Philosophy of Education

This post is from my own research about different types of philosophy of education.


Philosophy of Education


Al-Farabi:

Introduction:

Al-Farabi also known as Alpharabius, was a philosopher and a jurist who wrote in the fields of political philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and logic. He was born in Turkestan, in 872 AD, but he relocated to Baghdad where he studied grammar, logic, philosophy, mathematics and science. He had a great desire to understand the universe and humanity. He was a Muslim philosopher and one of the preeminent thinkers of medieval Islam, he was regarded in the medieval Islamic world as the greatest philosophical authority after Aristotle. (Corbin, 2001)


In al-Farabi’s view, the goal of education is to lead the individual to perfection, where in his view the perfect human being “Al-insan Al-kamil” was one how obtained and combined morality and intellectual knowledge thus becoming a worthy role model for society. This perfection, which he expects from education, combines knowledge and virtuous behavior. This should be one of the main goals of education. The second major aim of education is to produce political leaders.


Al-farabi is also credited with preserving the original Greek texts during the middle age because of his commentaries and treatises, for which he become well known in the east as well as in the west.


Method of education:


Al-Farabi suggests a suitable method of instruction for elite and general class. It may be appropriate to the level of learner keeping in view, whether people belong to the common class or the elite. (Fakhry, 1983) Farabi says that education is necessary for all in the nation. Where in the absence of education, nobody would be able to reach perfection and get happiness. Moreover, according to al-Farabi education should be available to all. Therefore, he says that there are two basic method of instruction one for the common people, persuasion based and for the elite the method is demonstration based.


Curriculum:

in Farabi’s opinion, language comes before rules to enrich the mind. so learning must start with the language, the learner must be like the people who speak that language to communicate with them, without this ability he will not be able to understand them. Which will affect his personality. Next to languages comes logic, which is the instrument of the sciences. After language and logic comes mathematics. Al-Farabi divides mathematics into seven parts: numbers (arithmetic), geometry, the science of perspectives, scientific astronomy (contrasted with astrology), music, dynamics and the science of machines. Following sciences comes theology or metaphysics, then the human sciences (political science in particular), then jurisprudence, law and academic theology.


Teachers role:

According to Al-Farabi morality and learning are important conditions for the teacher. (Shahsavari, 2012) He has to bear a good character and seeks truth in all conditions (Fakhry, 1983). . Al-Farabi knows characteristics of teacher as following:

1- Be healthy.

2- Has a good ability to understand and think.

3- Be a clever and smart.

4- Be a well-spoken.

5- Be a training borrower and its use.

6- Is not greedy in eating and drinking.

7- Be an enemy of a lie and lying.

8- Be a noble and borrower generosity.

9- Worldly comfort in mind not is a much.

10- Justice and people inherently borrower mighty, and the enemy be an evil and oppressive people.

11- Be a mild person, not stubborn, strict and lax.

12- Will have a strong, not cowardly and timid.


Students role:


For students to reach the happiness, they try to connect to the active intellect (Shahsavari, 2012), but there are individual differences in the students. Therefore, al-Farabi divides intellect into three types:

1- potential intellect that studies human talent

2- actual intellect that understands physical object intellect

3- meant intellect that understand abstract forms

So according to al-Farabi students must do all their effort to connect to the active intellect, by this they will earn the highest perfection and happiness.


conclusion:

It can be concluded of research findings that al-Farabi’s metaphysical thoughts are based on Plato’s and Aristotle views. He has integrated the three basic issues, God, the emanation and hierarchy of beings and the internal structure of beings. In addition, according to al-Farabi, the main goals of education the concept of perfect human being is human prosperity. The second major aim of education is to produce political leaders. also it may be concluded that Al-Farabi’s thoughts on education contains ethical morality along with acquisition of knowledge in the fields of language, mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, jurisprudence, law and academic theology.


Al-Ghazali:

Introduction:


Al-Ghazali was born between March 1058 to February 1059 CE with the original name of Abu Hamind ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali. To many Westerners he is known as Algazel. Al-Ghazali was a Muslim theologian, jurist, philosopher, and a mystic descending from the Persians. He was born in the town of Tabaran in the district of Tus, which is now situated in modern day Iran.

According to al-Ghazali the aim of education divided into long term aim and short term aim. The long term aim is building up a closer approach to god, while the short term aim is the achievement of humans profession based on their talent and proficiencies.


Method:


According to al-Gazali a learning process leads to the right character building (SOUSSI, 2016), so his method divided into three parts:

1- Learning method principle:

· Giving the whole focus of attention

· Considering the knowledge purpose that will be given

· Learning the knowledge staring from the most simple thing to the most complex one

· Learning the knowledge with the critism system

2- Teaching method principle:

· Considering the students thinking levels

· Giving the clear explanation

· Teaching knowledge from concrete to abstract

· Teaching knowledge gradually

3- Educating method principle:

· Giving exercises / practices

· Giving understanding and advice

· Protecting students from bad social interaction


Curriculum:

In Al-Ghazali’s curriculum of education was not strictly defined, but it was flexible allowing students to choose the subjects they aim to study. Since Al-Ghazali did not consider aims of education as different from the aim of life, he essentially suggested a curriculum for student’s whole life (SOUSSI, 2016).


Teachers role:


1- The teachers should be sympathetic towards students and they should treat them as their own children.

2- The teachers must follow the noble example of the life of Prophet Muhammad and teach for giving knowledge only and not for seeking praise or fee.

3- The teachers should adopt progressive methodology whereby, they should make students learn gradually by mastering one stage and then proceeding to the next.

4- The teachers should also encourage students to leave bad habits in a suggestive manner and compassionately, rather than aggressively and embarrassingly.

5- The teachers should respect all sciences, including those that they are not teaching and should not derogate them.


Students role:

1- The students should purify their spirit by freeing themselves of bad habits and other spiritual maladies. Thereafter they will become a vessel where knowledge can be stored.

2- The students must separate themselves as much as possible from their connection with the worldly affairs, as these ties will pull them away from the focus on seeking knowledge.

3- The students should not consider themselves superior to their teachers and should accept the knowledge and learning provided by them. The students should accept advice of their teachers and trust the guidance received.

4- The students should ignore the opinions in contradiction to their thoughts in their selected field and focus on mastering the one and only praiseworthy way as guided by the teachers.

5- Serious students should get knowledge of all branches of science, because all types of knowledge are related and linked to each other.



Behaviorism:


Introduction:

Behaviorism is a learning theory that only focuses on objectively observable behaviors and discounts any independent activities of the mind. Behavior theorists define learning as the acquisition of new behavior based on environmental conditions.

Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. The learner starts as a clean slate and behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. the most known contributors are J. Watson, I. Pavlov and B.F. Skinner.


Method:

This theory is relatively simple to understand because it relies only on observable behavior and describes several universal laws of behavior. Its positive and negative reinforcement techniques can be very effective– such as in treatments for human disorders including autism, anxiety disorders and antisocial behavior. Teachers who reward or punish student behaviors often use behaviorism.

Behaviorism is often seen in contrast to constructivism Constructivists are more likely to allow for experimentation and exploration in the classroom and place a greater emphasis on the experience of the learner. In contrast to behaviorists, they feel that an understanding of the brain informs teaching.


Curriculum:

· Organized so students experience the subject matter

· Prescriptive approach

· Step by step structured methods for learning

· Careful analyzing of the learners needs and behavior

· Programmed instructions

· Specify the desire outcome to know what needs to be changed and how it will be evaluated


Teacher’s role:

· Motivates and facilitates learning

· Provide positive reinforcement

· Teachers should offer rewards for correct responses

· Teacher should use repetition and lots of practice
Student’s role:

· students should work and do effort for rewards

· Students behavior is diverse based on their environmental surrounding so they respond differently

· Students respond to stimuli



Realism:


Introduction:


Realism believe that knowledge acquired by senses is true; hence, whatever we perceive by our sense is real nature and the true entity of the world. According to Butler “Realism is the reinforcement of our common acceptance of this world as it appears to us”, and according to Ross “Realism is the real world of things behind and corresponding to the objects of our perception”.

Realist have accepted education as a social institution by which an individual is constructed, the aim of education according to Realism:

1. To teach truth rather than beauty, to understand the present practical life

2. To provide the students with essential knowledge that he will need to survive in the natural world

3. Importance of material studies such as science



Method:


Realism change the traditional system of knowledge to be gaining knowledge through senses by:

· Emphasis on critical reasoning through observation

· Supports accountability and performance teaching

· Education should proceed from simple complex and from concrete to abstract



Curriculum:


According to Ross “just as naturalism comes on the educational scene as a protest against system of training that have become artificial, so realism tends to appear as a reaction against the curriculum consisting od studies that have become bookish, sophisticated and abstruse”. Therefore, curriculum should be:

· Practical and useful

· Highly organized and systematic

· Use the object in education

· Physical activity have educational value

· Extensive use of pictures



Teacher’s role:



· Teacher should be educated and well versed with the customs of belief and rights of people.

· Teacher must have full mastery of knowledge of present life

· Teacher must be able to expose and guide the student toward the hard realities of life

· Teacher must be able to relate between utility in daily life and education

· Teacher should define simple rules

· Teacher should deliver students to perfection



Student’s role:



Student is considered as a focal point of education, hence the student’s feelings, tendencies and faculties cannot be overlooked. The student will have to be enabled to proceed from ignorance to knowledge and to know the knowledge of real, the realist want to educate a student how to become a man so that he can face the real challenges of life.

My experience throughout EDUC560

During this course we learn about creating google account, using google drive for saving info, working on google form to create quizzes...
During that course we learn so much about google applications; google doc., google slides, google drive and google forms. We also used Webinar, which is a nice application that allow students, teachers and anyone interesting in a topic to attend an online lecture about it. In addition to webQuest which we can use to create a website to use in classroom to make thing easier to students. In addition to many other interested applications like kahoot, quizlet, irubric and many more.