• He put great emphasis on the use of the national language as the medium of instruction at all stages of education. The younger generation should be aware of their cultural heritage but at the same time they should be exposed to the cultures of other countries and learn from them.
• He wanted women and men to be offered similar theoretical courses with separate practical courses for women, since their roles in life differed from those of men.
• In his view, education was not intellectual development alone. It should also develop a student's aesthetic nature and creativity. The quest for knowledge and physical activity in an agreeable environment were integral parts of the process.
• Nature walks and excursions were part of the curriculum and students were encouraged to follow the life cycle of insects, birds and plants.
• Aesthetic development was important as intellectual development; if not more so. This would include music, art, literature, drama and dance which should be given prominence in the daily life of the school (OÊConnell, 2003). • He advocated a teaching system that analysed history and culture for the
Such an approach will integrate individuals of diverse backgrounds and narrow the gap between rich and poor (Narmadeshwar Jha, 1994).
• The curriculum was flexible. Class discussion would move from Indian traditional literature to contemporary as well as classical Western thought and then to the culture of China or Japan or elsewhere.
1. What are the main aims of education according to Tagore?
2. What are the main features of the curriculum proposed by Tagore?
SELF-CHECK 2.8
• Philosophers are people who seek after wisdom and are curious about the world and seek to understand the nature of things.
• Philosophy is the starting point in any curriculum decision and it becomes the criteria for determining the aims, selection, organisation and implementation of the curriculum in the classroom.
• The perennialists believe that the aim of education is to develop the rational person and to uncover universal truths by training the intellect.
• The essentialists argue that schools should transmit the traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model citizens.
• The progressivists believe that education must be based on the fact that humans are by nature social and learn best in real-life activities with other people.
• The reconstructivists favour reform and students must be taught about how to bring about change.
• According to Al-Farabi the whole activity of education is the acquisition of values, knowledge and practical skills leading to perfection and the attainment of happiness.
• According to Confucius, education is to produce capable individuals whom he called gentlemen or men of quality who combined competence with virtue.
• According to Tagore, education should aim for the all-round development of the individual personality through interaction and union with the environment. Al-Farabi on education Confucius on education Educational philosoph Essentialism Perennialism Philosophy Progressivism Reconstructionism Tagore on education
1. Write down your personal philosophy of education and share it with others.
2. What is the current "status" of the essentialist orientation to curriculum? How widespread is this approach in curriculum planning at the elementary, middle, secondary, and higher education levels?
3. What is the current "status" of the progressive orientation to curriculum in primary and secondary schools?
4. To what extent do you agree with the reconstructionist perspective on curriculum?
5. Which ideas of al-Farabi, Confucius and Tagore are practiced in the school curriculum in your country?
Answer Key to ACTIVITY 2.3: Progressivism: 4, 10, 12 & 15 Essentialism: 1, 6, 9 & 11 Perennialism: 2, 7, 8 & 13 Reconstructionism: 3, 5, 14 & 16
Alistair, R. (2000). Curriculum: Construction and critique. London: Falmer Press. Chapter 1: What is the curriculum? [available at eBrary].
Heslep, R. (1997). Philosophical thinking in educational practice. London: Greenwood Publishing.
Chapter 1: The study of educational philosophy [available at eBrary].
Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (1998). Curriculum: Foundations, principle and issues. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Chapter 2: Philosophical foundations.
Tanner, E., & Tanner, L. (1980). Curriculum development: Theory into practice. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.
Chapter 4: Curricular sources and influences.
Prospects: Quarterly review of comparative education (1993). Thinkers on Education. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/Publications/Thinkers/thinhome .html
Shaw, L. Five educational philosophers.
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INTRODUCTION
In Topic 2, we discussed how different philosophical orientations and believes influence curriculum. We examined both Western and Eastern philosophers and their beliefs on how schools should educate the young. In this topic we will focus on how different psychological perspectives impact curriculum. Psychology deals with how humans learn and behave. After all, the main goal of any curriculum is to bring about learning. Hence, curriculum developers need to know how humans learn so that they can incorporate psychological principles when they design, develop and implement curriculum. Just as there are varying philosophical orientations, there are also varying conceptions of human learning and how the curriculum should be conceived especially with regards to learning in the classroom.
T
Topiopicc
3
Psychological
Foundations
of Curriculum
3
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4. State your values and beliefs about the nature of learning.
2. Compare the four major theoretical perspectives explaining human learning;
3. Identify the application of behaviourist, cognitivist, constructivist and humanist principles in the classroom; and
1. Explain why curriculum developers need to understand how humans learn;
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Strokes of Genius from a Wonder Boy" Lost in his own world, 11-year-
Yeak Ping Lian kneels on the floor, humming softly as he doodles on a yellow paper. He is oblivious to my presence. "Say hello to the lady", Sarah Lee said to her son who reluctantly moved away from his drawing.
"Hello", he mumbles while engulfing me in a hug. His eyes settle on the flowery motif of my dress. "Paint", he retorts in a clear voice and then runs to his worktable and waits. "Paint flower!" he repeats louder.
The home is swamped with Ping Lian's art ă on the walls, stacked up against banisters and under the tables. They are done in charcoal, pencil, ink and marker pens with watercolour and acrylic.
While some resemble infantile scratchings, there are others that seem impossible for an 11-year- old to produce, such as the Petronas Twin Towers, the Kuala Lumpur.
Railway Station and charcoal etchings of Tun Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Ping Lian's artistic talent is extraordinary. But, like any ordinary child, he is hyperactive and has a short attention span, loves root beer float and biscuits and enjoys watching Sesame Street and Toy Story. His latest preoccupation is the electronic keyboard.
Unlike ordinary children, however Ping Lian is autistic and diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Although he has an excellent memory and reads well, he has limited speech vocabulary, usually expressing himself in single or double words.
He is home-tutored and attends supplementary lessons for special needs children at the Emanuel Care Centre. He also takes Kumon classes in mathematics.
Source: Strokes of genius from an 11-year-old autistic child, by Vivienne Pal, New Straits Times, February 3, 2005
ACTIVITY 3.1
Read the newspaper report on Stroke of Genius from a Wonder Boy. 1. What are the unusual abilities of Yeak Ping Lian?
2. How is he presently educated?