philosophy in education

PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION

Philosophy in Education

Olivia Baker

Oral Roberts University

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Just about every adult in America has been taught by a teacher at some point.

These teachers can have a negative or positive influence on the lives of there students,

ultimately affecting the outcome of future adults. Part of what kind of influence they have

stems from the philosophy they apply to their teaching.

The acronym MEAL stands for metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic.

These are the basic founding blocks of philosophy. They are not philosophies in and of

themselves, but rather they are within every philosophy. The first one, metaphysics, deals

with the world around us—both spiritual and physical. Broken down it literally means

“after nature.” Metaphysics can especially be seen in philosophy through idealism and

realism—one believes that the physical world is based on individual perception and is

very spiritual while the other believes that the material world is real and does not usually

believe in spirituality. The second aspect of philosophy, epistemology, concerns the idea

of knowledge. How do we know? Where does knowledge come from? Some say nothing

can be known for sure. As Christians we say our knowledge comes from God who has

enabled us with the capacity of knowledge. This “heavenly knowledge” is even

mentioned in James 1:17 (NIV) when he says, “But the wisdom that comes from

heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and

good fruit, impartial and sincere.” The third component of philosophy is axiology, which

covers two matters—morals and aesthetics. Aesthetics asks the questions “what has

beauty?” and “who determines it?” This then brings up the question of “can artists be

considered philosophers? We see this in our daily lives. One girl may think a guy is

handsome and two others may disagree. It comes down to the saying “beauty is in the

eyes of the beholder.” Though it does not answer the question of beauty, Paul simply put

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it this way, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is

right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Axiology also then

asks, “What is ethics?” “Who determines what’s right and wrong?” and “Are ethics

relative or absolute?” This more than any other, seems to be a dominant theme

throughout our society, no matter our religion, worldview, or philosophy. The question of

ethics touches every single human being. Even Socrates said, “We are discussing no

small matter, but how we ought to live.” Both of these, aesthetics and ethics, come

together and make axiology. The final part is not so much a part of philosophy, instead it

is the way we discuss philosophy. Logic structures the way we argue/discuss. Logic

brings level headedness to a discussion when we have differing philosophies.

Out of the RIPE philosophies, the two that would fit my personal philosophy best

are idealism and realism. This may seem quite contradictory, but that is merely because I

believe in some of both and disagree with some of both. The other two (pragmatism and

existentialism), however, I completely disagree with. Realism and idealism do differ

quite significantly. In metaphysics, realism believes that the whole material world is real,

composed of matter, and independent of the mind while idealism believes that the

material world doesn’t exist and is only something that our mind perceives. In

epistemology, realism states that humans know through senses and reason and that

children are born with a blank slate (education is meant to fill that slate) while idealism

says that all ideas are latent but not evident (existing in the mind but not yet discovered).

(Teachers are to bring out these ideas, then). And finally, realism claims that behavior

should be rational, we must take responsibility for our actions, art should depict real life

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as accurately as possible, and, most importantly that values are man-made and subjective.

Idealism, on the other hand, considers morals to be the only absolute thing in life is

morals and use religion as a moral code. Sin, also for them, is not inborn but simply

caused by ignorance. Clearly, they differ quite significantly. Nonetheless, I still hold that

they are both right and wrong. First, I would agree with the realist metaphysics that the

physical world is real whether we perceive it or not. I understand where the idealists

come from in saying that just because we perceive it, doesn’t mean it’s real. However, I

would say that some of the most basic things (i.e. trees, grass, rocks, people) are most

certainly real. Other things (illusions) are harder to determine, but with knowledge of

them, their cause, etc., one can learn to differentiate between the two. As for

epistemology, I would disagree with realists that children are born with a blank slate. As

mentioned before, the bible says that our knowledge comes from above. Therefore, I

would agree with the idealists that people have the knowledge/ideas already there; they

simply must be made aware of them. Lastly, I would agree with the realists that we are

responsible for our own behavior, not some external force. Though our environment may

push us towards a behavior, we are still in control of our actions, and must accept

responsibility for them. As far as aesthetics go, I tend to prefer art/literature that portrays

life as realistically as possible, just as the realists do. However, I would not say that

abstract art doesn’t have value simply because I don’t find it as attractive. Nonetheless,

when it comes to values, I would definitely side with the idealists. Even the Christian

worldview has a tendency toward the idealist idea that morals are absolute. Some values

are situational, but for the most part, they are absolute. Christianity would also disagree

that sin is based in a lack of knowledge rather than an inborn sin nature.

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These philosophies, as well as the other major philosophies can be translated into

educational philosophies. In searching for the educational philosophy that best fits me, I

found that I favored all of the student-based philosophies—none more than the other. I

strongly believe that students should the center of learning, not the teacher. Students are

better able to learn when it is something they are actually interested in. I also believe it is

important for students to learn based on experience. Studies have shown that knowledge

will stick longer through direct application rather than through hearing or reading. While

all three learning styles are important to include, hands-on can have some of the best

results. I believe students would have greater interest in learning when they know they

direct it. Despite my belief in student-directed education, I would not completely get rid

of the teacher’s influence. The basic subjects (science, reading, history, math) are still

very important to children up to a certain level, whether or not the child wants to learn

about it. The key is to figure out a way to get it into them and still make it enjoyable.

My Christian worldview can greatly affect the way I teach my students later in

life. I believe in God and that he is directly involved in our lives here on earth. He has

created a world for us to live in filled with people that are equally important in his eyes.

When he created us, he gave us the ability to know and determine morality, as well as a

set of rules (in the Bible) to help clear up those moral laws. He has created heaven and

hell, one of which we will go to after death. While we are living, however, we are to learn

from those before us and constantly strive to help and better our fellow man, living an

unselfish lifestyle. We also strive to stick to the moral law He has set for us as that will

please Him and help us get along better with our fellow man. Teaching from this

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worldview, I would strive to instill good morals in my students and, if I were in a private

institution, also aim to teach the same views to my students.

My role as a teacher would be like any other. The teacher is there not only to

provide an education. The teacher, as well as the school overall, is there to encourage a

love for learning, provide a safe environment mentally, physically, and emotionally, to

instill morals/values, and to prepare students for the future.

Overall, a teacher plays a pivotal role in a child’s life that can carry them all the

way to adulthood. This is strongly affected by the philosophy they bring to their teaching.

When I go to teach, I will keep this in mind and always aim to fulfill the role of the

teacher.

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