Basic Foundations

1. Sumbul Fatima
B.Ed. (hons)
University of Education

2. PHILOSOPHICAL
FOUNDATION
OF CURRICULUM

3. TABLE OF CONTENT:
Philosophical Foundation of Curriculum
 What is Philosophy?
 Philosophical foundation
 Relationship between Philosophy and Curriculum
 Branches of Philosophy
 Major Philosophies
 Educational philosophies
 How Philosophical Foundation deals with:
 Role of teacher
 Importance of the body
 Teaching Methodology

4. PHILOSOPHY
The word Philosophy is derived from a Greek word ‘Philosophia’
which means ‘Love to Wisdom’
Definition:
“study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and
existence, knowledge ,values, reasons, mind and language”.
(New Oxford American Dictionary, 2005)
Philosophy includes what we know, how we know it, and why
it’s important for us to know it.

5. PHILOSOPHICAL
FOUNDATION
Based upon fundamental beliefs that arise
from one's philosophy of Education, curricular
decisions involve consideration of several
topics and issues. Precisely for this reason, we
consider philosophy one of the major
foundation areas in curriculum. In this section,
we shall explore several different philosophies
of education that influence curricular decisions.

6. RELATIONSHIP B/W PHILOSOPHY
AND CURRICULUM
Studying philosophy helps us deal with our own
personal systems of beliefs and values, i.e., the
way we perceive the world around us and how
we define what is important to us. As
philosophical issues have always influenced
society and institutions of learning, a study of the
philosophy of education in terms of Curriculum
development is essential

7. MAIN BRANCHES OF
PHILOSOPHY
 Ontology ( Reality)
 Epistemology (Knowledge)
 Axiology ( Values)
 Logic (reasoning)
 Aesthetics (art and beauty)

8. 1. ONTOLOGY
Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature
of reality. It is concerned with reality or existence.
Examples:
 What is man?
 What is universe?
 What is the status of man in this universe?

9. 2. EPISTEMOLOGY:
Epistemology is the nature of knowledge. It rises
questions about knowledge.
Example:
 What are basic sources of knowledge?
 What is the nature of knowledge?
 Which knowledge is useful?
 How the knowledge can be acquired?

10. 3. AXIOLOGY
Axiology is the nature of values. It is concerned with
the study of human conduct and moral values.
Examples:
 What are values/ethics?
 Are values permanent?
 What is the difference between good and bad
values?

11. 4. LOGIC:
Logic is the study of right reasoning. It is the tool philosophers
use to study other philosophical categories. Good logic includes
the use of good thinking skills and the avoidance of logic errors.

12. 5. AESTHETICS
Aesthetics is the study of art and beauty. It attempts to address
such issues as:
Examples:
 What is art?
 What is the relationship between beauty and art?
 Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

13. MAJOR PHILOSOPHIES
 Idealism
 Realism
 Existentialism
 Pragmatism

14. 1. IDEALISM:
Idealism is the world of mind and Ideas.

15. 2. REALISM
Realism is the antithesis of idealism. Realists believe
that Universe exists whether mind perceives it or not.
The physical education includes activities and
experiences that enables to understand the laws of the
physical world.

17. 3.EXTENSILISM:
 Reality is a total of individual experiences
 Each person’s experiences determine truth, which is
uniquely personal.

18. PRAGMATISM:
 Pragmatism is also known as experimentation.
 Ultimate reality must be experienced and is ever-
changing rather than absolute

19. 4. PRAGMATISM:

20. EDUCATIONAL
PHILOSOPHIES
FIVE EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES
 Perennialism
 Idealism
 Realism
 Experimentalism
 Existentialism

21. 1. PERENNIALISM
a philosophy drawing heavily from classical
definitions of education. Perennialists believe
that education, like human nature, is a
constant. Because the distinguishing
characteristic of humans is the ability to
reason, education should focus on developing
rationality. Education, for the perennialist, is a
preparation for life, and students should be
taught the world's permanencies through
structured study.

22. 2. IDEALISM
Idealism is a philosophy that promotes the refined wisdom of
men and women. Reality is seen as a world within a
person's mind. Truth is to be found in the reliability of ideas.
Goodness is an ideal state, something to be strived for.
Idealism would favor schools teaching subjects of the mind,
such as is found in most public school classrooms.
Teachers, for the idealist, would be models of ideal
behavior. For idealists, the schools' function is to sharpen
intellectual processes, to present the wisdom of the ages,
and to present models of behavior that are exemplary.
Students in such schools would have a somewhat passive
role, receiving and memorizing the reporting of the teacher.
Change in the school program would generally be
considered an interruption on the orderly process of
educating.

23. 3. REALISM
For the realist, the world is as it is, and the job of schools
would be to teach students about the world. Goodness, for
the realist, would be found in the laws of nature and the
order of the physical world.
Truth would be the simple communications of
observation. The realist would favor a school dominated by
subjects of the here-and-now world, such as math and
science. Students would be taught factual information for
mastery. The teacher would impart knowledge of this reality
to students or display such reality for observation and
study. Classrooms would be highly ordered and disciplined,
like nature, and the students would be passive participants
in the study of things. Changes in school would be
perceived as a natural evolution toward a perfection of

24. 4. EXPERIMENTALISM
The experimentalist openly accepts change and
continually seeks to discover new ways to expand and
improve society. The experimentalist would favor a
school with heavy emphasis on social subjects and
experiences. Learning would occur through a problem-
solving or inquiry format. Teachers would aid learners
or consult with learners who would be actively involved
in discovering and experiencing the world in which
they live.

25. 5. EXISTENTIALISM
The existentialist sees the world as one personal
subjectivity, where goodness, truth, and reality are
individually defined. Reality is a world of existing, truth
subjectively chosen, and goodness a matter of
freedom.

26. HOW PHILOSOPHICAL
FOUNDATION DEALS WITH:
1. IMPORTANCE OF THE BODY
 Idealism –Mind and ideas
 Realism - emphasis on the whole individual.
 Pragmatism - varieties of activities for effective
functioning in society.
 Existentialism - freedom to choose activity and to
be creative

27. 2. IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHER
 Idealism –Facilitators
 Realism - orderly presentation of facts; learning
through drills.
 Pragmatism - motivator, especially through
problem solving.
 Existentialism – stimulator and counselor

28. 3. METHODOLOGY
 Idealism –concept building by demonstration
method
 Realism – use of real world, drills, lectures, and
projects.
 Pragmatism – problem solving
 Existentialism – questions raised, thoughts
provoked, and freedom of action encouraged by
the teacher.

29. PHILOSOPHY AND
EDUCATION:
 Philosophy tells the goal and essential of good life.
 Education tells the means to achieve those goals and
learn those essential of good life.
 Philosophy point out the ways, to be followed by
Education
 Education is the best mean for the propagation of
philosophy