Curriculum and Pedagogy: Reflection on Week 4

Topic 4: Philosophy and Curriculum

Tyler’s view of philosophy in relation to school purpose

Major Philosophy

1) IDEALISM

a) Highest aim: research for truth
and values that will stand the test of time.

b) Is the group of philosophies which assert that reality or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed or otherwise immaterial.

c) Truth and values are seen as absolute, timeless and universal.

d) Stress on: importance of learning ideas and concepts.

- Believe in reasoning

- Have confidence in ideas that remain constant through time and place

- Sharing ideas and great works that are universal, as well as long-lived.

Idealism curriculum

Curriculum is hierarchical.
Concepts and abstract subjects are the top subjects
Promotes abstract thinking.
Language subject is important.
Addition...

2) REALISM

Highly recommend the use of scientific investigation and sense in order to learn.
Focus: Physical world, arguing that reality, knowledge and value exist independent of the mind.
Realists believe that schools should promote human rationally observation and experimentation.

Realism Curriculum

Example:

Differences between Realism and Idealism

3) PRAGMATISM

Referred to as experimentalism, based on change, process and relativity.

Knowledge as a process in which reality is constantly changing

Nothing can be viewed intelligently except in relation to a pattern

Focus: idea of change.

Pragmatism Curriculum

Views teaching as more exploratory than explanatory
Considers teaching and learning as process of reconstructing experiencing according to scientific method.
Focus: Problem solving

4) EXISTENTIALISM