how philosophy benefits education:

·         Philosophy acts as a checkpoint for curriculum content. Researchers in psychology, science, religion, sociology, Education, and others will come up with new knowledge. The philosopher of education must judge the worthiness of this content.

·         Philosophical principles are applied in evaluating the existing curriculum. For example, it is important to evaluate whether it is necessary to continue teaching religious studies in schools yet learners have their respective religious leaders. A philosopher of education will need to scrutinize the goal of teaching religious studies and compare it with the pedagogy suggested. They will come out with more effective alternatives that can give the same result more efficiently.

·         Managers of education at whatever level need to apply philosophical principles when making decisions concerning education. They may ask themselves whether their decisions would give appropriate results. Teachers do a lot of activities and make decisions that should require philosophical principles. A teacher should know how he/she teaches, assesses, punishes, and rewards, and relates to learners. A teacher should be able to defend his actions and words.

·         Many teachers wonder whether teaching is a worthy profession or job. Many Ugandans and even young teachers are skeptical about whether teaching gives meaning and satisfaction to the life they wish to choose. We notice that some teachers leave the profession while others stay based on analysis. This analysis is philosophical in nature. Whatever decision they make depends on their philosophy of life.

·         The parents’ roles towards education are dependent on philosophical principles. They normally have the following philosophical questions; why do they send their children to school? Are they satisfied with what the school offers? How do they react when the education system fails to meet their expectations?

Philosophy plays a very important role in Education. The most valuable role of philosophy in education is the development of critical thinking skills. The methods encourage analysis, logical reasoning, and questioning assumptions, skills that are invaluable in the day-to-day decision-making of the school activities.  The most valuable role philosophy plays in education is the development of critical thinking skills.