Pragmatism School of Philosophy

The school of philosophy which gives utmost importance to practicality is Pragmatism. It was proposed by William James and Dawey as a state of mind rather than as a set of ideas. It is also known as experimentalism as utmost importance is given to the verification of an idea and its use than the idea itself.

Salient Features:

·        Pragmatism gives importance to change over permanence, biological and social needs of man and to a democratic way of life.

·        In this way, education is a personal and social necessity for every individual.

·        A child’s interests, needs and social activities are the true basis of learning instead of the traditional subjects.

·        Pragmatism does not believe in predetermined aims of education as human life and the environment around are unpredictable by nature.

·        However, pragmatists believe that education helps in the creation of moral values and shapes our experiences from time to time which constitutes real growth.

·        With respect to the curriculum, pragmatism emphasizes that the subject matter  should be based on the development of the child and not on the logical presentation of the same.

·        The focus is on the acquisition of experience which comes from the interaction of the learner with the environment around.

·        The method of teaching adopted is known as the project method and the approach of teaching is constructivism.

·        The Project method involves providing of a situation, the choice of a project, planning, execution, evaluation and recording for further reference.

·        The student here is an active participant in the education process and the teacher plays the role of a facilitator.

·        The relation between the teacher and the student in pragmatism is explained by tri-polar theory.

·        Discipline should be positive and in the sense calls for bringing inner change in the student instead of awarding punishment to showcase fear,control and authority.

Demerits:

·        While pragmatism stresses on practicality, its very ideas seem to be impractical with respect to their implementation by the educators.

·        They feel that constructivism allows the child to develop a framework of knowledge on own which cannot be organized enough.

·        The Project method cannot itself  be  applied in teaching all the topics and subjects.

·        Though this method makes the student independent and resourceful,there is a danger of understanding concepts according to one’s own whims and fancies and come into serious conflict with other students. This leads to intellectual disharmony.

Educational Implications:

·        Pragmatism  is an attitude which is flexible in nature.

·        In complete contrast to idealism and naturalism, this school provides freedom to the learner in seeking knowledge and to the teacher in designing of the curriculum which is practical in nature.

·        As education in India is made more life-centered, the theory and practices of pragmatism emerge all the more important.