MES – 012: EDUCATION: NATURE AND

PURPOSES

1. a) Explain the concept and types of

discipline. Is Education a discipline?
Justify your
answer.
Explain Status of Education as a
Discipline.
Different educationists have different views on the Status of Education as a
discipline whether education is a distinct discipline or not.

1st view:
Education is multi-disciplinary in nature. It can be justified with the help of
following arguments:
1. There is no specific educational technique or procedure with which we can handle the varied
educational problems which are complex in nature.
2. The answer of many educational problems comes from varied disciplines. For example, we
can’t avoid the knowledge of psychology when we talk of handling special children similarly
the knowledge of philosophy can’t be avoided when we talk about aims and objectives of
education.
3. Actually, education as a discipline is so closely associated with certain other disciplines that we
have areas like Philosophy of Education, History of Education, Psychology of Education,
Sociology of Education and Economics of Education etc.
 2nd view:
There are some other educationists who consider education as a distinct
discipline. Their arguments for this view, can be summarized as follows:

1. Education certainly is a distinct discipline as it has laws, principles, logical reasoning regarding
the better and desirable modes of education.
2. Educational skill also is a bye-product of proper training and skill acquirement. Educational
skill does not come via intuition but through training and experience. This training and art and
art of teaching help to discipline the educator through continuous challenge to make use of
one’s discretion and judgement and the power of tolerance.
3. Educational theories, laws and principles also exist which makes it to be discipline.
The arguments against this view are as follows:
 Educational skill and practice is a result of training and experience, but it does not prove that
there must be a distinctive branch of science underlying the practice.
 Education does not have a specific methodology or procedures for which we can call it to be
distinct discipline.

If we consider the realm of things that are involved in education, these are
teachers, learners, curriculum, pedagogy, examination, evaluation, co-
curricular activities, aims and objectives of education. In this sense, education
is a distinct applied discipline as it does not have a separate body of
systematic knowledge, but is making use of Psychology, Philosophy, History,
Art, Economics and any more to create a newer discipline. It can even be
called multidisciplinary in nature.

.
2. b) Differentiate between Idealism and
Naturalism in terms of their philosophical
thoughts
and aims of education.
Answer-

Difference Between Idealism and

Naturalism
12

Key Difference – Idealism vs Naturalism

Idealism and Naturalism are two branches of philosophy between which a key difference
can be identified. Before identifying the difference, first let us define the idealism and
naturalism. Idealism is an approach to philosophy in which the reality is believed to be
mentally constructed. Naturalism is an approach to philosophy that highlights the
governance of the world through natural forces. The key difference between idealism and
naturalism is that while idealism focuses on a mentally constructed state of entities,
naturalism focuses on the existing reality of entities that are governed by natural
forces. This article will clarify the difference and provide a clearer idea of the two
philosophies.

What is Idealism?

Idealism can be considered as an approach to philosophy in which the reality is believed to

be mentally constructed in opposition to what truly exists. This highlights that for the idealist
what is most significant is not the real version of a particular entity but the mentally
constructed version of it. This is why idealists emphasize on how it should be in contrast to
how it is. Idealists focus on concepts, ideas, beliefs, and values. One of the key beliefs of
idealists is that the mind is at the center of all entities.

Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, G. W. F. Hegel, James Jeans, Johann Fichte,

George Berkeley, Fredrich Schelling are some of the famous idealists. Even within
idealism, there are many sub categories such as classical idealism, objective idealism,
subjective idealism, metaphysical idealism, epistemological idealism, absolute
idealism, practical idealism, actual idealism, etc. The influence of idealism can be seen
in many disciplines. For example, in education idealism can be seen in the learning process
as teachers educate the children on various concepts that are believed to be universal.

Immanuel Kant
What is Naturalism?

Naturalism is another approach to philosophy that highlights the governance of the world
through natural forces. Naturalists believe that the changes of the world are a result of the
interplay of these forces. They reject the idea that the world is governed by supernatural
forces. One of the main differences between idealism and naturalism is that while
naturalism focuses more on the material, idealism focuses on the immaterial.

Naturalists believe that the scientific methodology should be used to comprehend and
investigate reality. Some of the key figures are Roy Sellars, John Dewey, Sidney Hook,
Paul de Vries, Robert T. Pennock and Ernest Nagel. There are many branches of
naturalism such as methodological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, humanistic
naturalism, ethical naturalism and sociological naturalism.

John Dewey
What is the difference between Idealism and Naturalism?

Definitions of Idealism and Naturalism:

Idealism: Idealism is an approach to philosophy in which the reality is believed to be

mentally constructed.

Naturalism: Naturalism is an approach to philosophy that highlights the governance of the

world through natural forces.
Characteristics Idealism and Naturalism:

Key figures:

Idealism: Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, G. W. F. Hegel, James Jeans, Johann

Fichte, George Berkeley, Fredrich Schelling are some of the famous idealists.

Naturalism: Some of the key figures are Roy Sellars, John Dewey, Sidney Hook, Paul de
Vries, Robert T. Pennock and Ernest Nagel.

Entities:

Idealism: Idealism focuses on the idealistic state of entities. This denotes that idealists
were more concerned about how entities should be rather than how they are.

Naturalism: Naturalism focuses on the reality of entities.

Branches:

Idealism: Classical idealism, objective idealism, subjective idealism, metaphysical idealism,

epistemological idealism, absolute idealism, practical idealism and actual idealism are some
branches of idealism.

Naturalism: Methodological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, humanistic naturalism,

ethical naturalism and sociological naturalism are some branches of naturalism.

3(c) Suppose you are a member of

a curriculum development
committee entrusted with
developing curriculum for
secondary school level in your
state. Describe the steps which
 3©
your committee would follow
while developing the curriculum
for secondary school
level.
Answer -

What Is Curriculum Development ?

Curriculum Development is the step-by-step process of designing and improving the course offered at schools,
colleges and universities. Even though each institution will have its own process, the broad stages of the
framework consist of analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation.

Curriculum refers to specific lessons and academic content taught in schools and educational institutes for a
particular course or program. On the other hand, curriculum development is a process that aims to improve
the curriculum by using various approaches. A few of the commonly used techniques include need and task
analysis, objective design, choosing appropriate teaching and learning methods, choosing assessment methods,
and forming the curriculum committee and curriculum review committee.

Hence the entire process is divided into segments to ensure the development of an effective
curriculum that would help to facilitate an enriching educational programme.

Types Of Curriculum Development Models:

 Learner-Centred Design
 Subject-Centred Design
 Problem-Centred Design
1) Learner-Centered Design

The learner-centered design focuses on the understanding that each learner has different characteristics. The
teachers or instructors are to give opportunities to the learners to take ownership of a project or assignment.
They require to create chances for independent learning with well-regulated liberty. This indicates that students
take a more active role in the classroom, but it is to be done under the instructor's guidance.

There are four distinct attributes of learner-centered design, which includes:

Context- This refers to the assignments and tasks given in the classroom that should have real-world
application. Consequently, the relevant context in student learning will help learners to connect with what they
are learning.

Construction - Learners should relate their own experiences and prior learning with new learning.

Collaboration- Creating an environment and providing opportunities that encourage collaboration between
classmates. Activities like group discussions and team assignments allows the learners to only form
individuality but also expose to others’ opinions.

Conversation- Exercises to improve learners' communication skills are mandatory, and hence instructors
should employ them accordingly.

2) Subject-Centered Design

Subject-centered design is a traditional approach to curriculum that focuses on a particular subject matter or
discipline rather than on the individual. Additionally, during the curriculum development process, this
approach includes four subtypes of curriculum designs: subject-area design, discipline design, broad-field
design, and correlation design.

3) Problem-Centered Design

Problem-centered design is an approach that focuses on developing problem-solving skills, thinking and
communication skills. This is a student-centric strategy wherein the learners are given problematic situations
and encouraged to solve them after careful observation.

Process Of Curriculum Development

The curriculum development process consists of the following six stages.

 Stage 1: Assessing the educational needs
 Stage 2: Formulating objectives and learning goals
 Stage 3: Careful selection of learning experiences to accomplish these objectives
 Stage 4: The selecting the rich and valuable content through which teachers can offer the learning experiences.
 Stage 5: Organizing and integrating learning experiences with relevant content keeping in mind the teaching-
learning process
 Stage 6: Timely and accurate evaluation of all the above phases.

Principles Of Curriculum Development

The principles of the curriculum are norms, values, moralities, and philosophies that will benefit teachers,
students, and the whole education system. The curriculum and instructional strategy are essential components
of imparting knowledge to students.

1. Totality Of Experiences
2. Child-Centeredness
3. Conservation And Creativity
4. Integration
5. Flexibility
6. Utility
7. Character Formation
8. Mental Discipline
9. Social Fulfillment

The following are a few of the basic principles of curriculum development :

1) Principle Of Totality Of Experiences

It is imperative to realize that curriculum does not merely indicate academic subjects traditionally taught in
schools and colleges. It also includes the totality of experiences a student gains through several curricular,
extra-curricular and co-curricular activities.

2) Principle Of Child-Centeredness

Instead of sticking to the predetermined curriculum, instructors must consider the child’s concerns, motives,
and needs while developing the curriculum. In addition, while planning any curricular activities, educators
must consider ways to enrich learners’ interests.

3) Principle Of Conservation And Creativity

While developing a curriculum, it is mandatory to include subjects and experiences that would help conserve
cultural heritage. Furthermore, one of the most essential principles of curriculum development is that the
curriculum cannot be static. On the contrary, it should be subject to modification as per the requirement
aligned with the changing global educational trends and students’ needs.

4) Principle Of Integration

The curriculum should be planned in such a way that varied subjects could be added at different stages of
education. Similarly, the existing subjects should be able to integrate with other subjects apart from enabling
the students to correlate with the content.
5) Principle Of Flexibility

One of the ideal qualities that a curriculum should have is flexibility and dynamism, as this will be
instrumental in serving the needs and concerns of individuals and society. Also, timely changes and
appropriate modifications to the curriculum allows educators and learners alike to stay updated with academic
goals.

6) Principle Of Utility

Curriculum construction should follow the principle of utility, according to which educators must include
content that is useful to the individual and society. In addition, the curriculum must consist of rich and valuable
content that would be useful later in life.

7) Principle Of Character Formation

The goal of the curriculum is not just educating learners through bookish knowledge. It should also encourage
the development of character and personality in students. Therefore, the curriculum must aid in students’
character training throughout the academic years.

8) Principle Of Mental Discipline

A significant task of the curriculum is to foster learners' various mental faculties or powers through cognitive
training and practice.

9) Principle Of Social Fulfillment

Education aims to provide the overall development of the students through comprehensive teaching styles and
content. Moreover, the curriculum should also consider adding the element of social life so that learners could
gain insight into becoming responsible citizens.