Department of Distance and Continuing Education

University of Delhi
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B.A. (Programme) Minor Paper

Paper-II Discipline A1/Paper-III Discipline B1
Semester-I

Course Credit - 4

BASIC CONCEPTS AND IDEAS IN EDUCATION

(Department of Education)
As per the UGCF - 2022 and National Education Policy 2020
Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

Editors
Dr. Rakesh Kumar
(Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, University of Delhi)
Dr. Gyanendra Kumar
(Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, University of Delhi)
Sh. Ranjan Kumar Sahoo
(Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, COL/SOL, DU)

Content Writers
Ritu Giri, Dr. Sanjit Kumar Das, Dr. Anjali Tiwari,
Dr. Rajesh Prasad Singh, Karshima Sharma,
Dr. Monika Pareek, Dr. Manisha Taneja,
Ranjan Kumar Sahoo, Bhawana Mishra,
Himani Sharma, Preeti Sharma

Academic Coordinator
Deekshant Awasthi

© Department of Distance and Continuing Education

ISBN: 978-93-95774-81-9
Ist edition: 2022
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]

Published by:
Department of Distance and Continuing Education under
the aegis of Campus of Open Learning/School of Open Learning,
University of Delhi, Delhi-110007

Printed by:
School of Open Learning, University of Delhi

© Department of Distance & Continuing Education, Campus of Open Learning,

School of Open Learning, University of Delhi
 Disclaimer

 The present study material is a modified, reframed and updated version of the earlier
study material by the same name under the CBCS semester system. This material is
now framed and written according to the new syllabus UGCF 2022.
 Corrections/Modifications/Suggestions proposed by Statutory Body,
DU/Stakeholder/s in the Self Learning Material (SLM) will be incorporated in the
next edition. However, these corrections/modifications/suggestions will be uploaded
on the website https://sol.du.ac.in. Any feedback or suggestions can be sent to the
email- [email protected]

© Department of Distance & Continuing Education, Campus of Open Learning,

School of Open Learning, University of Delhi
 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

Graduate Course
B.A. (Programme) Minor Paper
Paper-II Discipline A1/Paper-III Discipline B1
Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education
Contents

UNIT 1
Lesson 1 Education: Meaning, Aims and Process Ritu Giri
Lesson 2 Concepts of Education: Teaching, Training, Learning, Dr. Sanjit Kumar Das
Indoctrination, Schooling and Education Dr. Anjali Tiwari
Lesson 3 The Epistemological Basis of Education: Knowledge, Dr. Rajesh Prasad Singh
Belief, Inquiry, Reasoning Karishma Sharma
Lesson 4 Meaning, Nature and Development of Values Dr. Monika Pareek

UNIT 2
Lesson 1 Socialization and Education Dr. Monika Pareek
Lesson 2 Culture and Education Dr. Monika Pareek
Lesson 3 Constitutional Values: Equality, Freedom, Justice, Dr. Rajesh Prasad Singh
Secularism, Human Rights Karishma Sharma
Lesson 4 Building the Objectives of Education on the Context Dr. Manisha Taneja
of a Developing and Democratic Society Karishma Sharma

UNIT 3
Lesson 1 Sri Aurobindo Ranjan Kumar Sahoo
Lesson 2 Jiddu Krishnamurti Bhawana Mishra
Lesson 3 John Dewey Karishma Sharma
Himani Sharma
Lesson 4 Jean Jacques Rousseau Karishma Sharma
Himani Sharma
Lesson 5 Paulo Freire Preeti Sharma

© Department of Distance & Continuing Education, Campus of Open Learning,

School of Open Learning, University of Delhi
 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

UNIT-1

Lesson 1 : Education: Meaning, Aims and Process

Lesson 2 : Concepts of Education: Teaching, Training, Learning, Indoctrination,

Schooling and Education

Lesson 3 : The Epistemological Basis of Education: Knowledge, Belief, Inquiry,

Reasoning

Lesson 4 : Meaning, Nature and Development of Values

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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

LESSON 1
EDUCATION: MEANING, AIMS AND PROCESS

Ritu Giri
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

1.1. Learning Objectives

1.2. Introduction
1.3. Meaning of Education
1.4. Basic Aims of Education
1.5. Education: As a Process
1.6. Forms of Education
1.6.1 Formal Education
1.6.2 Non-Formal Education
1.6.3 Informal Education
1.7. The Interdisciplinary Nature of Education
1.8. Education as a Discipline
1.9. Summary
1.10. Glossary
1.11. Answers to In-text Questions
1.12. Self-Assessment Questions
1.13. References
1.14. Suggested Readings

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Define the meaning of education.
 Describe the aims of education.
 Explain the three forms of education.
 Differentiate among the formal, informal, and non-formal education
 Explain the interdisciplinary nature of education.

1.2 INTRODUCTION

Education is the means that separates a human from other living beings of the world by
transforming him/her from a biological being to a social being. Overall human development
takes place only through education. An educated person contributes to national development
by performing his/her societal duties effectively. Education enables humans to hand over
their cultural heritage to future generations. In this view, education works as an institution
that helps in connecting the person with society and maintaining the continuity of society's
culture. Here, in this unit, we will discuss education, its real meaning, purpose and process,
as well as develop an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of education.

1.3 MEANING OF EDUCATION

In Hindi, the term Shiksha is derived from a Sanskrit word ‘Shaksh’ which means to learn
and teach. According to this interpretation, it can be said that education is a process of
learning. At the same time, In English the word ‘Education’ is derived from two Latin
words ‘Educatum’ and ‘Educare’. ‘Educare’ means ‘to train or mold’ and ‘educatum’
refers to the ‘act of teaching.’ In the word education, ‘E’ means ‘from the inside’ and ‘duco’
means to move forward, from which 'education' means to illuminate the inner powers of
the person toward the outside. At different times, many philosophers, psychologists,
sociologists and policy makers have presented their views about education. These ideas help
us understanding the meaning of education.
Some of the important ideas are as follows:
Education is what makes a person self-sufficient and selfless. (Rigveda)
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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man. (Swami Vivekananda)

Education is the process of coordinated development of a person. (Jiddu Krishnamurthy)
The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes of a life
in harmony with all existence. (Rabindranath Tagore)
Education is the harmonious and progressive development of all the powers and faculties of
man- physical, intellectual and moral. (Pestalozzi)
Education means co-ordination of inter-powers with external life. (Herbert Spencer)
Education is child's development from within. (Rousseau)
By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man's body, mind and
spirit. (Mahatma Gandhi)
Education is a powerful tool for economic and social development of the nation; education is
the key to national wealth and national welfare. (National Education Commission 1964-66)
Education is a means to fulfill the need of our physical and spiritual development. (National
Commission on Education 1986)
In reality, the field of education is so vast and diverse that it becomes very difficult to give a
clear definition of it. Some educationists define one aspect of education while others
emphasize on other stages of education. Actually, education is a synthesis of all these
perspectives that is why the definition of education is very comprehensive and inclusive.
Education can be defined as a conscious or unconscious, purposive, sociological,
psychological, philosophical, and scientific process that brings about a person's
development to its fullest extent and also the maximum development of the society.
Education is a continuous process which is unilateral and bipolar in nature. It is knowledge
and experience. It is conducive both for the welfare of the individual and the society.
Meaning of education can be seen mainly in two ways - broader meaning of education and
narrower meaning of education
In a broader sense, education is a social process always going on in any society, due to
which the innate powers of human beings are developed and their knowledge and skills are
enhanced and their behavior is changed. In this process, man is turned into a civilized,
capable and cultured citizen. In the larger sense, education is the overall development of the
personality of any human being. According to this education is the summation of all those
experiences which affect a person from birth till death. In the narrow sense, instructions
given in school are considered education. According to this, education is imparted in a
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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

planned way, in deliberately designed institutions (school, colleges etc.), for fixed duration,
during which individuals learn certain syllabus and pass the exams to get degrees and
diplomas. According to this, information on any subject can be obtained through education.
Education in the Broader Sense
• It is a lifelong process.
• It can be imparted in both planned and unplanned way.
• Education has its objectives, but they cannot be confined within boundaries.
• Its curriculum is comprehensive.
• It involves various teaching methods.
• There is no obligation of time and space.
• It can be a process between any two people.
Education in the Narrower Sense
• Education takes place for fixed duration.
• It can be imparted only through planned methods.
• Its objectives are fixed and limited.
• It has a definite curriculum.
• There are only a few methodologies.
• Place and time of learning are determined in advance.
• It is a process which takes place between teacher and student.

1.4 BASIC AIMS OF EDUCATION

Education is a purposeful activity, whether we see it in its broad sense or in its narrow sense,
both have one or the other purpose. Objectives provide a direction to any task or activity
whereas, aimless learning is like a dark street where an individual don’t understand where to
move and how to move ahead. Education is a conscious effort through which we want to
bring desired change in learners. For these changes, education has its certain objectives, on
the basis of which the curriculum is framed and the educational achievements of the students
are also measured. Human life is very dynamic and with the passage of time its objectives
have changed, which in turn has shaped, the aims and objectives of education.

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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

The objectives of social life of any society determine or influence the aims of existing
education system. The basic objectives of education have always been to develop the
personality of the individual and to maintain the continuity of the society, while developing
it. Spirituality was the ideal of life in ancient India, and educational objectives were
determined by the concept of life. The purpose of education was self-realization and the
realization of Brahman. In those days, inculcation of social and civic duties in the mind of
the students was considered one of the major objectives of education. Religion was the main
guide of life and society during the medieval era. Civilization was religion centric and
education was purely a priestly affair. With the arrival and strengthening of British, our
indigenous education system was uprooted and replaced with their western education system.
Their prime intention was to prepare the class of Indians who could follow the instructions
and do meticulously the clerical tasks at subordinate posts completely devoid of the
leadership qualities. Indian leaders realized the flaws inherent in the prevalent system of
education introduced by the British and took steps to change it. Universalization of education
was the need of the hour, and education was seen to be associated with national development.
During this time, several committees and commissions were set up for educational reforms.
With the passage of time, the innate abilities of teachers and the process that develops their
personality are seen as essential factors for social and national development. Some of the
major objectives of education today are:
Transfer of Social Heritage: Through education, one generation transfers its knowledge,
prevailing trends, public policies, and foundational paradigms of social formation to the next
generation. This work of education is done by many institutions such as family, school,
formal means of religion and informal means of community state.
Physical Development: According to Aristotle, ‘The creation of a healthy mind in a healthy
body is education'. Physical development is a universal objective of education; it is
associated with strengthening of their muscles, development of ‘gyanendriya’ i.e. sensory
faculties and ‘karmendriya’ means organs of action and growth of innate powers. For this,
they are made aware of the benefits of good health and arrangements for yoga, exercise and
sports are made for them, so that they get more and more opportunities to nurture their
senses.
Mental Development: A very important objective of education is that it provides the
knowledge of language for the exchange of ideas of learners, and the knowledge of the
different subjects so that they can make sense of the material world and the spiritual world
around them. This kind of education helps in mental development of the child. And for its
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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

development, children are given opportunities to learn by themselves, so that their mental
powers such as memory, inspection, reasoning, imagination, contemplation, judgment,
equalization etc. get enhanced.
Social Development: It is very clear that a person can neither live nor progress without
social context. The security and interest of the person depends on the society. Both
socialization and education contribute in turning a man into a social being. Education makes
children aware of society's language, customs, method of living, ethics, thinking etc. and
sensitise them towards the good and bad of the society and further help in adjusting in it. To
become a worthy social being, it is very necessary to develop the feelings of love,
cooperation, sympathy etc. in children, which is possible only through proper education.
Moral and Character Development: Both the moral education and character building are
related to the overall behaviour of man, which is an important objective of education. Both
Vivekananda ji and Gandhi ji have emphasized character building in education. Various
characteristic qualities like honesty, devotion, charity etc. are developed in children through
education and they also learn to obey the societal rules by their own willpower by thinking
and assessing these rules from a broad perspective.
Cultural Development: Every society has its own culture, and through education people
transfer their cultural heritage from generation to generation. It is a major objective of the
education of any society that through it their children become culturally developed. Through
this, children are made aware of the specific and basic elements of the culture of their society
and they are expected to reflect the culture in their behaviour.
Vocational Development: Vocational objective is also called utilitarian purpose of education
or objective of earning a living. Bread, cloth and house are the most fundamental
requirements of any human being, so fulfilling these primary needs by education becomes an
important objective of education. The commercial or the vocational purpose of education
means that children have the technical, administrative and organizational understanding
necessary to do any production work, business, small scale industry or any big industry as per
their instincts, interests, abilities or needs so that they make a good living for themselves and
their families.
Citizenship Training: Citizens of any country have to perform their civic duties and
responsibilities there. The aim of education is to train children in such a way that they can
discharge all their civic duties and responsibilities well. Such training includes enhancement
of certain qualities of children such as clear thinking, clarity of writing and speaking, art of
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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

living community life, spirit of support and tolerance and development of patriotism and
world citizenship.
In addition to all these objectives, education is responsible for the development of
spiritual consciousness among children and for fulfilling the needs and aspirations of a
nation. One of the main objectives of education is to encourage children and give them
opportunities to develop new social patterns and creative schemes.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1. Etymologically the word ‘Education’ is derived from two Latin words
_______ and _______.
2. According to Rigveda, Education is what makes a person _______ and
_______.
3. Education is a purposeful activity. (T/F)
4. Education is a lifelong process. (T/F)
5. List out the basic aims of education.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

1.5 EDUCATION: AS A PROCESS

In the early stages of development of the education as a process, education was considered as
a process of accumulation. According to this, the task of education was to sow the seeds of
life in the empty minds of children. The teacher's mind and books were then considered to be
the repository of children's mental glands. This theory of teaching was very narrow and
baseless. According to this, knowledge was presented in a concise manner in the form of
facts, information and statements so that it could be easily remembered by children. This
concept of educational process completely destroys a student's innate abilities and
psychological processes. With the educational, psychological, sociological and cultural
development, the concepts, objectives and the processes of education have also improved.
What was previously seen as a process of accumulation is now seen as the process of the
formation of mind, the process of being prepared for the responsibilities and privileges of

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

adult life, the process of growth and development, the process of giving the right direction to
the life of the learner, and is also seen as a process of social change, process of progress and a
process of socialization.
In terms of the coordinated development of an individual and society, if we look at education
from the context of teaching and learning process, function, effect, expectation and reality,
then it seems to be a very comprehensive and complex process. But in general terms, it is a
purposeful and formal process which takes place between the students and the teacher.
It is usually seen as teaching and learning process. Many concepts and ideas have been
presented to understand and explain education as a process. These concepts and ideologies
have also changed with the development of education.
According to 'John Adam' education is a bipolar process going on between the learner and
the teacher,
On the other hand, as per 'Raeburn', education has been considered as a three-polar process.
According to him, the three poles of education are student, teacher, and curriculum.
Prior to technological development in education, these three poles have been considered to be
prominent ones. 'John Dewey' has been looking at education as a process of development.
According to him, there are mainly two aspects of education i.e. psychological and
sociological. He believed that the complete development of the child takes place in the
society and through that society, so the objectives, concepts and methods of teaching should
be determined by the society. According to him education is a tri-polar process, whose three
poles are learner, teacher and society. For any educational process to be successful, these
three poles must have mutual support.
According to educational assessment experts, the process of education moves between
educational goals, teaching learning conditions to achieve those goals and assessment
methods. These three organs are based on and are determined by each other. At the same
time, educational technical experts view education in terms of the learner, teacher and
learning. Of all these learner is the most important, because he / she has to be taught, so all
educational activities are designed and organized keeping the learner at the centre. The
teacher has an important to role to play in this process of teaching and learning, the physical
and mental environment, educational materials, teaching methodologies etc., together
complete the teaching-learning process.

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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

1.6 FORMS OF EDUCATION

In order to have a better understanding of the process of education, it is necessary that we
comprehend its different forms. From the arrangement point of view, there are three forms of
education:
1.6.1 Formal Education: Education given formally in schools, colleges and
universities is termed as formal education. The objectives, curriculum, and
teaching methods of such education are all decided by the institution. It is fully
planned and has very little flexibility. In formal education, students have to work
according to the time schedule of the institution. In this, students are assessed by
taking an exam and on its successful completion certificate/degrees are given so
that they can reach the next level of education. Such education fulfils the needs of
the individual, society and the nation. It makes the person qualified for any job,
business or training by developing his/ her knowledge and skills. Money, time
and energy all have to be spent in formal education.
1.6.2 Non-Formal Education: Like formal education, non-formal education is not
confined to the limits of schools, colleges and universities etc. but its objectives
and syllabus are fixed and there is great flexibility in its planning. Its main
purpose is to spread and organize education. Curriculum in non-formal education
is determined keeping in mind the needs of the learner and the place, time and
methods of learning are fixed according to their convenience. Adult education,
open education, continuing education and distance education are its various forms.
It is helpful to educate those who are unable to avail formal education. It provides
continuity to education.
1.6.3 Informal Education: An education that does not have a definite plan or a definite
place or curriculum or teaching methods is called informal education. This
education continues to take place consciously and unconsciously and it affects the
human the most. The first education of child begins in the informal manner at
home, which continues till his last breath. Man keeps on learning, unlearning and
relearning new things informally from new people, phenomenon and environment
he comes in contact with and increases his knowledge.
The provision of formal and informal education is very important to give
proper direction to the conduct and language of person, to organize their

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

experiences, to train them in a particular way according to their interests and

abilities, to organize their experiences and to promote and disseminate education.

1.7 THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF EDUCATION

So far, we have understood the meaning of education, its basic purpose and education as a
process, now we will focus on the interdisciplinary nature of education. A very important
objective of education is to prepare a person for his future life. Our present education system
is yet to achieve this objective, because so far more and more of our energy is used to
enhance the level of knowledge of children and not in developing their understanding. The
growth of creative aspects of children's personality, which is most important in today's time,
is somewhere still lagging behind. In the near future when most of our work will be
automated, the person will not be evaluated on the basis of how much he/she knows or
his/her level of knowledge, but he will be judged on the basis of how creatively he/she uses
his/her knowledge to understand and make sense of the world and solve their real-world
problems. To be successful in today's time, it is necessary for a person to be curious, creative
and innovative, as well as to have the ability to accept new changes and challenges.
Therefore, in this globally connected world where we talk about preparing children for the
future, it becomes imperative that the interdisciplinary approach is promoted by slightly
blurring the boundaries between the various disciplines. Before we proceed to understand the
interdisciplinary approach, we should first know what a discipline or an academic discipline
means.
Academic discipline refers to the branch of knowledge that includes people, expertise,
projects, inquiries, communities, and research, which are related to a particular field.
Psychology, mathematics, anthropology, philosophy, sociology etc. are all academic
disciplines. Academic discipline is commonly seen in institutions of higher learning such as
universities. It includes a group of experts, theoretical background, research and
experimentation etc. These are different from the subjects taught at the school level because
the subjects in schools are tied to a particular level according to the ability of the students and
they provide a very little scope for research opportunities. Disciplinary designations
originated in German universities during the early 19th century. Most academic disciplines
such as political science, sociology, social science and other natural science and technology
subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology and engineering have originated from the mid to
the last of the 19th century. Academic subjects such as education and psychology were

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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

added to these designations in the early twentieth century. In the 1970s to 1980s, many new
academic disciplines, which focused on a specific subject such as media studies, women
studies, etc., grew rapidly. For career and profession many academic disciplines like Nursing,
Hospitality Management etc. were raised. Soon the interdisciplinary scientific fields such as
biology, geophysics etc. gained prominence as their contribution to the knowledge of the
subject began to be widely recognized. As the twentieth century approached, these
nomenclatures were adopted by other countries and accepted as traditional subjects. Higher
education provided a base to these interdisciplinary subjects and their importance was widely
recognized.

1.8 EDUCATION AS A DISCIPLINE

‘Education’, this term can be understood in many ways depending on its usage. It is generally
understood in three contexts - knowledge, process and subject. In the context of
knowledge, education is sum total of all the knowledge that we acquire in formal and
informal way in our life. In the context of process, education is mainly seen as an activity and
enterprise which includes different systems. In the context of academic discipline, education
is taken up by individuals as an area of study. In this, they are prepared to become teachers
and are made aware about various aspects of teaching learning.
The existence of an independent discipline of education has always been controversial. Like
other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, history etc., many arguments are
presented on whether or not education should be considered an independent discipline. Three
main points of views are presented in this regard. According to the first argument, education
is based on other established and traditional disciplines and often focuses on practice and
therefore should not be given the status of an independent academic discipline. Based on
the same logic, according to the second argument, education is said to be interdisciplinary,
as there are many areas within the same educational framework. Further, according to the
third ideology, education itself is an independent academic discipline, because education
has its unique set of questions, problems, perspectives and knowledge base and like other
independent fields it also meets different criteria of being an academic discipline.
Education fulfills various criteria to set up for any field to be established as a new
academic discipline. These are as follows:
 Like any discipline, education has a valid, recognisable, significant and an identifiable
history. Since the dawn of human existence, human beings have been passing their
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Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

social and cultural values, traditions, skills and moral ideas to the next generation.
Education is continuously developing from the Gurukul system to the modern
classroom system and has continued to establish its existence. Over time, changes
have also taken place in the education system and educational institutions which
further enhance its historical spread. This evolutionary history of education can be
traced back to its transformation into an independent discipline.
 Like other established disciplines, education also has its unique cognitive structure
and unique mode of thinking. It is true that during the early stages of being
established as a field of study, the objectives, methods, procedures, curriculum, etc. of
education were much governed by philosophical thinking. But gradually, with the
introduction of new concepts like school as a miniature society, child centred
education, psychological and sociological advancements led to the development of its
own mode of thinking, planning and process.
 Education typically has its own structured and well-organized framework of
knowledge. It has its own specialised knowledge base and research objectives.
Questions like what to teach, how to teach and why to teach are mainly guided by
specific rules of education, principles and theoretical knowledge. The content of
formal study of education may be called multi-disciplinary, because it includes the
study of various subjects such as educational psychology, research methods, value
education, educational technology, teacher education, comparative education, higher
education etc. But the content of discipline of education whether shared or adopted
has its own structure and sense of uniqueness, which is seen when we look at the
discipline of education as a whole or one single unit.
 Education has its own principles, theories and concepts in which it can organize all
the accumulated knowledge effectively. This includes philosophical theory,
sociological theory or and psychological theory.
 Like any other discipline, education also has its specified scope of investigation and
research purpose. It has its own developed scientific research methods and
appropriate techniques, processes and tools for generating new knowledge and
validation of existing knowledge.
 There are many terms under educational discipline that are unique to the educational
community. This includes words such as vocational, curriculum, teaching, syllabus,
exam, classroom, textbook, work experience, teaching aids, dropout, literacy, etc.
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Education shares some content and research methods with other disciplines show the
technical terminology of education is also shared with these disciplines. Terms such
as Intelligence, Motivation, Technology, individual difference, System Approach
Guidance and Counselling, rewards and punishment may also be used with an
educational meaning.
 In order to be considered as a discipline, field must have an intimate link with the
basic human aspirations and activities, and education accomplishes this task very
well. Education has a direct link with the aspirations and expectations of the people.
It provides a formal platform for transmission, production and preservation of
knowledge, skills and traditions acquired by people.
 Like any well-established discipline, education also has its own institutional
manifestations. It is taught as a subject at university level has its own academic
department and also has a set community of scholars connected to it.
Education as a process is as old as human existence, but education as a field of study it is still
evolving. After a detailed analysis of the parameters for having established as a discipline by
education, there should not be any doubt that education itself is a well-established discipline.
Now we will discuss about the interdisciplinary nature of education, but before that we have
to understand that when we are talking about the interdisciplinary nature of education in what
context we understand education - knowledge, process or academic discipline. The term
'interdisciplinary' in it provides two references. In a way, it can be understood as
understanding education and seeing and solving problems of teaching-learning from
different perspectives. In the other context, it can be seen as the knowledge acquired by
an individual from different areas and being able to use that knowledge as per the need
and requirements of different subjects and being able to solve different Complex
problems of his or her life.
In today's dynamic world, most of our real-life problems are complex problems, so it
becomes very difficult to understand and solve that problem by any one subject. We need
different disciplines and a group of experts to solve such problems. From an interdisciplinary
point of view, we use knowledge of different areas and perspectives to solve any issue or
problem, so that we understand different aspects of any problem and solve it as quickly as
possible. In this globally connected world, it is necessary to understand the different aspects
of any problem and understand it as a big picture or as a whole. If a person confines himself
to one subject and is unable to establish a relationship with other subjects, then the

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knowledge acquired by him is like a pile of concepts which he cannot use to grow in his life.
So an interdisciplinary nature of knowledge is a very effective approach in itself.
But the question arises that why do we talk about interdisciplinary nature only in
education? Does no other subject use the knowledge from any another subject to solve
its specific problems? If so, then like education do other disciplines too have an
interdisciplinary nature or not?
Most of the problems of human life are such, which we cannot solve by being limited in any
one subject. If we talk about a particular subject, it is seen that every subject in itself also
uses the knowledge of different areas, to develop an understanding of the knowledge of its
subject and to simplify its problems. For example, if we talk about physics, it is seen that it is
directly related to mathematics, metrology etc. This means that knowledge of mathematics or
any other subject is used to understand many concepts of physics. On the other hand, if we
talk about space science, it is seen that, experts of different disciplines work in their
institutions in harmony with each other, so that they can easily solve the problems related to
their work. In this way, every subject is interdisciplinary, because every subject uses the
knowledge of other subjects or fields to develop an understanding of its subject and solve its
problems.
On the other hand, if we talk about education, it has already been established that education is
in itself an academic discipline. Education makes use of the knowledge of other areas such
as sociology, psychology, philosophy, etc. to understand the child and the relationship
between teacher and student, determine the purpose of education or to solve other problems.
Therefore it is said that the nature of education is interdisciplinary. But what we need to
think about, that education has been used by many sociologists to understand society and
socialization even before it came as an established field of study. Since ancient times many
sociologists used the education system of that time to understand social processes and
socialization but we still do not speak of its interdisciplinary nature, and have long ago
established sociology as an independent academic discipline. It can be said that in order to
understand society we need to have an understanding of the education system of that society
and similarly in order to solve the problems of education and fulfill various social purposes
there needs to be mutual coordination between the two.
So if all subjects share their knowledge with each other to solve personal problems of their
subject and the complex problems of human life, then even those areas should be considered
interdisciplinary nature, if not then why do we talk of interdisciplinary nature in education?
If we talk about the interdisciplinary nature only in education, it somewhere creates a myth
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and allows anyone easy access to the field of education, while other subjects still hold a very
specialized position, and their experts are considered to be more professional than the experts
of the education sector. We surely need to think about this, think!!

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

6. Education is a bipolar process that includes the ___________ and ________.
7. The three poles of education are student, teacher, and curriculum. (T/F)
8. Briefly explain the three forms of education
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
9. What do you mean by an academic discipline?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

1.9 SUMMARY

It has no doubt that overall human development takes place only through education. An
educated person contributes to national development by performing his/her societal duties
effectively. It works as an institution that helps in connecting the person with society and
maintaining the continuity of society's culture. Here, in this unit, we extensively discussed
education, its real meaning, purpose, and process, as well as developed an understanding of
the interdisciplinary nature of education.

1.10 GLOSSARY

 Formal Education: Education given formally in schools, colleges and universities is

termed as formal education.
 Non-Formal Education: Like formal education, non-formal education is not
confined to the limits of schools, colleges, and universities etc, but its objectives and
syllabus are fixed and there is great flexibility in its planning.
 Informal Education: An education that does not have a definite plan or a definite
place or curriculum or teaching methods is called informal education.

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 Academic discipline refers to the branch of knowledge that includes people,

expertise, projects, inquiries, communities, and research, which are related to a
particular field.

1.11 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

ANSWER TO IN-TEXT QUESTION

1. Educatum and Educare
2. Self-sufficient and Selfless
3. True
4. True
5. Transfer of Social Heritage, Physical Development, Mental
Development, Social Development, Moral and Character Development,
Cultural Development, Vocational Development, Citizenship Training
6. Learner and Teacher
7. True
8. Formal Education: Education given formally in schools, colleges and
universities is termed as formal education.
Informal Education: An education that does not have a definite plan or
a definite place or curriculum or teaching methods is called informal
education.
Non-Formal Education: Like formal education, non-formal education
is not confined to the limits of schools, colleges, and universities, etc. but
its objectives and syllabus are fixed and there is great flexibility in its
planning. Its main purpose is to spread and organize education.
9. Academic discipline refers to the branch of knowledge that includes
people, expertise, projects, inquiries, communities, and research, which
are related to a particular field.

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1.12 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Discuss in detail the narrower and broader meaning of education.
2. What are the aims of education?
3. “Education is a lifelong process.” Justify the statement with examples.
4. What do you understand by education as a process? How is it different from education
as a product?
5. Distinguish among various forms of education with suitable examples.

1.13 REFERENCES

 Nayak, B.K. (2020). Textbook of Foundations of Education. Odisha: Kitab Mahal

 Chauhe, S.P. & Chaube, A (2009), Foundation of Education , New Delhi; Vikash,
Publishing house Pvt. Ltd.
 Dash, B.N. (2011) Foundation of Education, New Delhi; Kalyani Publishers.
 Mohanty, J (1991), Foundation of Education, Cuttack – 2, Takshashila.

1.14 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Peters, R. S. (2010). The Concept of Education (Eds.). London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul.
 Agarwal, J.C. (2010). Teacher and Education in a Developing society, Delhi; Vikash
Publishing house.
 Premnath. (2012). Bases of Educations. Delhi, India: S. Chand and Co. Publishers.

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Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

LESSON 2
CONCEPTS OF EDUCATION: TEACHING, TRAINING,
LEARNING, INDOCTRINATION, SCHOOLING
AND EDUCATION
Dr. Sanjit Kumar Das
Assistant Professor
SPM College, University of Delhi
[email protected]

Dr. Anjali Tiwari

Former Senior Consultant, NCERT,
[email protected]

STRUCTURE
2.1 Learning Objectives
2.2 Introduction
2.3 Teaching
2.3.1 Meaning of Teaching
2.3.2 Form of Teaching
2.3.3 Education and Teaching
2.4 Training
2.4.1 Features of Training
2.4.2 Difference between Teaching and Training
2.5 Learning
2.5.1 Factors Affecting the Process of Learning
2.5.2 Forms of Learning
2.6 Indoctrination
2.6.1 Difference between Education and Indoctrination
2.7 Schooling and Education
2.7.1 Difference between Education and Schooling
2.8 Summary
2.9 Glossary
2.10 Self-assessment Questions
2.11 References
2.12 Suggested Readings

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2.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Understand varied aspects of education.
 Differentiate between teaching and training
 Learn about learning and its relation with education
 Critically understand about the concept of indoctrination
 Elaborate upon the relation between education and schooling
 Differentiate between education and schooling

2.2 INTRODUCTION
This chapter deals with various interrelated concepts like teaching, training, learning,
indoctrination, schooling. It also focuses upon the similarities and difference between these
concepts. It also ponders upon their relationship with education. At the end, the chapter
elaborates upon the fact that education is not limited to training, learning and schooling,
rather it is a very vast concept which encompass all these aspects.

2.3 TEACHING

Teaching is a creative enterprise. It is not something that one can learn and repeat. The
concept of teaching is based on the belief of education that a person is born with some basic
traits, tendencies and abilities and education is the process of development and modification
of these. Further, these traits, tendencies and abilities developed or modified through the
teaching process become the integral part of the personality of the learner, yet the basis or
context of their practicality remains social.
Therefore, it also becomes the task of teaching to establish a co-ordination between the
personal characteristics of the individual's personality and the collective life. This is generally
called adaptation. Teaching is considered to be the process of creating the conditions for this
adaptation. The teacher, in general, adopts instruction, discussion and various activities, as a
means, and gets involved in developing these basic instincts and abilities.

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2.3.1 Meaning of Teaching

The term teaching in the general sense means to educate. Teaching is an activity which is
executed by a teacher. It can also be said that all the activities adopted by the teachers to
educate the students can be termed as teaching. Thus, teaching is a process that goes on
between the teacher and the student who are closely connected to each other and this process
is done to achieve certain set objectives. The nature of the teaching depends a lot on what is
the nature of the object to be taught? It also depends on the nature of the student. Thus, we
can say that, it can be a process, can be a skill, and can be a value or passing on of the
information.
Similarly, in the teaching process, only instructions have been given or experiments have
been done or discussion, debate, speech etc. have been used to explain the things. The
attitude of the teacher was prescriptively authoritative or helpfully democratic. Considering
all these points, it can be said again that the nature of teaching depends on what is to be
taught? The execution of the teaching process is related to teacher. Further, in its limited
sense, it is a consciously purposeful activity. It can also be understood in philosophical,
psychological and social terms.
2.3.2 Forms and Parts of Teaching
In the broad sense, the form of teaching can be formal, informal or non-formal or direct,
indirect or distant. In general, the teaching process is understood in terms of formal teaching.
In this, students and teachers carry out the teaching-learning process while being mutually
related. The teaching process can also be known as the process of communication. It has four
major parts: speaker, listener, medium and information. These four elements are
interconnected and depend upon each other. In fact, all these things are basically related to
the skills of teaching.

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The basic question is what should be the form of teaching? What should be its objectives?
What does this have to do with the nature of knowledge? The teaching method is the method
leading from self-realization to the pursuit of perfection. The meaning of teaching in ancient
Indian literature is also related to correct pronunciation. The description and correct
pronunciation of the various hymns from the Vedas indicate that the form of teaching was
oral which was based on practice. Hence the relation of teaching can be based on prior
experiences, rituals, knowledge, etc., but not limited to them.
2.3.3 Education and Teaching
It is clear that if education is a social process, then education is a powerful means of
socialization. In the process of education, it is very important that in what form of textual
material come in front of the learner and how do they accept it? Here the teaching facilitates
in creation of social value-giving experience in the child's life. The direct relation of teaching
is related to the culture, experience and thinking of the personal environment of the teacher.
Therefore, through education, these values, experiences and thinking are constantly
transformed and communicated to others. Thinkers clearly believe that styles of teaching can
influence the cultural nature and values of the society. Probably this is the most crucial
dilemma of education that even though its goal is connected to the creation of a creative,
independent personality, it remains confined to a specific ideology or value through its
process of teaching. This is the reason that thinkers who think fundamentally about education
have basically kept the process of teaching at the center of their educational ideas.
In the view of Jiddu Krishnamurti, teaching is meant to develop the ability of children to
question fearlessly and to develop their own vision to observe themselves through questions,
freeing them from any form of prejudice. Therefore, dialogue is the basic point of their
learning process. For Ravindra Nath Tagore, teaching means to develop the observational
power of children by running freely according to their nature so that they can identify with
their surroundings, especially the environment.
Teaching cannot be synonymous with activity within the classroom alone. On the contrary,
it starts from the experience outside the classroom and passes through the classroom and
again applies to the practical life outside the classroom. Only after this, it gets molded in the
form of knowledge. In the words of John Dewey, this is called learning by experience.
Problem identification, observation of situations, formulation and logical extension of
findings and active experimental testing are its essential parts. This is the goal of education.
Therefore, teaching is the way of discovery.

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2.4 TRAINING
Training means "The gradual process employed to develop and improve any habit, ability or
attitude in humans or animals, i.e. the teaching and nurturance of human babies in the larger
sense." Training is related to the modification or transformation of human behavior. Through
training, efforts are made to modify or upgrade human basic tendencies and to give them a
certain direction.
Compared to teaching, the scope of training is very limited and formal. Under this, that much
practice is given to the student repeatedly for the action in which he is to be trained, that the
action or task becomes his habit. In other words, it can be said that training is to transform
a person into a predetermined, fixed mold through specific instructions and repeated
practice. Conscience, logic etc. have a relatively less important place in it. Different types of
tips, understandable simulation and autobiography definitely help when getting training.
Training is a kind of mechanical process. After reaching a certain level, after a certain time,
the trainee can become independent of his/her instructor to gain skills by practicing himself.
Although repeated practice gives training a strong foundation and the person becomes more
and more skilled. But it is also clear that every person has a certain limit, age and
qualification to get training. It can be said that there is a deep correlation between training
and personal differences.
2.4.1 Features of Training
The training process is basically based on the instructor in their initial stage. Giving direction
and following those direction, can be considered its distinguishing feature. In other words,
behavioral change remains the focal point of training in theoretical as well as practical terms.
Here it can also be said that in the training process, detailed knowledge of the theoretical
aspect is not mandatory, only how to do it, related guidance and performance can work.
Nevertheless, efficiency levels can be reached through practice in it. More and more practice
makes it stronger, and in the end the process gets molded into its habit. And, this change is
observable. It is clear that 'learning by doing' is its fundamental element. Until the trainee
does not perform the specified action using his senses, he is unable to start the training
process. It is also clear here that once the trainee adapts the actions specified by the instructor
in his or her behavior, then the work of the instructor becomes comparatively less. After all,
proficiency in that task depends on the practice of the learner. It is also to be considered here
that the skill or proficiency of the trainee depends not only on the practice, but also on his or
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her physical ability, interest, motivation, aptitude, time gained for practice as well as the
equipment on which or with whose help he or she is practicing. Another point is also very
important that at the time of training, the interaction of the trainee is usually with physical
objects, whereas in teaching, the human side and thinking is more powerful.
Training is more relative to duration than teaching. Depending on the complexity of the task,
this time interval may be longer or shorter; the practice may go on for lifetime; however the
instruction ends within a certain period. In training, 'knowing as information' and 'doing
accordingly' have relatively more importance. It can also be associated with 'see'. While
'listening' and 'thinking' are more important in teaching. 'Curiosity' also has a relatively more
important place in teaching. It is more related to mental development, while training is more
related to the practice of senses. Repeating the same action again and again is its
distinguishing element. A workshop with fixed equipment is also required for training, so it is
often more 'formal', whereas both formal and informal forms can have almost equal
importance in teaching. Similarly, in terms of goals and objectives, the dimension of teaching
process is much broader than training. It may have 'consent or disagreement' in terms of
results, while training may have its limited 'goals' or 'objectives'. And in the process, there
can be almost no difference in opinion. The main reason for this is that 'teaching' continues to
be influenced by its time or pre-existing and expected ideologies. In the same way, political
activities also affect it and the textual content created for it. The impact of ideologies or
'domination of knowledge' on training is less than that of teaching. It is almost zero. It is less
affected by the monarchical system.
Training is usually related to actual courses, also it has uniformity. That is, the methodology
adopted for any course will be the same. Yes, there may be a difference in the form and
quality of the equipment adopted. Its process is more systematic. In other words, it is more
formal and hierarchical, more systematic, more generalized. It is less creative than teaching.
There are fewer patterns. It is generally more dependent on the behavioral approach
dependent on psychological principles. The 'ceremonial role' is more important in motivation,
etc. For example, in the 'teacher-training' program for teaching, special training is given to
motivate children. Similarly, special training is given for asking questions, writing on the
blackboard, lecturing, reinforcement skills etc. Efforts are being made to make it more
'technological' through 'Educational Technology'. Intellectual and social processes have
relatively less importance in cognition, memory, reasoning, thinking, sociality, non-
intellectualism etc. The reason is clear that the nature of training is generally 'universal'. The
basic elements of the training process of a 'skill', everywhere, will generally be the same.

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Similarly, there is relatively 'similarity' in its text. Factuality is its distinguishing quality. So
its nature is objective, and through the collection and analysis of data through
experimentation, they can be put into theory, rules can be made, revisions can be done,
even predictions also. Further, the age, intelligence, aptitude, interest, sociality, etc. of the
trainees etc. does not have any major impact.
Thus, training involves many aspects related to complex nerves and muscles, memories,
perception, etc. Learning each skill is the result of years of systematic practice. In essence,
training is more of a 'physical trade' than a 'mental activity'. It is based on continuous
practice. Its basic goal is convenient efficiency seen directly in work.
2.4.2 Difference between Teaching and Training
There are various differences between Teaching and Training, which have been tabulated
Below

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Activity- 1
Visit any ITI or any other Training Centre near your home and try to understand the
nature of courses offered in that institution and the method of teaching used in the
same.

2.5 LEARNING

The common, literal meaning of the word learning is to learn something. Human beings have
some other innate qualities, such as thumb sucking, crying, and laughing etc. These behaviors
are not learned behaviors, but are responses to the environment arising from the muscles.
These are called reflex actions. Learning is different from reflexive actions. To be well-
informed, to be thought-provoking or to learn, to mold a thing or object into life in a
practical way and to change behavior according to the situation is part of learning. Thus it
can be said that learning means learning the behavior. This is different from maturity,
reflex actions, rote memorization, general information, etc. Maturity means the natural
change in the physical and mental behavior of the beings. This is different from the behavior
which is learned through the process of learning. With the passage of time, the natural growth
and development in man is maturity. Learning is not maturity.
2.5.1 Factors affecting the Process of Learning
Learning is a verb in itself; it is both the result and the result of the action. This is a simple or
deliberate action or its result. This is a continuous process which goes on knowingly or
unknowingly. Through this that the person continues to get new experiences all the time. This
is often due to the imitative tendency of man, that is, the nature of copying. This kind of
effort is made under the effort of action; to create such an environment that the child learns
what is being taught. This is mainly due to human needs and his 'inquisitive' desire to know.
It is clear that while a human being is a person with a distinct personality, reflective in
himself/herself, possessing his/her interests, abilities, etc. On the other hand, he/she is also a
person living in a group in society. He/she has to adapt to his society. In other words, he/she
has to be socialized. Therefore, society tries to teach its entire group member consciously. In
the context of this exhaustive discussion, it can be said that the learning process
predominately consists of the following: the learner; the teacher; the content and the teaching
method. They all have a simultaneous, combined effect on learning.

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2.5.2 Forms of Learning

Generally, there are two forms of learning:
1. Logical or rational Learning
2. Activity based or Experiential Learning
Of these two, the logical or rational learning is related to philosophical perspective. On the
other hand, activity based or experiential learning is related to psychological perspective.
They are also called philosophical paradigms (models) and psychological paradigms (models)
of learning respectively. Under the paradigm of logical or rational learning, importance is
given to thinking, communicating, understanding by the mind.
In the ancient Indian tradition (mentioned in the Upanishads) it has the following three steps:
 Sharavan (Listening and/or Hearing), means usage of senses on the superficial level
only
 Manan (Thinking and Reflecting)
 Nididhyasana (Perspective Building) means developing your own point of view
through deep thinking and analysis.
From this point of view, there can be two forms of reasoning: one, by itself, analyzing
oneself; secondly, to create a state of dialogue, by analyzing it with others. Thinking,
reasoning, logic or previous knowledge etc. is its major parts and preliminary steps, yet it is
proven or confirmed by examples. From this point of view, there are three major steps of
logical and rational learning: thought; logic /example/reason; theory formulation or
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generalization. This process has also been considered as deductive system. The Upanishadic
learning process is an example of this form of learning. The major assumption of logical-
rational learning is that a person is a thoughtful, inquisitive creature. A person is not just a
blank slate.
On the other hand, in activity based or experiential learning, which is associated with
psychological approach, and as the name suggests, in the process of learning, the eye, nose,
ear, tongue, hand, etc., are given more importance over the other senses. In this type of
learning process a person learns from his/her experiences, by performing in a practical life.
This also makes a difference in his/her behavior. Followers of this paradigm believe that a
person's brain is like a blank slate and whatever he/she finds from his/her experiences is
his/her learning, and the same is the learning process. In this way, their basic objective is to
learn from the needs of the moment, experience and change in behavior. From this point of
view there is another very important aspect, which is, by using the experimental methods of
natural sciences in the learning process, some behaviors of the learner in the process of
learning can be controlled, which can create learning situations and then form the principles
of learning. This paradigm of learning generalizes the events occurring in life as examples. In
other words, it builds theory. Thus it is opposite to the logico-rational paradigm and leads to
the theory from the examples. This method is called inductive method. It can also be said that
under this method one moves from 'gross/macro (examples) to subtle/micro (principles)'.

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2.6 INDOCTRINATION
The purpose of education is to prepare human beings who can take decisions after due
deliberation and thinking. Through education, a sense of critical thinking is developed in
human beings. It is also responsible for promoting critical thinking among the students. On
the contrary, indoctrination is a process that affects a person's ability to take informed
decisions. It forces humans to think only within a certain range. If we look at it in today’s
scenario, it has become a reality. There is no dearth of narrow-minded theorists and
fundamentalists in various countries of the world, although the term is not synonymous with
indoctrination. But all of them lead us to the arenas of indoctrination. It seems that a well-
thought-out technique works behind it. Today we often hear and read about many anti-social
elements such as terrorists, extremists, Maoists, Naxalites, who strongly believe that their
perspectives and ideas are completely justified. We often come to know about such people,
who force their own supporters to embrace death. Behind all of these, there are people who
believe that only they have access to the truth and they only know the truth. On the other side,
there are people who cannot analyze their religious beliefs in a critical manner. At the same
time, there are some people who give so much importance to their country that they are not
able to distinguish between right or wrong policies. There is also no shortage of people who,
in the name of any creed, belief or ideology, are against their own fellow humans. The
terrible torture goes on. All these are strong proofs that indoctrination is a reality in some way
and to some extent. Today, it is a reality that is not limited to terrorist only, but it has
penetrated deeply among intellectuals, politicians and religious preachers also.
Therefore, it is important to consider the concept of indoctrination in the corridors of
education, partly because it will help us understand education, but also because indoctrination
denies the value of conscience, which is a fundamental objective of education. If there is a
general consensus that only morally accepted methods can be used to teach in education, then
most people will immediately come to the conclusion that there is no place for indoctrination
in education. This is completely opposite to the real situation. In real terms, indoctrination is
an emotionally charged word, for many it is a negative word and they recommend that
teachers should not promote the process of indoctrination. But before proposing this opinion,
it is also necessary to know how any ideology is imposed over others? This analysis will also
be helpful in understanding why it is considered an objectionable behavior.
It is evident that through the process of indoctrination, people are forced to accept certain
beliefs and ideas. If a teacher has the responsibility for a particular child for a year, and if the
teacher is not able to develop any kind of faith and belief in the child's mind till the
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completion of that period. Here we have to differentiate between indoctrination and

adaptation. Adaptation is different from indoctrination in the sense that it means to teach a
person to behave in a certain way, it does not have to have any reference to any beliefs. But it
is equally clear that even if the teacher has given some faith to the children, this element is
not a sufficient indication that he/she has indoctrinated the child. An essential condition of
indoctrination is that ideas and beliefs should be given, but that is not enough, means, giving
any kind of idea or belief in any way does not automatically become indoctrination. In
indoctrination, learners are prepared to accept beliefs that are of a particular nature. These
ideas are based on the foundations and principles that cannot be unquestionably proven true.
But the person who accepts this, affects his/her way of seeing the world and living his/her
life. These ideas are not narrowed down to a single context, but all systems and principles of
political, religious and moral beliefs are related to it, because, not all the meanings,
interpretations and arguments of any political, religious and moral belief are universal and
absolutely true. In other words, all logics and rationales of any ideology cannot be accepted.
This does not mean that people who follow a theory are all wrong, whether that theory is
political, religious, economic or anything else. The truth is that it is difficult to imagine a
person who does not believe in any principle. But when people starts to consider his/her
principle as paramount and does not accept the refutation of any aspect of it, then the
chances of indoctrination becomes high, i.e. it believes in absolute blind and unwavering
commitment.
2.6.1 Difference between Education and Indoctrination
There is something in the indoctrination which is beyond argument and conscience. This is
the reason that indoctrination is contrary to education.

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Activity- 2
Watch the debate on any topic on any News Channel and try to find out the varied
aspects of indoctrination.

2.7 EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING

People keep on learning something from birth till death. He/she gets new experiences every
moment, and keeps on growing. Due to which his/her day to day behavior is affected. This
learning and teaching of him/her takes place in various contexts of society, such as home,
friend groups, letter-magazines, television etc. and at different times, such as daily routine,
festivities etc. This type of learning is a broad and elaborate form of education. But when a
child learns in formal classes by studying a certain syllabus during a certain interval and
passing several examinations, it is called formal education. This is the narrow or limited
meaning of education. It is also called schooling in other words. In both along with the
development of additional other type of resources, the methods of education have also
changed. Now, some children in spite of going to formal classes attain the education of
formal course through correspondence, radio and other means of communication. In this type
of education, along with the formal curriculum examinations also take place. But there is no
formal attendance in classes and there are no formal teaching methods. But still it is a form of
schooling, because in this, knowledge is acquired in specific context and in special
circumstances for the achievement of specific goals.
Here, if we talk about the characteristics of schooling or school education, then it is the form
of education which is obtained from institutions like school. This educational system is made
up of different types of rules; its nature is formal, which a society attains in certain period of
time through its efforts, like well-designed courses, teaching methods, examinations and in
institutes like schools. There is more certainty in it, because it takes place at a fixed place,
during a certain time period, it has a definite curriculum, there are certain teachers for it, as
well as the selection of material is fixed and all of them have a definite purpose and all of
these are collected together to achieve a certain goal.
If we try to understand minutely the interrelationship between education and schooling, then
we can see in this context, that the main objective of education is the all-round development
of the student or learner, so that they develop good qualities and they can prepare to live a
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purposeful life. Schools play an important role in achieving this objective of education. But
all these goals of education cannot be fully achieved only through school education or
schooling, other means also have a special role, i.e., we get education from different places,
different contexts and different people. Therefore, the means of education vary from agency
to agency. All the different means of education play their role in different ways, like if the
schools directly educate the children then the means of mass communication like radio,
television or family and society educate the child both overtly and covertly. On the one hand,
where the school helps in the intellectual development, the responsibility of developing
physical strength and good habits comes more at home. Thus, we can understand that
schooling is a means of getting education.
It is also necessary to understand here that education is not limited to context of school only;
the dimensions of education extend beyond this. It is free from the shackles of formal
education. In a broad sense education is obtained naturally in a very natural way, it does not
require the restriction of formalities of time, curriculum, examination, teaching methods,
place, student, teacher etc. of a formal institution like school. All this is independent of
formalities. In fact, the experiences from birth till the end of life is its curriculum, the things
from which we are taking experience are its teachers, one who get this experience is the
student, the way and the time one gets these experiences is the institute, is the time and the
teaching method. The knowledge that is received consciously or unconsciously through
various modes like radio, television, drama, festival, library, or by seeing and listening
inadvertently to the society is also education. It is a continuous process and its area is very
wide.
Without it, formal education or schooling is also incomplete, i.e., these two are
complementary to each other, because when the child comes to school to take formal
education, he also brings his experiences with him. In the education system, these earlier
experiences of the child are used for teaching. In other words, it can be said that formal
education cannot begin without informal education in other words without using our
experiences. This education received from the surrounding contexts affects the formal
education of the student, sometimes as a facilitator or sometimes as a barrier. When informal
education is used as a complement to school education, it reinforces school education as an
adjunct. On the other hand, if informal education is not given place in school institutions,
then it becomes a hindrance in the learning of the student. If these points are considered in
depth, then one thing seems clear that the experiences of the child formed during informal
education determines the purpose of formal education, its curriculum, its teaching methods

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etc. Therefore, when we say that education should be child-centered, it is expected that the
habits build and experiences gained (by the learner) through informal education should also
be given place in the of formal education.
Not only informal education affects formal education or schooling, but formal education also
plays an important role in defining various contexts of informal education. The education
received in school helps human to achieve his/her life goals. At the same time, it also
promotes critical thinking in human beings, so that they can see and understand their day-to-
day experiences critically and successfully perform their role in establishing an egalitarian
society.
2.7.1 Difference between Education and Schooling
Education and schooling seem similar, but they are different in multiple aspects and some of
them are tabulated below.

2.8 SUMMARY
Education is a very vast concept, teaching, training, learning and schooling are part of
attaining education, but these are not the end. Education is much beyond that. Furthermore, in
the contemporary times, it is also important to understand the minute line of difference
between education and indoctrination.
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2.9 GLOSSARY

 Hymns- Songs to praise God or to enlighten human beings.

 Dilemma- A situation in which a person has to make choice between two or more
things.
 Dialogue- A meaningful process of communication of information or ideas between
persons.
 Curiosity- A desire to learn or know more about something.

2.10 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. How is indoctrination different from education?
2. ‘Education is much beyond Schooling’. Discuss.
3. ‘Training of body is different from Training of mind’. Critically comment on the
statement.
4. What are the factors involved in the process of learning?
5. What is the role of teacher in the process of education?
6. Can Education be attained without teacher? Elaborate your answer with suitable
examples.

2.11 REFERENCES

 Barrow, R., & Milburn G. (1986) A critical dictionary of educational concepts: An

appraisal of selected ideas and issues in educational theory and practice. New York.
 Cohen, B. (1969). Educational Thought- An Introduction. Britain: MacMillan.
 Dewey, J. (1915). The School and Society. USA: The University of Chicago Press.
 Dhankar, R. (2010). Education in Emerging Indian Society. New Delhi: APH
Publishing Corporation.

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2.12 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Barrow, R., & Milburn G. (1986) A critical dictionary of educational concepts: An
appraisal of selected ideas and issues in educational theory and practice. New York.
 Shukla, S., and Kumar, K. (1987). Sociological Perspectives in Education. US: South
Asia Books.
 Safaya, R.N. & Shaida, B.D. (2010), Modern Theory and Principles of Education,
New Delhi: Dhanpatrai Publishing Company Pvt. Ltd.

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LESSON 3
THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL BASIS OF EDUCATION:
KNOWLEDGE, BELIEF, INQUIRY, REASONING

Dr. Rajesh Prasad Singh

Assistant Professor, DIET (NE)
[email protected]

Karishma Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

3.1 Learning Objectives

3.2 Introduction
3.3 Epistemology
3.3.1 Rationalism
3.3.2 Empiricism
3.3.3 Criticism
3.4 Stages of Formation of Knowledge
3.5 Types of Knowledge
 Precedential Knowledge
 Antecedent Knowledge
 Empirical Knowledge
3.6 Source and Methods of Knowledge Acquisition
3.7 Summary
3.8 Glossary
3.9 Answers to In-text Questions
3.10 Self-Assessment Questions
3.11 References
3.12 Suggested Readings

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3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Explain the nature and scope of Epistemology
 Understand Empiricism, Criticism, Belief, Fact, Reality, Inquiry and Reasoning
 Illustrate the types of knowledge
 Describe the sources of knowledge

3.2 INTRODUCTION

If we think deeply in context of Education, then we will find that the structure of present
society is often of a 'Knowledge-Based Society'. Then, if we look at the relationship between
Education and Philosophy, it will also be clear that the goal of both is to make the person
aware of the Truth and develop his life. Philosophy sets the real goal of life and also guides
the Education appropriately to achieve that goal.
It can be believed that Education is a general means of Philosophy - two things are required
to complete any task - planning or thinking and experiment or practice. Philosophy is the
thinking aspect of planning and Education is the behavioral or experimental aspect.
Now, let us consider on the question from where this discussion has started - 'Knowledge-
based Society'.
As we talk about a Knowledge-based Society - two things clearly emerge out - one is the
information and the other is the knowledge.
The general meaning of information is data used with some purpose in a context. Knowledge
is created by associating meaning with the information.
What is the nature of knowledge and what is its logical class or group? etc.
Knowledge can also be defined as a group of understanding in a specific area.
Information and knowledge
Information and knowledge are often treated as synonyms, but in their nature and meaning,
they are completely different from each other.
Data are attained in the same way as information and knowledge gets stored in the mind and
develops as an understanding after a time interval.
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It can be understood in another way-

 Data – Symbols
 Information - What, Why, When, Where, to Whom. Results after analysing the data to
get answers to the questions of what, why, when, where, to whom.
 Knowledge - When data is used to get the answers to questions related with ‘how’ and
its situation lies in knowledge.
 Understanding (perception) - It answers the questions related with 'why'.
Knowledge is possible only by adding meaning to the information. Knowledge is information
in a way that leads to the existing structure and integrates into becoming knowledge.
According to Dublin (1976), "Information is descriptive while knowledge is prescriptive,
which provides the basis for predicting the future with certainty based on information about
the topics of past and present."
It can be said that the process of collection of information and human knowledge, in the
context of a specific purpose it is combined with a certain meaning to create knowledge. This
whole process can be as follows-
Collection of data - analysis, synthesis and aggregation - linking with personal experiences -
representing it again comprehensively.
In conclusion, information is not knowledge in itself, but it becomes knowledge when it is
meaningful or rather, we should say, it gets associated with meaning.

3.3 EPISTEMOLOGY
In simple words, if we want to understand the concept of epistemology, then it can be said
that in the history of thought, "Theory of knowledge" - is a branch of Philosophy, which is
called ‘Epistemology’.
‘Gyanmimansa’ (Epistemology) came from the Greek word 'Episteme' meaning knowledge
and ‘Logos’ meaning science or discussion.
Epistemology is a field of philosophy which deals with human knowledge. It is a type of a
field of that philosophical inquiry which explores the origin, nature, validity, methods of
knowledge and limitations of knowledge. This discovery is often related to the fact that
epistemology is actually a branch of philosophy, which has attracted the attention of thinkers

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by the explosion of knowledge. It is a description of the study related to knowledge. It is the

discipline or education to explore the nature of knowledge, trends, limitations, their advent,
methods of knowledge, and the basis of reliability, their form, organization etc. Epistemology
seeks to discover the truth by doing research and study in relation to various aspects of
knowledge. "How does the ultimate knowledge originate?" It is the main and basic subject of
Epistemology. Regarding the origin of knowledge, the emergence of three major theories
have been considered, which are as follows:
 Rationalism
 Empiricism
 Criticism

3.3.1 RATIONALISM
In fact, the purpose of philosophy is to understand the nature of 'Sat'. Thinkers have been
making this discovery for centuries, but still seem far from any definite conclusion, as they
were before.
In modern times Descartes (1596-1650 AD) came to notice that the reason for the failure of
the effort is that philosophers have been carrying out some advance imaginations. Philosophy
can attain certainty like Mathematics, only when the person does not remain calm without
validating the concept which is not self-proven. He started with widespread skepticism. His
own consciousness showed him an object whose existence cannot be doubted, doubt is itself
a shape or form of consciousness. On this foundation, Descartes formed a new method of
knowledge-interpretation. Therefore, Descartes is considered as the Father of Rationalistic
Ideology.
According to Rationalists, intelligence is the only means of enlightenment and with only this
the real knowledge is originated. Realistic knowledge has been considered comprehensive
and necessary. Only Knowledge is true in all times and regions. The knowledge that the
senses perceives is not Matter and Truth. Realists have divided Knowledge into two parts -
 Philosophical knowledge
 Common Knowledge
Philosophical knowledge has been considered real and actual. This knowledge originates
from the intellect, while general knowledge is sensible and that knowledge cannot be always
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true. Intellect has the innate power of knowledge. According to Realists, Inductive Method
and Deductive Method are more useful for the Enlightenment. Spontaneous suffixes are
believed to be the basis of basic knowledge, these are free from experiences. Therefore,
rationalism is called epistemology or experience absolute.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS TO CHECK PROGRESS

1. What is the epistemology?
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Explain the concept of metaphysics.
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. How does philosophy determine the aims of education?

___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3.3.2 EMPIRICISM
John Locke chose a new path for himself, called Empiricism. Knowledge is imprinted in the
child's mind only on the basis of Experience. Thus, according to this theory, in the attainment
of knowledge the use of intelligence is considered almost nil. Under this, in order to gain
experience, there are two means:
 Sensation
 Thought Reflection
Empiricists consider experience as the basis of existence of all facts, objects and substances.
The philosophers of Europe first sought to give Philosophy a form of mathematics, but Locke
focused his attention on Psychology and wrote the 'Essay on Human Intelligence'. This
proved to be an eschatological event and was considered the basis of empiricism. George
Berkeley (1684–1753) advanced empiricism by writing Locke's criticisms ‘the Rule of

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Human Knowledge' and David Hume (1711-1776) pushed it to the extreme by writing
'Human Nature'.
3.3.3 CRITICISM
Philosopher Kant (1724–1804) is considered the promoter of Criticism. Kant made
Epistemology the central question of Philosophy. He criticized both the earlier doctrines-
Rationalism and Empiricism, calling them incomplete.
Kant told Rationalists that Knowledge cannot be interpreted with the help of intelligence
alone, for this experience is essential because intelligence is that factory where experiences
are gained, and the form of knowledge is derived from intelligence. According to them,
senses passively receive sensations; intelligence provides different shapes to those sensations.
Knowledge is attained from intelligence and sensory experience both.
In the context of epistemology knowledge is very important in the context of education. By
adopting the Criticism theory of Epistemology, it becomes clear that intelligence and
experience both are important for the attainment of knowledge.
Now it becomes necessary to know here that how knowledge is formed? We should know the
conditions which can tell ‘How to know’? There are many methods for learning. Some
important sources of learning are - personal experiences, reasoning, tradition, authority and
investigation etc. There are some other sources — intuition, strong request, justification,
belief, disclosure, empiricism, and science.
It is generally believed that we can attain knowledge that is true and it is widely accepted that
justified right belief is knowledge. For example, 'The Sun rises from the East' – this is a belief
that has been obtained on the basis of thousands of years of daily observation by the people.
(Tharington, 2012)

3.4 STAGES OF FORMATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Some stages of the formation of Knowledge are as follows:
BELIEF
Knowledge is considered also a type of belief, feeling or realization. Belief or realization is a
mental state. If there is no special realization or belief in the context of any specific subject
then it will be assumed that he does not keep any knowledge about it. For example, observing
the dark clouds in the sky, the farmer may believe that it will rain. There is a remarkable
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thing in belief that it may or may not be an expression in the words, but the special thing is
also that it has no adverse effect on the validity of knowledge. For example, by the smell of
burning we can find out that something is burning. There are some realizations or beliefs that
an individual accepts actively, that are known existing realizations. Most realizations or
beliefs of a person are originated from his or her own background and only a small fraction of
knowledge is brought up at a particular time. (Tharington, 2012)
FACT
Russell defined this term as "Every object that exists in this world."
For example, the existence of mountains is a fact and making a statement is also a fact. The
meaning of the fact lies in the thing that how much is necessary to know the minimum for the
help of any statement or the analysis of falsity.
Russell believes that from a biological point of view all our cognitive life is a part of the
process of adaptation towards facts.
REALITY
First, we understood that the purpose of a realization or belief describes how things really are.
It means that it will create knowledge by connecting the mind to the world around us, which
will be true. False belief can never be called Knowledge. Many times, it happens that our
belief does not describe the preciseness of things and if we believe them then it will be like
keeping ourselves in an illusion.
So, if one acquires knowledge, we can say that truth is profiting to the group of beliefs
and at the same time its false repository of beliefs is getting decreased. Therefore, we are
assuming that there is an objective reality with which our beliefs or realizations may or may
not coincide. Knowledge will only be called in that state, if whatever there is, is true. John
Hospers also believes that this is a condition of having knowledge. It is clear that in order to
be called knowledge, it is mandatory for any practicable to be exact. It is also an objective
imperative. The second objective imperative is- our belief in the practicable or attainable.
There is also another expectation of knowledge, the basis or reason in the belief of
practicable does not form the correct knowledge, but they create only that knowledge which
is real belief that is obtained by proper method. The propounding of beliefs based on
evidence or reasoning is the state of the construction of Knowledge. In order to be called a
truth of a practicable evidence or reasoning is necessary.

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For example - we know that the color of milk is white - because of its certainty, we
accept them as Truth.

3.5 TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE

On the basis of the above discussion, we can divide the methods of enlightenment or the
knowing of any practicable into three parts.
Types of Knowledge

Precedential knowledge Antecedent Knowledge Empirical Knowledge

Precedential Knowledge: Precedential knowledge is the knowledge, experience of whose

truth or falsity can be determined prior to source or no source. The preceding knowledge has
universal validity and no other proof (evidence) is required once it is recognized as truth by
the usage of pure logic. Logical and mathematical truths are precedential by nature, which do
not require empirical validity.
Antecedental Knowledge: The basis of this knowledge is observation and experience. Due
to giving emphasis on observation and definite-interpretation, it is considered knowledge
gained by scientific method. The statement that falls under this category can be kept in view
of holding any factual content and the standards used in determining its truth and falsity.
Empirical Knowledge: Often, the knowledge acquired in this way is of a temporary nature
and it may happen that it did not exist prior the experience. Therefore, it is necessary that
these are experienced with pre-established values.

3.6 SOURCES AND METHODS OF KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION

The sources and methods of learning can be seen in the listed form as follows:
Knowledge Through Intuition: Intuition is a type of mental experience that is personal.
Since it is personal therefore prior precautions are often required because intuition can be
contradictory. Suppose, we have to predict weather of next day, then the intuition of two
people about it may vary. It is also possible that it goes wrong because different
circumstances contribute to the formation of perception and guesswork in both the
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individuals. There is another thing also that intuition does explain 'What' but does not explain
'How'. Sometimes this intuitional knowledge or intuition is validated later as truth. It is
believed that the scientific discovery of the theory of Archimedes was his intuition, which
later on got established as truth. Therefore, intuition is a method of learning.
Knowledge through Logic: Two ways are considered for acquiring knowledge through
logic-
 Inductive Reasoning
 Deductive Reasoning
In both types of logic, knowledge is gained by reasoning and deliberation. In deductive
deliberation the conclusion or result follows a tradition. If that tradition is conventional truth
from earlier practice is true, then the conclusion will also be considered truth.
For example-
It's bright sunny, it's summer.
It is bright sunny, so it will be summer.
The convention in inductive reasoning, provide evidence for the conclusion.
For example-
Since, Iron is the conductor of Electricity.
Copper is the conductor of Electricity.
Aluminum is the conductor of Electricity.
Therefore, it can be assumed that all the metals are conductors of Electricity.
Knowledge through Strong Request: It is a Psychological context. Advertisements of
products, slogans of political parties, rumor about any incident or a fact, again and again
repetition of the same fact by the media, etc. also prepares us mentally to build knowledge.
Its validity may be questionable, but in the current society the method of enlightenment in all
types is popular.
Knowledge through Belief (Customs and Traditions): Faith, belief, customs, traditions are
also a rich source of Knowledge. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cultural ways we
adopt, the customs we follow, the traditions we accept - we often use them as our guide -
whether that is beneficial and useful or not, we don’t do it by checking its validity. They
become a part of our life naturally. Or rather we should say that we add it to our knowledge
chain in the form of belief received from generations. Thus, these have also been accepted as
a source of learning.

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Knowledge through Disclosure: Sometimes we claim to know something through

disclosure. For example, this idea came in my thinking or dream. Instantaneously this also
creates our viewpoint. But the validity of such knowledge cannot be said certain or authentic,
however, it can be accepted as a form of source of learning and instantaneously it becomes a
medium of truth / knowledge.
Knowledge through Experience: Experiences gained over a lifetime get accumulated as a
knowledge group and help individuals in solving life-related problems. Such experiences are
often of individuals, but when this empirical knowledge is passed through the experiment of
valid, pre-valid, test etc. then they become of a corporate nature. In the development phase of
civilization, when the nomadic people first ate the fruit, then their personal experience may
not have been the same as it is believed today about the attributes of the fruit, but through
scientific investigation, observing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching etc. after testing it
must have been accepted, so now it has been accepted collectively that eating fruits is
beneficial for humans. Empirical knowledge is often considered as the best knowledge
because it includes elements such as testing, checking, observation, experiment and if any
error occurs in experiment then the validity of knowledge can be rejected as well. Therefore,
empirical knowledge has been accepted as a source of knowledge.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
4. What is the inter-relationship between philosophy and education?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5. How is knowledge formed? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
6. What are the sources and methods of learning?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

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3.7 SUMMARY
Epistemology, broadly speaking, is the theory of knowledge, then it is directly concerned
with the work that any student performs. To 'do' education is to work with knowledge and for
knowledge. Epistemology is the philosophical study of what knowledge is, and what it means
for someone to “know” something. Central to the field of epistemology are questions
regarding the nature of truth, the nature of justification, and types of knowledge, e.g.,
knowing how (skills) or knowing that (facts). Epistemology is defined as ‘Theory of
Knowledge’. It is a branch of philosophy which investigates the origin, nature, methods, and
processes of acquiring knowledge. In other words, the nature and worthiness of knowledge,
methods of acquiring knowledge, etc. fall under Epistemology. So this branch of philosophy
considers important questions like:
 How do we know?
 What do we know?
 What processes of knowing do we base our knowledge of the world and society?
 What is the authority on which we base our claims to truth?
 Do our knowledge claims derive from divine revelation, empirical evidence, or
personal and subjective experiences?
All the above questions address a knowledge pursuit. Exploring, experimenting, enquiring
and examining the facts are the processes of acquiring knowledge that come under
epistemology. Thus, epistemology addresses the cognitive aspect of domain. There are three
main examples or conditions of epistemology: truth, belief and justification. The fundamental
epistemic aim of education is the production of true belief in students, along with the
development of student ability to discover new (to them) truths by way of inquiry

3.8 GLOSSARY

 Epistemology: is the philosophical study of what knowledge is, and what it means for
someone to “know” something. Central to the field of epistemology are questions
regarding the nature of truth, the nature of justification, and types of knowledge, e.g.,
knowing how (skills) or knowing that (facts).

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 Discovery of self: Concentration of the mental powers upon an object.the process

which a person undergoes to determine what he/she feels about everything and form
their own opinion.

3.9 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

1. Epistemology is defined as ‘Theory of 4. There is supplementary and integral
Knowledge’. It is a branch of philosophy relationship between philosophy and
which investigates the origin, nature, education.
methods, and processes of acquiring
Various philosophical theories and principles
knowledge. In other words, the nature and
have been developed and used in educational
worthiness of knowledge, methods of
discourses for implementing it in education
acquiring knowledge, etc. fall under
time and again. It is rightly said that
Epistemology.
Philosophy is the theoretical part of
2. ‘Metaphysics’ is the ‘science of what is developing knowledge and education is the
beyond the physical’. It means, the term practical and action part to implement that
‘Metaphysics’ discusses the ultimate reality knowledge among the students
which is beyond the physical world. This
5. Knowledge creation is the formation of new
term metaphysics derives from the two
notions and concepts. This occurs through
words, ‘Meta’ which means ‘after’’ and
interactions between explicit and tacit
‘physics’ which means ‘science’. So it may
knowledge in people's minds. Explicit
be said that the very meaning of
knowledge is information that is searchable
‘Metaphysics’ is ‘after science’. The term
and easy to find. Users can collaborate
‘after science’ is abstract in nature and it may
regarding the value and use of this type of
be little spiritual to realize it. Many
explicit knowledge.
philosophers say ‘metaphysics’ as a ‘theory
of reality’. 6. The sources and methods of learning can be
seen in the listed form as follows-
3. Philosophy determines the aims of
education. We all know that education is an  Knowledge through Intuition
objective and purposeful activity. Aims of  Knowledge through Logic
education are related to the aims of life.  Knowledge through Authority
Again aims of life are the creation of  Knowledge through Strong Request
philosophy of a certain time (Saxena, 2009).  Knowledge through Belief (Customs
and Tradition)
It is therefore, aims of education are  Knowledge through Disclosure
determined by the philosophy.  Knowledge through Experience

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3.10 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Mention the two major aspects of epistemology and give an example of each type.
2. Explain the concept of epistemology.

3.11 REFERENCES

 Sharma, K.R. (2002). Philosophy of education. 3rd ed. Delhi, Atlantic Publishers and
Distributors.
 IGNOU (2016). Contemporary India and Education (BES-122, B.Ed.). Block- 3:
Philosophical Perspectives of Education, pp. 27-28, New Delhi: IGNOU.
 Perry, W. G. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college
years: A scheme. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
 Ozman, Howard A., & Craver, Samuel M., Philosophical Foundations of Education

3.12 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Wingo, G. Max. Philosophies of Education. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers.

 Kneller, George F. Introduction to Philosophy of Education. New York, USA: John
 Gutek, Gerald L. (2009). New Perspectives on Philosophy and Education. New Hill
Book Company Inc

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

LESSON 4
MEANING, NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF VALUES
Dr. Monika Pareek
Guest Faculty
S.P.M. College
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

4.1 Learning Objectives

4.2 Introduction
4.3 Ethics
4.4 Development of Ethics
4.5 Values
4.6 Nature of Values
4.7 Types of Values
4.7.1 Social Values
4.7.2 Personal Values
4.7.3 Constitutional Values
4.7.4 Spiritual Values
4.7.5 Moral Values
4.8 Development of Values
4.8.1 Role of Family
4.8.2 Role of School
4.8.3 Role of Teacher
4.8.4 Role of Society
4.9 Summary
4.10 Glossary
4.11 Self-Assessment Questions
4.12 References
4.13 Suggested Readings

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4.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Understand the concept of ethics.
 Comprehended the nature and characteristics of values.
 Discuss various types of values.
 Understand the role of different stakeholders in development of values.

4.2 INTRODUCTION

Ethical foundation and ethics in education may help in building good conduct, values and
ideals in the students. Ethics, values and ideals are all related to each other, it is a little
difficult to see these three separately from each other. Ethics and moral thoughts get linked
with an individual’s 'express' part to become 'conduct'. There can be many reasons that
influence this conduct. Out of which the values which form the personality of the person
occupies a prominent place. Values provide a human being the ability to make 'great' decision
of 'right' and 'wrong' all by themselves. 'Values' give man the ability to make decisions, rising
above the profit-loss of 'self'. ‘Ideals’ can be understood as the foundation that provides
strength to values.

4.3 ETHICS
Meaning of Ethics: 'Conduct' has a major role in all walks of life. In human behavior, 'ethics'
meant same as 'conduct'. A mentor (Guru) is one who motivates a person or child to receive
ethics while the conduct means that which are imitated by an individual. Education is an
essential tool or a process for the development of human life. In the Constitution of India,
‘the Right to Education’ is considered same as a part of the ‘Right to Live Life’. By this, by
also calling the 'teacher' working in the field of 'education' as 'Acharya' (mentor), we can
understand the importance of the conduct of a 'teacher'. A student learns a lot from the
behavior and conduct of a teacher. Just giving lectures in the classroom does not remain the
only medium for students to learn. By understanding education as a bigger concept of the art
of living, the importance of the teacher's behavior and mentor’s conduct also increases by
itself. It is the repository of social and cultural values that nurture one's ethics.

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

Nature of Ethics: Discussion of the nature of Ethics is not a political subject. It is definitely
not at a process to impose 'right' and 'wrong'. We can understand the nature of 'ethics' in a
context. For us, the nature of ethics in the field of education can be referred to as the nature of
teacher's ethics and the nature of students’ ethics. The nature of the teacher's ethics
acknowledges all the complexities that are the part of the nature of his professional work. In
this same way, the nature of the ethics of the students is also not devoid of complications.
The ethics of the teacher prepares him for many difficult decisions and similarly the ethics of
the students prepares them for difficult decisions. The society also marks a teacher as a
responsible person of the society. While on the one hand the teacher is looked upon for the
development of the ability to fight the evils in the society, on the other hand, to preserve the
heritage of the society through the medium of education there is an inherent dependence on
the teacher. All this becomes part of the nature of the ethics of the mentor (teacher).
What’s the use of mentor’s mentorship if the pupil is not ready towards the process of
learning something from him/her. Student begins to inculcate ethics from his teachers and
while interacting with the society directly and thus the conduct of the student builds.

4.4 DEVELOPMENT OF ETHICS

In the 21st century with the rapidly changing global structure subjects like democracy,
citizenship, co-existence and globalization: one soul etc. are helping in the development of
the ethics of the human beings. In the ethos of a teacher, it can be observed that how a teacher
will treat his students equally? The following points are worth considering in the
development of the teacher's ethos:
 Development of Human Dignity: Taking care of the dignity of self along with the
dignity of the students and developing a sense of mutual respect shows the
development of ethics.
 Study: With a focus on self-study along with being a source of inspiration for
students to study, is also a step of development of the ethics.
 Evaluation Criteria: It is necessary to include different elements of their personality
in the evaluation of students. Individual's personality is not just mental development,
it is an integral part of a person's all-round development in the directions of social,
economic, moral, aesthetic, cultural, spiritual etc. which means considering the
components of various activities and all-round development of students while
evaluating is also an aspect which develops ethics in teachers.
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 Happiness and contentment: Keeping the happiness of his students along with his
own happiness in mind, the conduct of contentment is a manifestation of the ethics
development of a mentor. There is no hindrance in this stage of contentment
development. Rather the contentment is very important for completing a stage of the
development. This satisfaction or contentment provides the energy to move towards
the next stage of development.
 Modernization: Moving towards modernization by putting social and cultural values
in line with the nation's conditions is also a part of developing the ethics.
 Imagination: If man keeps on following prior made-up concepts, then the human
development will become static. Imagination gives the humans the ability to fly to
new heights. Thus, the development of imagination is also helpful in the development
of ethics.
 Subject Expertise: Strengthening the expertise of our own subject with time, helps
the ethics of teacher become more meaningful.
 Personal problems: Like all demands, a teacher also has many personal problems.
All those problems will also have an impact on his life style. Reducing the negative
effects on students due to those problems in their conduct shows the development of
ethics.
 Professional characteristic of teacher: Teacher's work is very different from other
professions. Other businesses do not need to build personal relationships with the
people with whom they are working in order to do their jobs well. The development
of the quality of personal relationships plays an important role in the development of
the teacher's ethos. The development of the teacher's ethos is the development of the
ability to make the most correct decisions in a situation, rather than on the basis of
'right' and 'wrong' decisions.
It is also not easy to talk about the conduct of the teacher, but we cannot keep away from the
difficult topics by not talking about them.
Modern society is a technology-centered society; human's life has become simple and
convenient due to the use of technology. Today, a person sitting in one corner of the country,
can convey his thoughts or messages with great ease and speed to the person sitting in the
corner of another country through technological equipment. Apart from this, social media has
brought even more revolutionary changes in it, but it is only one aspect of the coin, there is
also another aspect of the coin. The second aspect of this is that it also had a profound

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

negative impact on the social relations and when there a separation or negativity comes in the
relationship, then values also erode. When the values are eroded in the society, the society
also automatically gets destroyed. When there are values in the lives of social members,
therefore the sweetness in social relations and with this sweetness a happy society is formed,
it is important for a prosperous society to have values, but what are the values? If a person
follows social rules properly then, he is valuable? Are values personal? Is it possible to live a
valueless life? And if yes, what is the need of values? and so on, are many questions which
keep on revolving in our brain spontaneously, knowing the answers to all these questions,
what are values? Let's try to find the answer to this question.

4.5 VALUES
In Sanskrit, the meaning of the term 'Mulya' is 'which is measurable', that is, a quality or
attribute that is worth measuring or can be valued. Also, ‘Mulya’ in English language is
called ‘Value’. This term ‘Value’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘Valere’. ‘Valere’ in
English means ‘ability’ ‘utility’ importance’. All these terms explain the word 'value'.
Therefore, if we look at all these words together, the literal meaning of 'value' is that: on the
basis of which we assess the qualities, merit or importance of any person, object or any subtle
entity, emotion, thought etc.
In the short meaning of value, we can say that value is any definite measure of ability,
quality, specialty or efficiency by a society or by self. About values, it can also be said that
values cannot be taught or learnt, rather they are adopted. Value is really a subject of ethics.
The process of incorporating 'values' into ethics begins with family and parents through the
socialization process of the child. The values in children are determined by the cultural and
spiritual values of the family. Child’s values are formed by family activities. Values are also
related to the needs, desires and motivations of a child or an individual. In Sanskrit literature,
the word ‘Sheel’ has also been used for referring ‘Value’ which means acquiring morals. But
morals are also a concept of behavior, but Sheel is natural behavior, which means that it is a
condition to be done prior behavior which encourages an individual to behave according to
social rules. It is also considered a basis of all pleasures (vina sheelain nirvano na labhyate
kadhachan, Buddha Charita, 23.19). The value consists the inclusion of both the concepts of
temperamental thinking or thought and behavior.
Many scholars gave their views in the relation to value, whose study will help us a lot in
making our concept about value:
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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

 According to Clyde Kluckhohn- "Value is the expressed or unexpressed idea of an

individual or group which affects the selection of the means and goals of action."
 According to Radhakamal Mukherjee- “Values can be defined as those desires and
goals approved by the society which are imbibed by the process of contracting,
learning or socialization and which are transformed into individual standards and
needs.”
 According to Manny (2005), “In the context of country, time, situation, common
values become ‘values.’ Values, attitudes and ideals dictate our behavior.”
 According to Bardy – “Appropriateness or the ability to be chosen is value.”
If we analyze these thoughts or statements deeply, we will find that in reality values are the
ideals of the society, which control the behavior of human daily life, and encourage the
person to live a moderate life. These values are both spiritual and temporal. But it is also
worth considering here that not only the society but the person also determines the value for
himself. Value in its broader meaning is a code of ethics (written or accepted legislation) of
the individual’s thought, conduct and behavior, which a person uses according to his values
and environment for achieving his determined goals on the basis of the structure of life. He
uses this structure to develop his personality. In reality, Molly are those standards or codes of
conduct of the ethics that are derived from culture, nurtured by social traditions and protected
by conscience.

4.6 NATURE OF VALUES

Values are the ethics accepted by the society and the written or unwritten morals determined
by the individual himself, which governs the life of the person, but here it is also to be
considered that it is difficult to say something definitive about the universal definition of
values because values are always dynamic in nature, still we can describe the concept of the
nature of values in following ways:
Values are the Guide for the Conduct of a Person - Values act as a guide for a person's
life. Many such situations come in life where a person is in a dilemma of what to do? What
not to do? In this anxious situation, values help a person to take social and unanimous
decision. Here, values act as a guide in a person's life.
Values as a Standard for Social Behavior - Values act as a criterion for social behavior, in
which values are helpful in determining these subjects such as what should be done by the
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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

individual himself? What can't be done? Valueless societies or individuals always remain
confused because these values keep the society controlled and restrained. Therefore, the
pursuit of values is essential for building a civilized society. In the context of this work,
values are reflected as a standard of social behavior, but the values are dynamic in nature
because it varies according to the nature of social context, the values of the society change as
per the changes of context of the society.
Values are Developed by Imitation and Assimilation - Value are not ancestral property,
but these are earned heritage which are assembled and preserved by individual or society also
the transfer of values in the future generation is done by imitation. The society or individual
can conserve these values only by imitating and assimilating them. In this context, values
appear as acquired assets, whose development is possible only by imitation and adoption.
Values as the Central Point of Society and Family - For the creation of any civil society it
is very important that there are certain rules for its regulation and operation, whose
compliance is compulsory for all. These social rules, as values, are adhered to by all. If they
are not followed by the people living in the society, then that society becomes free, if not
only the society but also the individual does not follow the rules fixed for their own self, then
they also become voluntary. Hence values play a central role in the development of society,
family and individual. It can be said that it plays an important role in the development of any
nation, society, family and individual.
Absolute and Universal- Love and peace are the basic needs of life, values are helpful in
achieving the desired goals of human life and they guide human actions in every sphere of
life. In fact, values are at the core of all social relations and behaviour. Useful and eternal
thoughts are given a rank of values that becomes a legacy for the future generations.
Mobility – Constant changes, scouring and modification in the values, either they are
expanded, or they get mixed with other values. In the present, some values are established,
but in the context of social needs and cultural change, their existence in the future becomes
weak. Values are also interwoven with other functional organs in the functional continuity of
the entire social system. Changes in social structure affects the values. The nature of value is
dynamic, because its nature varies according to the social context, the changes takes place as
such the changes in the context of the society.
Diversity and Uniqueness of Values in a Group- The uniqueness of a group on a particular
is evident by the values. The situation of the values varies differently among cultural groups.
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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

Each culture gives priority to different values by making social system the basis. The cultural
feature is the fundamental characteristic that determines the priorities of values. But there are
some universal values which are equally essential on the whole of mankind and are also
universally accepted.
Social harmony and stability dependent on values- The culture of any society is a
complied system of values. Values are the basis of continuity, harmony and conformity of
institutions and groups. The deadlock or variation in values creates chaos, collective freedom
and uncertainty in society. Entire social organizations and family organizations depends on
universal values. The various ideals, moral patterns and ethics of developing human being’s
personality resides in the values and social heritage is stored and preserved by such values.

4.7 TYPES OF VALUES

Just like the nature of values, it is not possible to say anything definitively about the type of
values, but after studying the views of various scholars, depending on the nature of the
values, can be explained in the following ways:
4.7.1 Social Values (Ethos)
Social values are the values those which are determined by the society, which are necessary
to be complied by every person living in that society. When a person does not comply with
these values, the society also instructs that person to comply. These social values are dynamic
in which some new values are added from time to time, then society leaves some archaic
values. In general terms, they can also be called ethos.
4.7.2 Personal Value
Personal values refers to those values that are applicable for a particular person, its
determination and compliance both of which depends on that particular individual. The
nature of these values is also dynamic and changeable. Individual or personal values are
neither be determined nor be complied by the society. These are completely subjective such
as whether to believe or not to believe an ideology depends on the values of a particular
person.
4.7.3 Constitutional Values
Constitutional values are those values which are determined by the governance or
constitution of a country which reflect the values and ideals of that country or society. It is

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

mandatory for every person of that country or society to comply with these values. Here, if
we talk about the values inherent in the Indian Constitution, then the values in these are
Secularism, Socialism, Democracy, Equality etc.
4.7.4 Spiritual Values
Spiritual Values are those values which are necessary for a person's self-promotion, which the
person complies for developing mental peace, will-power, tolerance, positive thinking and
restrained behavior. The nature of spiritual values is determined by the individual for himself.
4.7.5 Moral Value
There is a determined set of ethics for each person, the rules described in these ethics are
called moral values. A person is not obliged to follow these values, but these values should be
complied by him is necessarily preferred. Moral values are also accepted by the society.
Apart from these, there can also be other types of values such as biological values,
classical values, intrinsic values, external value, human values etc. Their types keep on
decreasing and increasing because their nature is dynamic.

4.8 DEVELOPMENT OF VALUES

The acquisition of values takes place through the process of interaction and socialization. In
order to harmonize and adapt in group life, values are necessary to keep in mind. This
awareness towards values is helpful in the acquisition of values. Parents, other family
members, sports groups and other organizations are helpful in the acquisition of values. Thus,
the process of interaction and socialization has an important place in the acquisition of
values. Social and psychological both types of factors contribute in the origin and
development of values. The development of values is a complex and continuous process
which is constantly worked upon by the society and the individual. What role can society,
family, schools, teachers play in value development among children? On this, some
suggestions regarding plans and works will be mentioned in this lesson. The family is the first
school for the development of the values of a person or child, in that also mother is the first
teacher, the values are initiated by the mother in the child, the mother is the one who
introduces living with mutual love, tolerance, compassion etc. values first in the child. That is
why, mother is called the first teacher of the child.

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4.8.1 Role of Family

The family is the first school of values development in humans, where the values are
developed directly and indirectly by the family members. In order to make the family a place
for ideal value development, family members should also follow and demonstrate the values
that they want to develop in the child because in this stage the child learns a lot by imitation.
For example, if you want to develop the value of speaking truth in the child then the family
should first need to follow this value in themselves, only then this value of speaking truth will
be cultivated in the child.
4.8.2 Role of School
The school is the first formal school for a child where he not only acquires knowledge but
also the values. By observing his teachers, friends and classmates he imitates their values. In
the classroom where she/he is directly adopting values like discipline, tolerance, harmony,
same on the other side she/he is adopting values like love, secularism, respect for others, etc.
from his classmates. In this value formation, the role of the school members should be to
create an environment of mutual love, harmony and provide a liberal atmosphere to the
children in the school so that the human values can be developed properly in the children.
4.8.3 Role of Teacher
The responsibility of formation and development of values in the students is directly assigned
by the society to the teacher. The teacher is the axis around which the cycle of the formation
of values of the child revolves, therefore the teacher should always remain active to discharge
this responsibility. The teacher is the idol of students in the school; therefore, the character of
the teacher should also be exemplary for the students, at the same time, the teacher should
also always reflect himself as the ideal to the students. So that students can build their values
by imitating the ideals of the teacher. The teacher can plan and organize some activities in his
classroom such as organizing discussions on ethical topics in the classroom, which can
indirectly help cultivating values in the students and develop those cultivated values. A
teacher should create an atmosphere of harmony and love in the classroom so that children
also develop these human values such as mutual love and harmony among themselves.
4.8.4 Role of Society
A society always wants that its values gets transferred to its future generations. Therefore, it
becomes even more the responsibility of the society to set good ideals and values for its
future generations to follow them that have been created by the society. The creation and

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 Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

development of values is an ongoing process, so a plan should be formed by the society for
the development of values in the child, such as adding these values set by the society to the
books that the child is studying currently in the school and so that the new generation would
adapt these values by learning about them.
While developing the values in the child, society, teachers, or other family members need to
have patience, because the development of values cannot happen suddenly, for this it requires
constant efforts by the society, school or yourself, only then the new generation can develop
those values.

4.9 SUMMARY
In the course of this chapter, we have discussed in detail the types of ethics and values. The
role of family and society in the development of these values has also been highlighted. In
order to discuss the values Social Values (Ethos), Personal Values, Constitutional Values,
Spiritual Values etc. have been explained with examples. After a comprehensive discussion
on values, the meaning, nature and characteristics of ethics are discussed with relevant
examples. After studying this chapter, students will be able to understand the importance of
values and ethics in human life.

4.10 GLOSSARY

 Teachership - The feeling of being an Acharya, Acharya's sense of awareness and

awareness towards his duties and responsibilities is Acharyatv. Acharya is one who
exhorts others to follow virtue by his conduct and teachings.
 Constitutional value- These are the types of values that make a person aware of
constitutional obligations and duties.

4.11 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. What is the importance of values in human life? Explain with suitable examples.
2. Explain the nature of values? Explain with any two examples.
3. What is the difference between personal and constitutional values? Discuss with
reason.
4. ‘Family plays an important role in the development of values of an individual’ explain
the above statement.

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 B.A.(Prog.) Semester-I

5. What are the characteristics of ethics? Explain with suitable examples.

4.12 REFERENCES

 Feuerstein, Georg. 2001. The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and
Practice. Arizona, USA: Hohm Press.
 Mohanty, J. 1986. School Education in Emerging Society. Meerut: Sterling
Publishers.
 Jeong, Ho-Won. 2000. Peace and Conflict Studies: An Introduction. Burlington:
Ashgate Publications.
 Reardon, Betty. 1988. Educating for Global Responsibility: Teacher Designed
Curricula for Peace Education. New York: Teacher College Press.
 Chodosh, H. E., Bhatt, N. J., and Kassam. F. 2004. Mediation in India: A Toolkit.
New Delhi: United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI). Practice.
Arizona, USA: Hohm Press.
 Ruhela, S.P. (Ed.) (1986). Human Values and Education. New Delhi: Sterling
Publishers Pvt.Ltd.

4.13 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Gupta, K.M (1988) Training Cum Research Project in Value Orientation: Value
Analysis model
 Bharatwaj, Tilak Raj. (1999). Education of Human Values. New Delhi: Mittal
Publications.
 Cooper, D. (ed) (1986). Education, values and Mind. London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul.

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UNIT-2

Lesson 1 : Socialization and Education

Lesson 2 : Culture and Education

Lesson 3 : Constitutional Values: Equality, Freedom, Justice, Secularism, Human

Rights

Lesson 4 : Building the Objectives of Education on the Context of a Developing and

Democratic Society

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LESSON 1
SOCIALIZATION AND EDUCATION

Dr. Monika Pareek

Guest Faculty
S.P.M. College
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

1.1 Learning Objectives

1.2 Introduction
1.3 Meaning of Socialization
1.4 Characteristics of Socialization
1.4.1 Socialization as a dynamic process
1.4.2 Socialization as a lifelong process
1.4.3 Socialization as a learning process.
1.4.4 Socialization is imbibing the cultural heritage of society.
1.4.5 Socialization is the process of socializing a person.
1.5 Need of Socialization.
1.5.1 Socialization helps to teach lessons of discipline.
1.5.2 Socialization makes a person skilled in social behaviour
1.5.3 Socialization makes a person aware of his social obligations.
1.5.4 Helpful in assimilating culture.
1.6 Factors of Socialization
1.7 Institutions of Socialization
1.7.1 The role of the home in the socialization of the child.
1.7.2 Role of the family in the socialization of the child
1.7.3 Role of school in socialization of child
1.7.4 Role of the community in the socialization of the child
1.7.5 Role of media in socialization of child
1.8 Summary
1.9 Glossary
1.10 Self-Assessment Questions
1.11 References
1.12 Suggested Readings

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1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Know in detail about the concept of socialization.
 Understand how does the socialization of the child take place? Its knowledge can be
obtained.
 Know in detail about the various components of socialization.
 Gain knowledge about various institutions of socialization like home, family, school,
media etc.

1.2 INTRODUCTION
A man is born in society, from the time of birth, he comes in contact with his parents and
other family members, gradually he comes in contact with his neighborhood and he is
influenced by them. During this time, he remain devoted to his basic instincts such as diet and
sleep. In brief, he is only a biological animal and his condition is very similar to animals
because he completely lacks social qualities at birth. By getting in touch with his parents, he
learns to smile, sit, listen to others, play with others, etc. Thus family is the first school to
develop the social qualities in a child. By gradually coming into contact with his
neighborhood, he learns some social etiquette. Later on, his field of contact becomes more
extensive and he learns different modalities of society from this contact. During this he takes
care of social rules and obligations while behaving. In this way, he becomes a social animal
from a biological being. This journey of a person from a biological being to a social animal is
called socialization in sociology. But what is the need of this socialization? What is the
process of its development? Who is responsible for socialization of the child? What are the
steps of socialization? And which organizations are involved in the socialization of child? All
these questions will be discussed extensively in this chapter.

1.3 MEANING OF SOCIALIZATION

Socialization is the process of conforming to the social norms and the culture of an individual
or child. In other words, the process of developing social qualities in a person or child is
called socialization Thus, socialization is a process of learning how a person has to live in
society. It teaches how to fulfil our needs while living in society. Johnson has explained this
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process of socialization in very simple terms, "Socialization is the training that enables the
learner to play a social role" Other academics have also given their views on socialization
which are written below:
According to Gillen and Gillen, “socialization is the process whereby an individual, as an
active member of a group, develops himself by adjusting towards social institutions by
following traditions according to the standards according to the levels”.
Thus, socialization is a process in which a person learns about his culture, how to behave
under certain circumstances? Or how one should discharge his social ideals and values? One
gets knowledge of all these things. In short, socialization is a journey of a person from a
biological being to a social being.

1.4 CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCILIZATION

Socialization is a process that goes on from a person's birth till death; it is a process in which
a person assimilates the cultural values and ideals of his society and nation. Through this
process, the culture of a particular society is transferred to the future generation. The
characteristic of socialization can be explained in the following way.
1.4.1 Socialization is a dynamic process: How a person should treat another person in
a particular situation? Knowledge of this aspect is socialization. Socialization
enhances the functional ability of a person by which he renounces the qualities of
a biological being and becomes a social being. The child keeps on making some
changes in his behaviour from infancy till old age because this change in
behaviour is desirable for living in the society and also we have to behave in
various activities of the society according to the expectations of other members of
the society. That is why we can say that socialization is a dynamic process.
1.4.2 Socialization is a lifelong process: Socialization is a nonstop process because it
continuous from infancy till old age of a person. A person keeps on learning
throughout his life time; these changes in our behaviour sometimes have to be
made as per the expectation of others and sometimes for our own satisfaction.
This process of socialization is associated with the social side of a person's
behaviour and this development always goes on in the social side.
1.4.3 Socialization is a learning process: A child constantly brings changes in his
behaviour to adjust in his society because he wants to show or make himself as a
conscious member in the society. In sociology, this process is called socialization.

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It should also be kept in mind that development of socially accepted virtuous in

the behaviour of the individual is socialization, such as following the rules and
obligations of society, respecting elders, preserving the environment, etc.
Therefore, learning these qualities by the person is socialization and not learning
about thievery, insulting others, etc.
1.4.4 Socialization is imbibing the cultural heritage of society: The culture of a
society lies in its social activities. When a person is incorporating these social
qualities in his behaviour, he is indirectly assimilating the culture of that particular
society. In the process of socialization, not only does the person have knowledge
of his culture, but he is also imbibing that particular culture in his behaviour.
1.4.5 Socialization is the process of socializing a person: When a person is born, he is
a biological animal, in other words, he is like an animal, when the child comes in
contact with others, and then gradually social qualities develop in him. After
adopting social qualities in his behaviour, he changes from biological animal to
social animal, thus the process of socialization can be defined as the development
of social qualities in a person.

1.5 NEED OF SOCIALIZATION

After extensive discussion on the concept of socialization, it is natural to come to mind that
what is the role of socialization in a person's development? Can a person not be
accommodated properly in society without socialization? Does a person assimilate his culture
only through socialization? Next we will try to find out answers to these questions.
1.5.1 Socialization helps to teach lessons of discipline: A person has to follow the
rules and bye-laws the society in which he lives. Socialization motivates a person
to become disciplined by following those rules and bye-laws, as well as
socialization also helps the person to know what he should do? And what he
should not? In this way, we can say that socialization helps a person to live in the
society in a disciplined way.
1.5.2 Socialization makes a person skilled in social behaviour: Every society wants
its citizens to contribute in the development of that particular society.
Socialization creates a sense in the individual that he not only understands the
social responsibility properly but can also discharge those obligations efficiently,

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when the person discharges his social obligations properly, and then he is
respected and honoured by that society.
1.5.3 Socialization makes a person aware of his social obligations: Socialization
guides the person how to live in the society but at the same time he also provides
the person with his social obligations. What does the society expect from him?
And what he can do to fulfil those expectations? Through the process of
socialization, the person not only knows all these responsibilities but also puts
tireless efforts to fulfil them.
1.5.4 Helpful in assimilating culture: Socialization not only makes a person realize
his responsibilities and duties but also motivates to imbibe the culture in his mind
and heart. Knowing only the concept of socialization is not socialization but also
assimilating the social values, beliefs and ideals in mind, speech and thought (i.e.
Mansa, vacha and Karmana theory). If a person only knows social values and
ideals and does not follow them in his / her conduct then socialization of that
person is incomplete. Ultimately it can be said that a when a person embraces
social qualities in his behavior only then his socialization is meaningful.

1.6 FACTORS OF SOCIALIZATION

Socialization of a person does not take place suddenly rather it is a continuous process in
which a person learns how to live in a particular society. Kimble Young's foreword on this
topic is notable, in relation to socialization, he said, “Socialization means that a person learns
the traditions, customs, rules and other features of culture. He makes himself aware of his life
values and objectives with the neighbourhood class and community”. Next, we will try to
know which factors contribute in socialization of a person.
Role of parents: To what extent socialization of a child will take place depends largely on
the role of the parents. The mother is the first teacher of socialization of the child. The mother
is the first to inform the child about the social ideals and beliefs and instruct him/her to
imbibe them. Father ensures that he follows those instructions sincerely. Therefore, parents
have a very important role in socialization, Sanskrit literature keeping this in mind says that
parents who do not teach their children social ideals, values, responsibilities and duties, they
are same as the enemy of the child. Parents who have discharged these responsibilities
properly have a very high place in Indian culture and tradition.
Role of family: The family is the place where the child first learns the lesson of socialization;
this is the place where he learns to live with love, saying that the family is the first school for
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the development of social qualities in child will not be an exaggeration. While interacting
with family members he indirectly imbibe many social qualities in his behaviour. While
living in the family he become aware of social qualities, values and ideals and he also
assimilates these ideals and values. This factor will be discussed in detail in next section.
Role of state: State also has a very important place in the process of socialization of the child
because it is the institution that expects transfer of its culture in the child. Therefore, it is
absolutely necessary that society sets high ideals and values for future generations as an
example, only then future generations will be motivated to follow those ideals.

1.7 INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIALIZATION

The meaning of socialization is to imbibe social opinion, beliefs, values, customs and
traditions of society. Many social institutions contribute to the process of socialization, which
directly and indirectly contributes to the development of social qualities in the child. Here we
discuss in detail about the contribution of the major institutions in socialization of the child.
These institutions are home, family, school, community, media etc. Let’s discuss about the
contribution of these institutions in detail one by one.
1.7.1 The role of the home in the socialization of the child
Socialization is a process in which a person assimilates the culture, traditions, beliefs, opinion
and customs of a particular society. The process of this assimilation starts from the child's
home itself, so the child's home is called the first school of socialization, but this process of
socialization is not an autonomy in which every member of the household has to contribute.
If we accept that first school for socializing of a person's is home, then mother is the first
teacher of that school, the mother teach the child how to live in the society? Which social
responsibilities are to be performed? What does society expect from the child? Realization of
all these things is first done by the mother. In the process of socialization, not only the
mother's contribution is necessary, but other members of the household should also carry out
their responsibilities properly. The process of socialization of the child in the house is largely
informal, that is, he learns many social qualities by observing the behaviour of the family
members among themselves. Like how they live with each other? How elders are respected at
home? How do all family members behave with each other? How they share each other's
miseries and happiness? There are many things from which the child learns the social
qualities directly and indirectly by staying at home. That is why it is absolutely necessary that

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the environment of the house should be harmonious so that the process of socialization of the
child is going on effectively in that environment.
1.7.2 Role of the family in the socialization of the child
It is not only the parents who are responsible for the socialization of the child in the house;
the family also has a significant contribution in this. If the need of the child is met by the
parents, then the need of his protection from the family is fulfilled. That is why it is necessary
to have feelings of mutual harmony, love and cooperation in the families. By seeing harmony
and cooperation in the family, budding and appearance of these feelings takes place in child,
here also child indirectly assimilates social qualities. Family is the place where the child
acquires knowledge of various social qualities such as cooperation, mutual harmony, peace,
etc. and also brings these qualities into his practice. That is why family members should
always set high ideals in front of the child through their behaviour so that the children, seeing
these principles, try to incorporate them into their conduct. If the family fails to perform the
task of developing social qualities in the child, then that failure not only affects the process of
socialization of the child but the society also fails to preserve and transfer its culture and
traditions. That is why it is very important that the families carry out their role effectively in
the process of socialization of the child. Then the society will be able to succeed in
preserving and transferring its culture.
1.7.3 Role of school in socialization of child
The family contributes in the process of socialization for three or five years from the birth of
the child, Here the child learns social qualities in an informal manner and assimilates them in
his behaviour. After 3 or 5 years, the place where he first receives instructions to gain
knowledge of social qualities in a formal way, is his school. In school itself, he acquires
social qualities in, formal and informal manner. The teacher is directly responsible for the
development of social qualities of the child in the school, the social qualities, culture transfers
beliefs in the future generation through education, therefore the teacher is also called the
builder of nation or society. Knowing this importance of the school, John Dewey states that
"School is a miniature of society." Teachers contribute in the following form in the
socialization of children:
 Teacher too is imbued with social qualities, so the child, seeing the conduct of the
teacher, tries to integrate that in his behaviour.
 The training of public policy is received in the school itself. The teacher is directly
responsible for imparting that training; therefore teacher's behaviour should also be
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perfect. That is why teacher has also been called Acharya. Acharya means who get the
students adopt social values and qualities in their behaviour, more through his own
demeanour indirectly than by verbal instructions. Therefore, the teacher should try to
establish a higher moral paradigm by his conduct, which always acts as a guide for the
children.
 The teacher should try to make the atmosphere of the class room amicable and
harmonious, so that socialization of child can take place properly in that environment.
 The teacher should facilitate to make the school environment harmonious because the
child learns and assimilates social qualities not only in the classroom but also from his
friends outside the classroom. Therefore, teacher should try to develop the entire
school as a school of social qualities.
 When a teacher is contributing in the socialization process of a child, he should also
understand the national responsibilities because when he is fulfilling the national
obligations, he is directly or indirectly developing the social qualities of the child.
1.7.4 Role of the Community in the Socialization of the Child
After school, it is the community where the child acquires the highest social qualities. Here
the question arises as to what is the community? And how does it contribute in the
socialization of the child? The word community is derived from prefixing Sanskrit prefix
’sam’ to the root word 'ud', meaning a place from where all together attempt to develop each
other with mutual love. Here MacIver’s statement is notable that "whenever members of a
small or large group live together with each other, it does not fulfil any selfishness, they live
only in normal living conditions, and we call it community”. Jeansberg statement is also
noteworthy here that by community we mean the groups living the same life. All the different
and complex relationships in this committee are either the result of normal life or what they
call their creation. Thus, community means the place where people of different cultures,
traditions and beliefs live together and live with mutual respect. It is also important here that
no community interest is above the national interest, in the conflict of interests, the national
interest should be accepted as paramount. Now the second question is, how does the
community helps in the development of the social qualities of the child? The community
through its culture, tradition and beliefs nurtures the qualities of the child that it wants to
develop in the child. Through organizing various festivals and occasion it makes the child
aware of his culture and traditions. These occasions and festivals are the conductors of the
same social qualities that the society wants to develop in the child, through the process of
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socialization. The community creates a suitable environment for the socialization of the child.
If the community's atmosphere is full of mutual love, peaceful, progressive, harmonious and
cordial, then this environment indirectly develops social qualities in the child, in this way
community plays a very active and important role in the socialization process of the child.
1.7.5 Role of Media in Socialization of Child
Another important agent of socialization of the child is media. Media refers to the resources
that carry information of national, social and local importance to a large community. If we
observe the resources of modern media, it appears in three forms. The first print media
contains all types of printed content such as daily, weekly and monthly newspaper
magazines, the second electronic media which contains all types of news channels, online
news information, etc. and the third social media includes all types of social sites. Now the
question arises whether these media resources contribute or not contribute in the socialization
of the child and if they do, then in what form do they contribute? The media has a deep
impact directly and indirectly on the socialization of the child, because the child reads and
watches newspaper, magazines, T.V., radio and social networking sites which gives him an
idea of what kind of culture, beliefs, opinion and traditions are being followed in the present
society? The child also attempts to assimilate culture and traditions. That is why media plays
a very important role in building a civilized society, but it is different how honestly they
discharge their responsibilities. Media also plays a very important role in propagating the
cultural beliefs and traditions of a society, the child tries to put into practice the things which
he hears or sees in the media, These behaviours are associated with social qualities, so the
media should discharge its mentor' duties faithfully. The process of socialization of an
individual is completed only by living in the society and not by being isolated.

1.8 SUMMARY
socializationIn this chapter related tosocialization' what is? child'ssocializationHow does the
process of How does a child travel socially from immaturity to maturity? What is the role of
parents, friends, family, neighborhood, school etc. in this journey? Many questions etc. have
been discussed in detail as well as in the development of a child.socializationWhat is the need
of what are the factors thatsocializationplay their part in the process of This chapter throws
light on all these questions in a comprehensive manner.

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1.9 GLOSSARY

 Social Maturity - It is the efficiency or ability of a person that makes a person

sensitive to his social obligations, duties and rights. Social maturity works to
strengthen the mutual relations between the society and the person so that the person
can be adjusted in the society.
 Assimilation - This concept means to integrate an idea or belief into one's life, in the
process of socialization, it means taking social customs, beliefs, traditions, beliefs into
one's life.

1.10 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain what is socialization by taking any incident related to your life.
2. What is the role of socialization in the all round development of a child? explain.
3. Explain with examples how school contributes to the social development of a child.
4. How does media play its role in the process of socialization? Explain taking an
example from your daily life.

1.11 REFERENCES

 Sheaffer, Sheldon. (Ed.) (1992). Collaborating for Educational Change: the role of
teachers, parents, and the community in school improvement, Paris: UNESCO,
International Institute of Educational Planning
 Brophy, Jere, & Janet Alleman. (2010). What do children know about cultural
universals? In Walter C. Parker (Ed.), Social studies today: Research and practice (pp.
133–140). New York: Routledge
 Evans, Ronald W. (2010). The social studies wars: Now and then. In Walter C. Parker
(Ed.), Social Studies Today: Research and Practice (pp. 25–34). New York:
Routledge
 Grant, S. G. (2010). “High-stakes testing: How are social studies teachers
responding?” In Social studies today: Research and practice (pp. 53–64). New York:
Routledge

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 Zhao, Yong. (2009). Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age
of globalization. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
 Parker, Walter C. (2008). International education— What’s in a name? Phi Delta
Kappan, 90(2), 196–202.
 Grant, S. G. (2010). “High-stakes testing: How are social studies teachers
responding?” In Social studies today: Research and practice (pp. 53–64). New York:
Routledge

1.12 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Bilton, Tony, et al. (1987). Introductory Sociology, London: Mac Millan

 Giddens, Anthony. (1990). Sociology, Cambridge: Polity Press
 Gupta, Dipankar. (1991). Social Stratification, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
 Sharma, K.L. (1994). Social Stratification and Mobility. Jaipur, New Delhi: Rawat
Publications.
 Harington, Austin (2005). Modern Social Theory: An Introduction, New York:
Oxford University Press
 Havinghhurst, R.J. and Neugarten, B.L. (1964). Society and Education, Boston: Allyn
Bacon.
 Shankar Rao (2006) Principles of Sociology with an Introduction to Social Thought,
New Delhi: S. Chand & Company.

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Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

LESSON 2
CULTURE AND EDUCATION

Dr. Monika Pareek

Guest Faculty
S.P.M. College
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

2.1 Learning Objectives

2.2 Introduction
2.3 Meaning of Culture
2.4 Features of Culture
2.5 Types of Culture
2.6 Importance of Culture
2.7 Impact of Culture on Education
2.7.1 Culture influences the curriculum of education.
2.7.2 Impact on teaching methods.
2.7.3 Impact on textbooks.
2.7.4 Impact on learning objectives.
2.7.5 Impact of culture on school
2.8 Impact of Education on Culture
2.8.1 Education Preserves Culture
2.8.2 Education Develops Culture
2.8.3 Education Scourges Culture
2.9 Role of Education in the Preservation of Culture
2.10 Role of Education in the Transfer of Culture
2.11 Role of Education in Promotion of Culture
2.12 Summary
2.13 Glossary
2.14 Self-Assessment Questions
2.15 References
2.16 Suggested Readings
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2.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Understand the concept of culture.
 Know various characteristics of culture.
 Distinguish between various types of culture
 Understand the role of education in protection, transfer, and promotion of culture

2.2 INTRODUCTION
Culture and education are not two isolated concepts; rather there is an interdependent
relationship between the two. The culture of a society is a detrimental factor in its education.
The cultural ideas and values of a society are the basis over which the education of a society
can be thought of. For example, if a society upholds democratic culture, then the educational
setup of the society will also be democratic and will try to promote democratic ideals, and if
the culture of a society lays more emphasis on spiritual values, then the education and
educational setup of that society will put emphasis on Moral and eternal values in life.
Similarly, if any Society believes in materialistic culture and values, then education will
emphasis more on the collection of material resources of the society. Thus prima facie it
seems that culture determines the upcoming education of a particular society but Culture
doesn’t do so own its own, because social acceptenec is aso required in this. The society
wants the transfer of its values, traditions, culture and civilizations to its future generation.
This objective, it tries to meet, through education and if education fails to meet this objective
then the society tries to change the nature of that particular education. Here the question
arises how does the society ascertain that the education is being given in schools is able to
achieve the objectives set by it or not, whether the education being provided by the particular
society is able to preserve, transfer and add to the culture or not? This text will widely discuss
these questions.

2.3 MEANING OF CULTURE

The word culture is made by combining root word 'kri' with prefix 'Sama' in the Sanskrit
language means culture is wealth which has been compiled properly through experiences and
experiments. In this way, culture literally means the tradition, belief, recognition, food, dress,
etc. of a society and country, which have been in use by the society for a long time, but
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culture means more than this. The set of rules, bylaws, obligations, duties, values, traditions,
beliefs and opinion determined by society is accepted as culture. It is also important to
mention here the views of some sociologists.
According to Tyler - " Culture or Civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that
complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”
According to Elwood- "Culture includes man's entire civilization, equipment, weapons,
clothing, shelter, machines and even the system of industry. "
According to Redfild- " Culture is that organized form of traditional knowledge expressed
by art and equipment, which, by tradition, becomes a characteristic of the human group.”
According to Otave - " The culture of a society means the entire way of life of that society”.
If you analyze the above definitions, you will find that the field of culture is very wide. It
contains all the activities and ideas from the beliefs of human life to the dressing sense, which
society wants to transfer from one generation to another.

2.4 FEATURES OF CULTURE

The culture of any society is a group of social characteristics of a particular society, in which
the prevailing beliefs, traditions, recognitions, food, etc. of the society can be included. If we
analyze the nature of the culture deeply, then the following characteristics can be seen-
Mobility: The nature of culture is always dynamic. Changes keep on taking place in it,
according to the time and situation. Culture gives up some of its characteristics according to
time and also adds something new as per time. But it is also important here that culture never
abandons its fundamental values and ideals. If the culture of a nation is based on spirituality,
then those qualities will always exist in it. Also, if the values of a society are materialistic,
then the culture of that society brings changes in itself by keeping that value as the base.
Culture is a set of acquired qualities: Culture is a set of qualities acquired by a particular
society or nation or individual. These qualities are acquired, keeping in mind needs, values,
beliefs and opinions. Many times a society or a person behaves according to the pressure or
demand of another society.
Culture is communicative: Culture is transmitted from one generation to another. When it is
transmitted, some of its characteristics increase, while it leaves out some of the features, in
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the process of communication. The new generation takes advantage of the experiences of the
old generation. In this way, the nature of culture looks semi-permanent.
Culture is an acquired asset: Culture is the group of qualities acquired by a particular society
and individual. These qualities or specialties, in due course of time, become connected with
the society and are transmitted from one generation to another. In this way we can say that
the nature of culture is acquired.
Culture meets human needs: Culture also fulfills human needs. When a person is in any
dilemma, then in that situation the culture acts as a guide to him. What should be done by the
person at that time which is compatible with the ideals of that society? What should not be
done? Culture helps an individual in determining this.
Every society has its unique culture: Culture is related to the lifestyle of a society. The
form of culture is the same as of society. For example, if a society celebrates materialism,
then the culture of that society will also promote materialism and if the basic foundation of a
society is spiritual, then the culture of that society will also give importance to spirituality.
That is why the culture of each society or nation is different from another society or nation.
Education greatly helps the child in assimilating this diversity.
Culture patterns are both physical and non-physical: Culture develops and grows in two
forms, one physical, and the other immaterial. Both forms of culture are passed on to future
generations. In this process of transfer there are a lot of changes, that is why the culture
always keeps changing, but it never leaves its fundamental principles. If it does so, then
existence culture will cease.
Culture includes social qualities: The qualities of any society are inherent in the culture of
that nation or society. These are the qualities that the society wants to transfer to its present
and future generations. Culture is these qualities which are called the qualities of that
particular society. These qualities together make a culture unique.
Some of these characteristics get reflected in the nature of culture. In addition to these, there
are some characteristics which should be studied by the students.

2.5 TYPES OF CULTURE

If we consider the type of culture, then in the view of sociologists, there are two types of
culture.

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a) Physical culture - Under this, those characteristics of a particular society are included
which are used by the society in its daily behaviour such as the food, clothing, houses,
equipment etc. of a particular society.
b) Immaterial culture - Under this, those ideals, beliefs and values of a particular
society are included which govern or regulate the behavior of a person, for example
language, literature, art, music, religion, customs, tradition etc.

2.6 IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE

After the discussion of culture, it is natural to ask the question what is the importance of
culture? Is the life of a society or nation not possible without culture? What are the reasons
that society wants to transfer its culture to future generations? And so on. Many such
questions come in human brain. Therefore, we can express the importance of culture in the
following way –
Helps in socialization of a person - The culture of a society is rooted in its thoughts, ethos,
behaviors, beliefs, traditions and beliefs, which form the basis of a person's socialization.
Culture is very helpful for socialization of a person. Culture helps a person to know which
qualities to be developed in his behavior which better helps him to adjust in the society.
It is helpful in personality building - As the person grows up, the area of his society
becomes wider and for which he has to change his behavior. Culture can prove to be very
helpful for this change in the behavior of a person. As a result there is constant change in this
person, due to which his personality continuously develops.
Culture teaches the art of living life - A person constantly struggles to adjust in his
environment, culture helps the person in this struggle. Culture creates the ability in man to
adjust properly in his environment. The importance of any culture gets reflected in the form
of teaching the art of living.
It is helpful in the adaptation to social environment - culture includes geographical
conditions, food, clothing, etc. Culture gives information about these characteristics to the
person, after knowing which the person changes his or her lifestyle according to that
particular society, so that he can properly adjust in that particular society. Culture greatly
assists the individual in this task.

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2.7 IMPACT OF CULTURE OF EDUCATION

The relation of education and culture is interdependent; both are complementary to each
other. While culture sets objectives for education, education sustains culture in meeting those
goals. We can understand the relationship between education and culture as follows-
2.7.1 Culture influences the curriculum of education: The course of education is
designed keeping in mind the objectives of the society. These objectives of
education are determined by culture itself. In the curriculum created for education,
the beliefs, cultural variations, cultural values and ideals of society are given place.
Also, the living style, food, clothing, music, art etc. of that particular society are
also given place in it. It is clear that culture has a clear influence in the curriculum
prescribed for education.
2.7.2 Impact on teaching methods: The culture of society also has an influence on the
teaching methods used in school. If the culture of the society is liberal, democratic,
individualistic, then that liberty will also be seen in the teaching methods being
used in the schools of that society. In this perspective, the teaching methods will be
child centered and interest oriented and if the culture of the society is monopolistic,
then the teaching methods will be different there. In this way, the effect of culture
can be clearly seen on teaching methods.
2.7.3 Impact on textbooks: Every society has certain values and ideals, which the
society wants to transfer to the future child. The same values, ideals, beliefs are
given place in the textbooks so that the young child can imbibe these ideals and
social values can develop in them. These values and ideals directly represent a
culture.
2.7.4 Impact on learning objectives: Culture includes beliefs, values, ideals, customs,
art, literature, music, etc. of a particular society. What is called the cultural heritage
or heritage of a society, a society wants to preserve and promote them, and also
wants it to be transferred to the future generation of that society. For this, the
society establishes a formal institution, which is called a school. The functions of
these schools are determined, keeping in mind certain goals which are called
educational objectives. These educational objectives are determined keeping in
mind the cultural ideals and values of that society.
2.7.5 Impact of culture on school- School is a mini version of society, so whatever is
the culture of a particular society, the environment of the school belonging to
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society, will be according to its culture. Just as the culture of a society strictly
adheres to its ideals, those ideals are followed as strongly in the schools of that
society. Similarly, the effect of that particular society can be seen on every
component of education like teacher, learner, discipline etc.

2.8 IMPACT OF EDUCATION ON CULTURE

So far, we have studied the impact of culture on education, but does education also have its
effect on culture? This statement can be explained as follows-
2.8.1 Education preserves culture - Education is the means by which a particular
culture can be preserved. Education is the medium that can transfer the cultural
ideals, values and beliefs of a society to the future generation. The culture of a
society is the result of the cultivation of a particular society for ages and ages,
which the society wants to preserve with great diligence. Education helps a lot in
accomplishing this purpose.
2.8.2 Education develops culture - The task of education is not only to preserve the
culture but also to continuously develop in that culture. If the culture does not
develop, then the degradation of that society will begin, so it is necessary that there
are desirable changes in the culture and the culture continues to develop. In such a
situation, the task of education is to bring desired changes in the culture and
develop the unique culture of that society.
2.8.3 Education scourges culture - over time, many elements of culture become
unusable and wasteful and are not needed in the present times. Also, due to
illiteracy, personal selfishness, superstition etc., many distortions occur in the
culture. Education removes these distortions and evils in the culture, refines the
culture and gives it a new look.

2.9 ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE PRESERVATION OF CULTURE

Every society has its own cultural heritage which the society wants to transfer to its future
generation, so that future generations can transfer that heritage to their future generation.
Thus, these cultural heritages remain intact. The society makes a scheme for transfer of this
heritage to the new generation. That plan is called education. Thus, there is a close
relationship between culture and education. This is also the main aim in the objectives of

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education: How does education work as a mentor, promoter and transferor of culture? You
can understand it in the following way -
The role of education in preserving culture:- Culture helps a person in adjustment according
to social beliefs, traditions, values etc. If the person does not make this social adjustment,
either the society excludes him from his group, or the person starts feeling socially
maladjusted. Culture is the set of beliefs, traditions, and customs of a society that society
wants to preserve for its future generation, so that it can transfer that culture to future
generations. Education plays a very important role in this work of the society. Education can
generate positive awareness towards our culture in future generations. Education makes the
child aware of his culture. This knowledge only develops a critical attitude towards their
culture in the child. From this critical perspective, the child shows respect for his culture,
assimilates it or tries to make some positive and meaningful changes in the culture. Under
both circumstances, education contributes to the preservation of culture. Education preserves
the culture; sometimes it also develops the attitude of the child to bring changes according to
need or time. Both ways, education contributes significantly to the preservation of culture.
Education is the means which keeps the culture alive in oral or written form. There are two
forms of culture, physical and non-physical, material culture is related to food and clothing
and non-physical culture is associated with beliefs, beliefs and customs. The rapid changes in
material culture do not happen in the non-material culture as fast. Scientific inventions have
made a profound impact on Indian culture. But the values, beliefs, etc. are the same today
because Indian culture is connected with religiosity and spirituality and education has a very
important contribution in it.

2.10 ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE TRANSFER OF CULTURE

Transfer means the movement of something or an idea from one generation to another. The
society not only wants to preserve its culture but also wants to transfer that protected culture
to the new generation. Education can contribute significantly in this task. Knowledge of
culture is only possible through education. When a child learns his culture, his positive
attitude towards his culture also develops. He is then eager to know more about his culture. In
this way, gradually, the child completely assimilates his culture. In this process, education
directly contributes to the transfer of culture. Apart from this, in the transfer of culture,
education also contributes indirectly. For example, education also makes the child aware of
his duties and his responsibilities. What is it that he must do? What is it that he should not?
The child also gets to know about this through education. All these are integral parts of the

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culture which the society wants to transfer to the future generation. Education also
contributes significantly to it. Culture not only includes knowledge, beliefs, etc. but it also
includes many other components of a society's food, dress, language, language, rituals,
rituals, etc., whose knowledge society wants to impart to its new generation. Education also
contributes significantly in this task. In this way, education fulfills its role in the transfer of
cultures, both physical and non-physical, of any society in a very effective manner. Education
is also helpful in creating an environment for the development of culture because it makes the
future generation aware of the cultural characteristics of the society. Many a times they also
give critical thoughts or suggestions towards that culture, which also causes major changes in
it and these changes only lead to the development of culture.

2.11 THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE PROMOTION OF CULTURE

The process of developing a very good form of a belief or idea can be called enrichment.
Now the question is what kind of role does education play in the promotion of culture of a
particular society? So there is a very clear answer to this question that education contributes
very significantly to the development of culture because it is through education that a child
acquires knowledge about his culture. With that knowledge a positive understanding will
arise in the child towards his culture and he tries to understand his culture more deeply. In the
process, he combines some concepts about his culture and tries to remove some old ideas.
This is the reason that whatever form, cultures are in today, they were not in this form fifty or
hundred year ago. A lot of change has definitely come in their form. In this process, culture
changes its form and that change promotes its promotion. Education contributes significantly
to this promotion. Necessary and timely changes in culture cannot be stopped, but education
ensures that these changes are in the proper form. In this situation, education has the task that
it should bring desirable changes in cultural values or ideals and keep this change
development oriented. It is also important here that when a culture does not make a positive
change in its nature, then the development of that culture stops. Therefore, it is necessary that
culture keeps changing its shape according to the need and time. But in the process of this
change, care should also be taken that the basic principles of that culture do not change
otherwise that culture loses its original form. Education makes a very important contribution
in this work, so what type of education is to be given to the child, it should be planned with
increased caution. Otherwise, the development of culture will not be found in the way society
wants. Thus, we can understand how education is capable of both preserving and promoting
culture.
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2.12 SUMMARY
The focus of this chapter is the study of culture.,In the course of discussion of culture, its
meaning, nature and characteristics have been extensively highlighted., In the development of
culture, mutual influence of culture on education and formation of education framework has
been clarified with examples.cultureprotection, transferoAnd what is the role of education in
promotion? This has also been discussed in detail,How does culture play its role in the
formation of curriculum and textbooks of education? This has also been discussed by relevant
examples.

2.13 GLOSSARY

 Interdependent relationship: It is that form of relationship when there is a positive

relationship between any two circumstances, thoughts and feelings, when one
increases, the other also increases, and when one decreases, the other also decreases,
it is an interdependent relationship.

2.14 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain the nature of culture with examples
2. Briefly throw light on the interrelationship of culture and education.
3. How does education affect the transfer of culture? Explain with suitable examples
4. Does the school have any role in promoting the culture? Discuss

2.15 REFERENCES

 Gore, M.S., Desai, I. P., & Chitnis S. (1967). Papers in Sociology of Education.
NCERT: New Delhi.
 Schofield, H., The Philosophy of Education—An Introduction. Unit -1 The Concept
‘Values’ P 205-227; The Concept ‘Culture’ P 107-119.
 Bhogle, S. (1981). Socialisation among different cultures. In Sinha, D. Socialisation
of the Indian Child. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Co.

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 Kumar, K. (2007). Education and Culture: India’s Quest for a Secular Policy. In
Kumar, K. and J. Oesterheld (Ed) Education and Social Change in South Asia.
Hyderabad: Orient Longman
 Shukla, S., and Kumar, K. (1987). Sociological Perspectives in Education. US: South
Asia Books.

2.16 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Arulsarmy, S (2011), Philosophical and sociological perspectives on Education, New

Delhi; Neelkamal Publications Pvt. Ltd.
 Bhatia K.K., (2011), Philosophical and sociological foundations of Education, New
Delhi; Kalyani Publishers.
 Dash, B.N. (2011) Foundation of Education, New Delhi; Kalyani Publishers.

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LESSON 3
CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES: EQUALITY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE,
SECULARISM, HUMAN RIGHTS

Dr. Rajesh Prasad Singh

Assistant Professor, DIET (NE)
[email protected]

Karishma Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

3.1 Learning Objectives

3.2 Introduction to Constitutional Values w.r.t Education
3.3 Educational Implications of Constitutional Values
3.4 Equality, Freedom, Justice, Secularism and Human Rights
3.4.1 Equality
3.4.2 Freedom
3.4.3 Justice
3.4.4 Secularism
3.4.5 Human rights
3.5 Summary
3.6 Glossary
3.7 Answers to In-text Questions
3.8 Self-Assessment Questions
3.9 References
3.10 Suggested Readings
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3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Discuss the preamble of the constitution.
 Explain the relationship between education and constitution.
 Discuss various constitutional values.
 Differentiate between equality, freedom, justice, secularism, and human rights.

3.2 INTRODUCTION TO CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES w.r.t

EDUCATION

EDUCATION AND CONSTITUTION

Education refers to all experiences obtained whether formal or informal, that affects a person
in any way throughout his life. We understand that since Education also affects the
personality, character and aspirations of a human being, that is linked to the National
ambition map, therefore, National policy and plans including education are necessarily
prepared according to the Preamble of the Constitution of India, which gives us
Constitutional values like Equality, Freedom, Justice, Secularism, Human Rights and guides
for its upkeep. Education is the main aspect of the Constitution which provides various bases
for the development of public Education in the country. For the development of the country
educational policies and plans are formulated according to constitutional provisions and
instructions. In a developing country like India where new works and policies are required, it
is a big challenge to resolve educational and other related issues, where always social,
cultural diversity, pluralism plays an important role, even though this diversity and pluralism
is a democratic power but considering it as the basis providing equal opportunities to all has
become a decisive challenge.
PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION
It becomes necessary for us to know that being a democratic country, education deeply
affects the fundamental provisions, rights and the vision of responsibility of our constitutional
system. Any policy and its implementation in Education is a matter related to constitutional
maintenance and acceptable norms in the form of as constitutional conditions.

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The Constitution of India

Preamble
WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute
India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizen:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and
integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of
November 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO
OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

Right to Equality Article (14-18)

Equality Prohibition of Equal Prohibition of Prohibition of

before Law discrimination on the opportunity Untouchability Titles
(Article 14) basis of Religion, Race, in Jobs under
Caste, Sex, Place of the State (Article 17) (Article 18)
Birth (Article 16)
(Article 15)

3.3 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
The Gokhale Bill of Free and Compulsory Education was rejected by the British Legislative
Council on 18 March 1910, but after exact 99 years later, the Parliament of independent India
gave constitutional status to the Right to Education and included it under the Fundamental
Rights.
Article 29 (2) of the Constitution provided that no citizen on the basis of religion, race, caste,
sex, wealth or breed should be denied entry into any educational institution funded by the
State or aided by State funds.
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According to Article 14 of the Constitution, "The State shall not deny equality or equal
protection to any person in the Indian Jurisdiction before law." Meaning of the Right to
Equality is to ensure that State does not use powers in a discriminatory manner. In the context
of education, it will work to control the admission rules and thus it works to ensure the access
of education to all.
According to Article 15 of the Constitution, the State shall not discriminate against a citizen
on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of them. It also ensures
equality in educational opportunities in India.
According to the Article 16 (1) of the Constitution provides guarantee of equal opportunity to
all citizens of India on subjects related to employment or appointment in any office under the
State.
According to Article 16 (4) of the Constitution, provides the right to make special provisions
for reservation of appointments in favor of any backward class of citizens, whose
representation is not sufficient in services under the State.
According to Article 21 (a) of the Constitution, the state has to provide free and compulsory
education to all such children up to the age of 14 years. It has been incorporated by the 86th
Constitution Amendment 2002. This article provides the position for the right to education to
ensure qualitative educational expansion at the primary level.
According to Article 350 (a) of the Constitution, according to the linguistic point of view it is
the responsibility of every State and every Local authority to provide an appropriate system
of education to the children of minorities studying in the school by providing them education
through their mother tongue at the primary level.
According to Article 28 of the Constitution, religious education will not be given in any
educational institution completely maintained by State fund.
According to Article 22 of the Constitution, children shall not be compelled to appear in any
religious prayer in any educational institution aided by the State fund.
According to Article 24 of the Constitution, no child below the age of 14 years shall be
employed in any industry, mining or other hazardous works.
According to Article 15 (3) of the constitution, no provision of this article will hinder the
State from making any rules for women and children.

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Through Article 17 of the Constitution, first untouchability was abolished, after that in
Article 46, it was provided that "the State shall promote the education and economic related
interests of the weaker sections of the people with special care, especially the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and will protect them from social injustice and all forms of
exploitation.”
According to Article 30 (1) of the Constitution, based on religion or language all minority
classes will have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their interest.
According to Article 30 (2) of the Constitution, in order to provide aid to the educational
institutions the State shall not discriminate against a school on the basis that it is under the
management of the minority class based on religion or language.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
1. Differentiate between directive principles and fundamental rights.
2. Critically comment:
a) Article 29
b) Article30
c) Article 45
d) Article 46
e) Article 337

3.4 EQUALITY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE, SECULARISM AND HUMAN

RIGHTS
The National Revolution of France gave the world the message of Equality, Freedom, and
Brotherhood. After the Revolution, the French National Assembly introduced the practice of
constitutionalizing some rights of citizens by incorporating the 'Declaration of Human Rights'
in the new constitution of 1789. After that in 1791, through the first ten amendments in the
Constitution of the United States of America the rights of individuals were made a part of the
Constitution. This amendment was the one collectively called Charter of Rights. It had an
impact on the Constitution of other European states also. After First World War, the
Fundamental rights were incorporated into the Constitution of many old nations and many
new nations established after the war. In this regard, The Weimar Constitution of Germany
and the Constitution of Ireland are particularly notable.
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During the Second World War, the idea of Fundamental Rights continued to be more popular,
and after the war, India, Myanmar, (Burma) Japan, etc., all the countries whose constitutions
were created, the fundamental rights were included in all of them. The International 'Charter
of Rights' in the name of ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ was accepted on 10
December 1948 by the United Nations Organization. With this the idea of Fundamental
Rights has assumed a common belief in the Present times.
3.4.1 EQUALITY
In terms of Democracy, all people are equal and in such a society there is no extra sense of
color, form, birth, caste, religion, lineage, sex and class. Every person is given free and equal
opportunities to develop his personality. It is to be noted that providing equal opportunities
does not mean that everyone gets same opportunities. According to the principle of
personality difference, no two people can be the same; there is a difference in everything.
Therefore, Equality in Democracy means that every person is given complete facilities for
development according to his interests, abilities and institutions, in this point of view having
necessary qualifications a person can choose any profession according to his interests. No
other person of the society can obstruct his path.
3.4.2 FREEDOM
Freedom is in fact the soul of Democracy. In the absence of freedom, a person cannot
develop his full powers. Therefore, every person should have complete freedom to have
personal thoughts, to think, write, give speeches, and have debates and to criticize about
every problem related to life. It is to be noted that freedom does not mean satisfying one's
own interests in the personal way by ignoring the interests of others. There is a fear of loss in
place of gain from such disorderly, unbridled and uncontrolled freedom. Since there is duty
with rights as well, therefore the proper meaning of freedom is the development of the
individual by the group and for the group.
3.4.3 JUSTICE
Although the French Revolution put before us only the above three principles of Democracy,
but the principle of Justice has been added further in the Constitution of India. The reason for
this is that Justice is essential for the success of Democracy. According to this principle,
every person gets equality of opportunities without any discrimination by social institutions.
In other words, the poor and the rich are all equal before law and are free to exercise their

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rights and duties. No person can be prevented from getting Justice on the basis of color, face,
caste, religion, gender or lineage etc.
3.4.4 SECULARISM
"The Key to True Democracy – the feeling of Brotherhood"
In a Democracy every person lives in harmony, with this an individual is respected in the
society. He has the right to contribute adequately in the pace of society. Since every person
works shoulder to shoulder in Democracy, it is only fair to say that in democratic society, the
feeling of brotherhood or mutual brotherhood is the only necessary condition for the success
of Democracy.
3.4.5 HUMAN RIGHTS
The Right to living, liberty, equality and respect to a person are known as Human Rights. To
provide identity and to bring out the existence to the human rights, to provide strength to the
ongoing fight "Human Rights Day" is celebrated on 10 December every year. Many ancient
documents and later religious and philosophical documents have many such concepts, which
can be recognized as Human Rights.
10 December 1948 was a historic day when the United Nations General Assembly issued the
"Universal Declaration of Human Rights". India also gave its approval to this manifesto
along with other countries. Its main points are as follows:
 Every person has the right to life, freedom and security.
 Everyone has the right of freedom from slavery.
 Right to freedom from suffering, torture and cruelty.
 Freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or deportation.
 Right to remain innocent until the court convicts.
 The right to expression and acquiring information.
 The right to form government, elect and participate in government activities.
 Right to attain and safeguard social, economic, cultural rights.
 The Right to life of self and family, including basic amenities and social security.
 Right to education (compulsory primary education), cultural security including Right
to live for self and family.
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Every individual is accountable to the community which is important for a democratic

society. The Indian Constitution not only guarantees this Right, but there is also a provision
in the Constitution for those who break it. In India, on 28 September 1993, the government
formulated the 'National Human Rights Commission'. In the jurisdiction of this commission
along with civil and political, economic, social and cultural rights comes as well. Among
them Rights of Child Labor HIV-AIDS, Health, Food, Child Marriage, Women's Rights, and
Custody and Tribes have been kept.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
3. How constitutional values are related to the aims of education?
4. What are constitutional values?
5. Which article of the Indian constitution states the fundamental duty to provide
the opportunity for education?

3.5 SUMMARY
The values of the constitution of India consists of a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic
republic with a parliamentary system of government. The republic is governed in terms of the
constitution of India which was adopted by the constituent assembly on 26th November 1949
and came into force on 26th January 1950.
So far as the values are concerned, we may call it principals or standards of
behaviour. Once judgement of what is important in life and ultimate values is governed to life
of individual. These are justice, Liberty, equality, fraternity, freedom, secularism, and human
rights. These values also determine the fundamental duty of Indian citizen. These values are
detrimental to the personal growth and development of students and distortion of values
leading to indiscipline, violence, lack of responsibilities, lack of respect etc. Thus, our efforts
towards value education must be rooted in the context of the problems and issues facing
teachers and pupils in the institutions of education and in education system.

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3.6 GLOSSARY

 Article: The main element of a constitution (equivalent to a section in an ordinary

statute)
 Constitution: A supreme law of the land promulgated to exercise sovereignty.

3.7 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

1. Fundamental Rights are justiciable as3. Indian Constitutional Values and

they can be enforced legally by the Education In its Preamble itself, the
courts if there is a violation. Directive
Constitution lays down four universal
Principles are not justiciable as they
values: JUSTICE, social, economic and
cannot be enforced by the courts if there
political LIBERTY of thoughts,
is a violation. expression, belief, faith and worship
2. EQUALITY of status and of opportunity
and to promote among them all
a) provides equal opportunities in FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of
educational institutions. the individual and the unity and integrity
b) provides minorities the right to of the nation.
establish and administer educational 4. These are sovereignty, socialism,
institutions. secularism, democracy, republican
c) provisions for free and compulsory character of Indian State, justice, liberty,
education for all children till the age of equality, fraternity, human dignity and
fourteen years. the unity and integrity of the Nation.
d) about taking special care to promote 5. The Fundamental Duty added by the
education and economic interests of 86th amendment act directs citizens to
SC/STs and other weaker sections. provide opportunities for education to
his child or ward between the age of six
e) provides special provisions to
and fourteen years.
education for the Anglo-Indian
community.

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3.8 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. How are constitutional values related to aims of education?
2. How is constitution related to education?
3. Why are the constitutional values important?

3.9 REFERENCES

 Bakshi, P.M. (2014). The constitution of India, New Delhi; Universal law publishing
company limited.
 Shukla, B.N. (2013). Constitution of India, New Delhi: Eastern Book Company
Limited.
 Basu, D.D. (2015). Introduction to constitution of India, New Delhi UBS Publishers
& Distributors.
 Rai, Udayraj, (2014). Fundamental rights and their enforcement, New Delhi: Printice
Hall of India limited.

3.10 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Arulsarmy, S (2011). Philosophical and sociological perspectives on education, New

Delhi; Neelkamal Publications Pvt. Ltd.
 Bhatia K.K., (2011). Philosophical and sociological foundations of education, New
Delhi; Kalyani Publishers.
 Mohanty, Jagannatha (1991). Foundation of education, Cuttack – 2, Takshashila.
 Nayak, B.K (2020). Textbook of foundation of education. Cuttack, Odisha: Kitab
Mahal. New York, USA: Harper & Row.

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LESSON 4
BUILDING THE OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION
ON THE CONTEXT OF A DEVELOPING
AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

Dr. Manisha Taneja

Assistant Professor
SCERT, Delhi
[email protected]

Karishma Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

4.1 Learning Objectives

4.2 Introduction
4.3 Basis of Objective Formation in Education
4.4 Philosophical Basis
4.5 Psychological Basis
4.6 Social Basis
4.7 Historical Basis
4.8 Economic Basis
4.9 Political Basis
4.10 Summary
4.11 Self-Assessment Questions
4.12 References
4.13 Suggested Readings
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4.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Understand the importance of the objectives of education.
 Explain various basis of objective formation in education.
 Construct understanding on the philosophical, psychological, and sociological basis of
objective formation in education.
 Construct understanding on the historical, economic, and political basis of objective
formation in education.

4.2 INTRODUCTION

Education plays an important role in human life. It is the education that builds a person's
perspective, makes the required changes in a person’s behavior, makes him aware of his
rights and responsibilities, teaches a person to adapt and adjust with his environment,
connects him to his culture, makes him financially self-reliant and also ensures his role in
society.
'Why education should be taken?', sets the objectives of education. In the world, no work is
done without purpose. Human beings also set small objectives in the daily life to fulfill their
needs and also work hard to achieve them. Therefore, keeping in view the wide field of
education, the creation of objectives is an essential action.
Importance of the objectives of Education can be cleared in following way:
 Objectives provide right direction in the learning process.
 Help in the evaluation of learning in the teaching process.
 Help the education process to go on continuously.
 Provide the specific and clear directions to the learner.
 Play a specific role in running the school-administration smoothly.
 Help creating an awareness of children’s education among parents, guardians and
general public.
Now the question arises as to what should be the basis of formulation of objectives? Since the
field of education is wide, it becomes necessary to consider various dimensions affecting
education. Education in itself is very flexible. It has a feature that forms its place with any
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subject. Application of the principles of Philosophy in the field of Education is known by the
name of Educational Philosophy and similarly the application of the principles of Psychology
in the field of Education is known by the name of Educational Psychology.

4.3 BASIS OF OBJECTIVE FORMATION IN EDUCATION

Our education system has been constantly striving to enrich our democratic context. Whether
it is child-centred education, mutual talk-over teaching methods, incorporating values in
curriculum, organization of major festivals of different religions and national festivals in
educational institutions, organization of debates on matters of political, economic, cultural
and social importance or whether giving the influence on treating all the students in the
school with equality democracy has ensured its important place in educational system. The
first line of the Preamble in the Constitution defines Indian democracy – “We the people of
India making India a fully Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic .............”
means India is a fully sovereign country and from the legal point of view, there is no
constraint on it neither of internal power nor of external power. In education, democratic
ideology has an impact on some things like providing equal opportunities and respecting
individual differences, providing universal and compulsory education, free education, adult
education, social activities, student-councils, school and school-administration, respect of
teachers’ personality, cooperation in all means of education, etc.
For the success of democracy, it is important to develop a sense of unity in the nation. For
this, the Government of the State has been trying to make every citizen of the country rise
above the discriminations of castes, provinces, language etc. and get tied to the thread of
unity. Therefore, more and more emphasis has been given on the promotion of education.
Despite the efforts by the Central and State Governments Democracy is still not successful.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to provide the base of democracy to the objectives of
education.
Therefore, in the context of a developing and democratic society, following are some
important basis of the construction of the objectives of education:

4.4 PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS

The word 'Darshan' has been derived from ‘lyut’ suffix in ‘drish’ etymon. Which means ‘to
be seen’ (drishyte anena iti darshanam). This viewing can also be from the gross eyes and
also from the subtle eyes, which we denominate by the names of Pragya Chakshu, Divya
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Chakshu or Gyan Chakshu. According to some scholars, many elements of the natural,
intellectual or spiritual world are very subtle which can only be seen by a specific vision.
These special eyes are called as Pragya Chakshu, Divya Chakshu or Gyan Chakshu.
“Darshan’ is a logical inquiry into the nature of reality.” This definition of Philosophy given
by Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan is very subtle in terms, but gives a very good introduction to
the nature of philosophy. Real means the logical interpretation of the real nature of life and
world is philosophy. Therefore, philosophy is not only for knowledge but for the highest goal
of life. The divine transformation of life takes place only with the knowledge of Philosophy.
In Philosophy, physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual aspects are coordinated. Its goal is
to achieve Salvation and Liberation. Self-thinking and self-realization are given importance
in Philosophy. Samkhya and Yoga are its two main aspects- Samkhya imparts knowledge and
Yoga explains its practicality.
The important sect in philosophy is ‘Shaddarshan’, which are based on independent thinking.
The following philosophies have been included under this sect –
 Samkhya philosophy
 Yoga philosophy
 Nyaya philosophy
 Vaisesika philosophy
 Mimamsa philosophy
 Advaita philosophy
 Vishitadvaita philosophy
Samkhya Darshan - The word ‘Samkhya’ has been originated from the word ‘Sankhya’
which means pure knowledge and knowledge of numbers. In this, the importance of
intellectual and theoretical knowledge has been given more importance. Yoga is the other
side of Sankhya which is practical in nature. These two complement each other. Its promoter
is ‘Kapil Muni’.
Yoga philosophy – ‘Yoga’ literally means addition. Here Yoga refers to the sum of spiritual
aspects of a person. Yoga philosophy is closely related to Samkhya philosophy. Just as
philosophy is called the principle of education and education as its practical side, similarly
Samkhya is the theoretical side and Yoga is the practical side. Its promoter is ‘Maharishi
Patanjali’.

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Nyaya Darshan - Nyaya means analytical thinking and epistemology. Under this, critical
studies have been given priority. It is also called the Science of Reason and the Science of
Logic. Its promoter is ‘Gautam Muni’. Therefore, this philosophy is also known as Gautama's
Axis.
Vaisheshika Darshan - Vaisheshika Darshan was developed after Samkhya Darshan and
thereafter, Nyaya Darshan was developed. The word 'Vaisheshika' is derived from the word
'Vishesh', means that which have specific characteristics and specific existence. In this, the
essence of the object is given special importance that how much is its essence? Its promoter is
‘Kanad Muni’.
Mimamsa Philosophy - Mimamsa literally means contemplation as opposed to original
thought, which is also explained originally in the Hymns of the ‘Vedas’. Mimamsa is related
to the former aspect of the Veda, it is called the Poorva-Mimamsa or Karmkaand-Mimansa.
The Vedanta, which is related to the latter aspect of the Veda, is called Uttar-Mimamsa or
Gyana-Mimamsa. The former aspect of Vedanta is called the Dharmamimamsa and the latter
aspect is the Sambandh Brahma-Mimamsa.
Advaita Darshan - The main section of Advaita philosophy is related to the ultimate truth or
Brahma, because the world and nature keep on changing –
“ स ं जग ा जीवो ैव नापरः ।”
That is, Brahma is the greatest truth. The Soul and the Brahma are the same, which are
beyond our brain, senses and knowledge or wisdom. There are three evidences regarding
Brahma - (1) Direct Perception (2) Logical Thinking and (3) Interpretation of the Void.
Vishishtadvaita philosophy - Vishishtadvaita philosophy considers only the individual souls
as true. Monotheists do not make any distinction between Brahman and Jiva, because Jiva is
the form of Brahman. Three proofs have been considered for the accuracy of knowledge - (1)
Apparent (2) Inference and (3) Words. Ramanujacharya has a special contribution in this
philosophy.
'Darshan' and 'Philosophy' seem to be synonyms, but in reality, there are differences.
Philosophy does not have that sense of pride that is in Darshan. The word 'Darshan' contains
all three aspects of mental process - Knowledge, Action and Emotion. Actualizing the truth is
'darshan'. When there is a direct 'actualization' of truth from self-efforts, then love with truth
and knowledge happens automatically. The Western Philosopher starts thinking without
setting any goals, but when the Indian philosopher starts thinking, his goal is clear. In

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Darshan, the knowledge of external and insight (soul) are included and knowledge is attained
from the perceptions beyond the senses and inner-wisdom, whereas in Philosophy, only the
experience-based knowledge is given due importance.
‘Philosophy’ English translation of word ‘Darshan’ is formed by combining two Latin words,
‘Philos’ and ‘’Sophia’, in which ‘Philos’ means love and ‘Sophia’ means ‘wisdom’ or
‘knowledge’. Therefore, the meaning of Philosophy is ‘love for wisdom’ or ‘love for
knowledge’. In Philosophy, an attempt is made to know the nature of truth, but it is not
possible to reach at a firm conclusion regarding the truth. If the Philosopher could reach a
final conclusion in his search, then the process of Philosophy would not exist. In Philosophy,
the human mind is always in search of truth; so that some conclusions can be drawn in
relation to truth, then the conclusion becomes a Science aspect rather than the Philosophy.
Herbert Spencer says while considering it as a Science, “Philosophy is concerned with
everything, it is a Universal Science”
Immanuel Kant also considered it a science, “Philosophy is the science of perception and its
criticism”.
Hence, the pursuit of truth is constantly attempted in Philosophy and partial conclusions are
also obtained. It is based on mental activities in which complex problems of life are analyzed
while using abstract thinking. Basically, the sects of Western Philosophy are divided into four
basic sects, which are as follows:
 Naturalism
 Idealism
 Realism
 Pragmatism
Different sects have interpreted and defined Philosophy differently.
The objectives of life are based on the Philosophy of society and the individual. The
objectives of education also get the basis from the objectives of life. Indian philosophy
emphasizes the search for the Ultimate Truth. At the same time, the philosopher using logical
method in his own way gives freedom of the insinuation to the innovative truths, due to this
generosity of Philosophy, formation of many concepts or opinions are seen here.
Idealism recognizes the nature of the mind as real. They believe that what is real or true is
definitely spiritual or mental. It also emphasizes that reality is made up of thoughts,

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expressions, ideals, values rather than physical objects and powers. It is within the person's
mind. Idealism, since acknowledging the authority of God, considers the mind to be real;
therefore, Self-Realization has great significance in the objectives of education.
Naturalism considers Nature to be the ultimate power and gives emphasis on the activity of
laws of power, speed and nature by explaining the matter, mind and life using physical and
chemical laws. It believes that while developing, man has got away from Nature, therefore he
should return back to nature. It does not believe in Spirituality. Naturalism gives great
emphasis on the Self-Expression in the objectives of education.
Pragmatism first experiments and then constructs theories based on the results. Emphasizing
the idea of ‘Change is the rule of the World and Truth is Ever-changing', the pragmatists
presents the objectives of education based on the principles of social efficiency, proper
adjustment, flexibility and utility.
Similarly, considering realistic education as a process of development, the objectives of
education such as development of scientific approach and scientific aptitude, development of
professional abilities, knowledge of natural and social environment and making life happy are
emphasized. On the other hand, Humanism is an ideology related to human welfare. It
considers education as a creative process and tries to make the present and the future of man
beautiful and progressive. Humanism determines the objective of education for development
of highest human values, awareness of self and development of balanced personality.
Therefore, the diverse thought processes of philosophy provide philosophical basis to the
objectives of education.

4.5 PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS

Psychology was formerly known as a branch of Philosophy; the subject of Philosophy has
been to explain the soul-the divine-the world, etc. Psychology has also been studied as the
'Science of Soul' for a long time. Psychology is composed from ‘Psyche’ and ‘logos’ of the
Latin language which means 'the Science of Soul'. Many doubts were also born for
considering Psychology as the 'Science of Soul'. Vaman Shivram Apte has given the meaning
of Psychology in his English-Sanskrit dictionary as Aadhyatmvidya (Spiritual-Knowledge).
But in time, the 'Soul' was separated from Psychology because it was a philosophical and
poignant suffix. ‘Darshan’ has made a huge contribution to the 'Perception of the Soul', but
could not gather the scientific evidence. Hence this definition of Psychology had to be
abandoned. After this, many questions arose as to what is brain? Even acknowledging the
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'Science of the Brain'. How is its scientific study possible in the laboratory? How can brain
function be concreted? Etc. Hence this definition also had to be abandoned due to ambiguity.
Now it was started to be considered as 'Science of Consciousness'. Under this only the
existence of Consciousness was accepted but due to non-calculation of Unconscious and
Semi-Conscious it was also considered incomplete. In the early twentieth century, many new
concepts developed in the field of Psychology. Because of this, the direction of Psychology
was oriented towards Behaviour and came to be known by the 'Science of Behaviour'.
‘Psychology’ is called the ‘Behaviour of Science’ or ‘Behaviour of Study’. Resolving the
problems of Education on the basis of Psychological principles comes under Educational
Psychology.
Psychological grounds play a special role in determining the objectives of Education.
According to Plato, “A good teacher must know the nature of the student”. Which means
Education should have a Psychological basis.
Drever has also given the importance to the Psychological basis in Education saying,
“Education is determined through the objectives of Philosophy and through the Science of
Education the system should be determined which should be Psychological.”
The foundation of Indian psychology is Maharishi Patanjali’s ‘Yogasutra’ based. Yogis have
been interested in various forms of Yogyabhyas (Yoga practice). Those who are interested in
Tantra, Mantra, Siddhi etc., have gained such powers through yoga-meditation which is a
challenge for modern science. For example, Jagadguru Shankaracharya’s debate with
Mandan Mishra's wife is known everywhere. Mishraji's wife knew that Shankaracharya,
being a celibate did not have any Kamshastra experience. Therefore, when Mishraji's wife
asked him about the Kamshastra related questions in order to defeat him in the debate,
Shankaracharya then asked for time. Shankaracharya gained practical knowledge of
Kamasastra by entering into the body of a king through his yogic power and got victory in
the debate. This means that through yoga-practice one attains the power of circumambulation.
The origin of Psychology is Philosophy. When Science emerged, then the scientific approach
prevailed in it and as a result, it was not much related to Philosophy. Thus, the history of
Psychology has been related to the history of Philosophy till about Seventeenth Century. The
foundation of Indian Psychology is in the Vedas. ‘Darshan’ answers the question of 'What'
and 'Why'. Solution of questions, what is Human, what is life, why is the World, what is
Nature, what is soul? Etc. is found in Philosophy. Philosophy throws light on the ‘Sadhya’
(practicable) and Psychology on the ‘Sadhan’ (medium). How the ‘Soul’ can be achieved is a
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concept of Psychology. Therefore, the Philosophical basis of Indian Psychology explains the
Sadhya-Sadhan.
Vedic philosophy contains many facts of Indian Psychology. For example, the description of
a ‘Purusha’ (man) in the Rigvedic Purusha-Sukta is psychologically significant. In the first
Chant of the Purusha-Sukta, a description of a man who is eternally powerful and who is
pervading everywhere is found. As-
“सह शीषा पु षः सह ा ः सह पा ।
स भूिमं सवत ृ ा ित ठ शांगुलमम्” ।।1।।
Means a Great Man has thousand heads, eyes, hands and legs. He is pervading entire land
from everywhere exists ten fingers above the Universe. In its second Chant, it is pointed out
that whatever has happened and that whatever is going to happen all that is Purusha. As-
“पु ष एवेदम् सव यत् भूतम् य भा म्।
उतामृत ेशानो यद े ना ितरोहित”।।2।।
The meaning is that all of this is Jagat Purusha (Universal Man). He is the one who is in
Past, Future and Present. He is the God-Ruler of Amratva (Immortality) and of all Living
Organisms. In the third Chant, it is said that Purusha is the one who has created the World
and therefore the effect of time-change on Him is not permanent. As-
“एतावान मिहमातो ायां पू षः ।
पादो∙ िव ाभूतािन ि पाद ामृतं िदिव”।।3।।
It means that such a huge and vast Universe is the glory of that Ultimate Purusha. He is even
Greatest than his Nobility detail. In his single step, the Five-Dimensional World ‘Universe’
lies. Remaining three steps contain the divine world Nectar.
Therefore, the Purusha-Sukta instructs that the person and his environment have a close
relationship with each other because both of them have a Purusha at its core. This fact is
important because a person's attitude is attainable and acceptable to its environment. Not only
this, because of this viewpoint, a person starts living in the identification of the community.
Even from the point of view of Modern Psychology, especially according to Gestalt
psychology, adjustment and solidarity in a person's personality takes place when there is a
primacy of a sense of promiscuity. Therefore, one should try to live life as a collectivist.
During learning, the results are more effective when teaching is done by keeping in mind the
level of the learner, his needs, interests, attitudes etc. in the classroom, learning done along

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with teaching is also necessary. Otherwise, with the end of the utility of teaching, both time
and energy get destroyed and the motivation level of the learner also declines. The Principles
of Educational Psychology in determining the objectives of education and achieving the
objectives such as Child-Centeredness, Child Development, Personality, Motivation,
Attitude, Interest and Aptitude, Adjustment, Learning, Measurement and Evaluation etc. play
an important role. According to psychology, the objectives of Education should be related to
life and flexible keeping children in mind.

4.6 SOCIAL BASIS

Man is a social animal and education is considered to be the paramount in his development.
Individual is an integral part of Society. Changing behaviour according to the beliefs and
values of the Society are called adjusting in the society. A human being cannot separate
himself from Society even if he wants, because his needs are also fulfilled by the Society.
According to John Dewey, 'School is a miniature of society.' This statement makes the role of
Social base very clear in the objectives of Education. There is a close relationship between
Society and Education. Education changes from time to time in the same way as Society
changes. The history of Education is a proof that from the Vedic period to the Modern period,
whenever the Society has changed, the objectives of Education have changed as well. As, the
main objective of Education in Vedic period was to attain the Knowledge and Salvation and
in Modern times the aim of education of social necessity has been limited to earning
livelihood.
Due to the primacy of religion in the ancient and medieval society, the aspect of Education
was religious and the emphasis was on religious and character development and religious
principles were followed. In a Democratic Society, the personality of the person is given
more importance, which gives him freedom of development, thought, writing, speech,
profession etc. Therefore, Education is based on Democratic principles and children are free
to take Education according to their interests.
According to Brown, “Educational Sociology applies the Sociological principles to the whole
process of Education.” The theoretical analysis and study of effects of different conditions on
Education and the different social elements of Education comes under Educational Sociology.
The aspect of Education is constructed according to the social structure, nature, ideals and
needs of the society. In a democratic system, members of Society get equal opportunities for
Education; Education of children is free and compulsory. An attempt is made to establish the
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ideals of society in the Education. The ideals and needs of the society are taken care of in
determining the various objectives of education.
“Education follows the social changes”. Ottawa's this statement makes it clear that Education
also changes as the Society changes. Social attitudes also have an impact on Education. If the
outlook of the members of the society is conservative, then it will be difficult to implement
new tendencies in Education. On the contrary to this, if the outlook of the Society is
progressive, then new ideas, tendencies, principles, teaching methods etc. will get place in
Education. The ideas of children are made progressive through Education.
There is an unbreakable relationship between Education and Society. These complement each
other. As is the Society, so is the Education, and as it is the Education, so is the Society. It
can also be called as such. Society gives birth to the Education and Education creates a new
Society. Society shapes the structure of Education for the fulfilment of its interests and needs
and to form the new Society.
From the point of view of Educational Sociology, the objective of the Education is to develop
the personality of the person in such a way that he is able to experience his social obligations
and develop the Society by doing things accordingly. In this view, the social base of
education places more emphasis on social development than on the individual development.
In this, human beings contribute as a resource in the development of Society.

4.7 HISTORICAL BASIS

Indian civilization and culture is one of the oldest civilizations and cultures of the World.
Indian Vedas are the oldest Books of the world. The Vedas are the knowledge encyclopaedias
of that time in which all the discovered and developed physical and spiritual knowledge is
stored in the form of Gyan-sutras. The civilization and culture of our country is at least 10
thousand years old and so is its history of education.
In India from 2500 BC to 500 BC, the predominance of Vedas existed. Historians call this
period as the Vedic period. A rich education system was developed in our country during the
Vedic period. Being based on Vedic religion and philosophy, it is called Vedic educational
system. After this, various commissions and committees related to Buddhist-period, Muslim-
period, British education system and post-independence education have been bringing new
educational objectives according to the changing needs of Society from time to time. We are
well acquainted with the history of India and the World. The question rises here as what is the
role of history in the formation of the objectives of Education? Or why History should be
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read? If we know the reasons for reading History, then the role of Historical basis in
formulating the objectives of Education will automatically become clear.
The following benefits of reading history are as under:
 Helpful in understanding people and society.
 Helpful in understanding the existence and social change of society.
 Helps in building moral understanding.
 History is important in our life.
 It is necessary to study it to become a good citizen.
 Helps to create an identity.
 Useful in the World of work.
Knowing History and learning from it in the future is the main objective of History-study. If
we study the above points carefully, we will find out that History is not different from society
and culture, but social and cultural grounds are the ones found in the historical basis. It is also
necessary to include the historical basis in the formulation of the objectives of education,
because the demands of time can also be reverted to the objectives of Ancient Education. For
example, in the aspect of modern period in the Vedic-period Gurukul system, there was a
complete rejuvenation comeback of the Vedic era. In ancient times the disciple in the
Gurukul used to stay near his mentor (Guru) and used to return to his home after the
completion of Education. The parents used to send the son to the Gurukul to study willingly.
In modern times, the Gurukul system is coming back in the name of Residential Schools and
Day-Boarding Schools. The changes have come that now parents lack time. Due to the
inability to give time to the children and the increasing prevalence of single families, has
helped reviving this system. Therefore, History has always been the inspiration for the
Education purposes.

4.8 ECONOMIC BASIS

Economists accept Education as an economic investment. According to them, Education is an
economic investment by which the production and organization skills are developed in the
individual and thus the production capacity of the individual, society and nation is increased
and their economic development is done. The economic conditions of the Society play an
important role in determining the objectives of Education. One has to choose a profession to
be self-sufficient. Education helps us to enter in the business sector and to do adjustments. It
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prepares humans to earn a livelihood. This preparation starts with beginning the time in
school. Therefore, the objectives of education should also be based on the vocational basis. If
we look at it in the same way with the view of National development, we will find that when
a person opts a profession in the society, then the individual does not remain a person and
takes the role of human resource. Indirectly, not only he contributes to the development of the
Nation economically but also plays an important part in the development of the Nation.
Economic development of a society is difficult without education. According to Harbinson
and Mayers, “Education is both the seed and flower of the economic development. Education
is considered as the soul of Economic development.”
Education has been considered as an effective means of economic development. Education
helps in the production of material wealth, development of talents and qualities, development
of human resources, increase in production, increase in national income, providing
employment opportunities and contributes in the form of education investment. Education is
a powerful means of providing prosperity, well-being and security to the people. It can make
an acceptable contribution to national development by developing human resources. In
reality, education is an industry that prepares people for Agriculture, Science, Industry,
Trade, Banking, Transport and Co-operative life. Therefore, Education is an essential and
effective means of National development. Therefore, it is very important to keep economic
base in the mind while setting the objectives of Education.

4.9 POLITICAL BASIS

In India, Education was respected and protected by the Kings and Emperors in Ancient times.
The Kings used to respect and welcome the Gurus. But they had no interference in the work
of Education. In the Muslim period, the Emperors made the education a means of propagating
and spreading their religion and entrusted the task of propagating the King rule to the
teachers. From this point of view relations between Politics and Education started to become
close. Since then, these relations have come much closer. The education system in some areas
is in the hands of the Central Government, in some is in the hands of the Provincial
Government and in some is in the control of both the Centre and the Province. It is clear that
Politics has control over Education. Politics controls education in four ways-
 Legislative Control: According to the Constitutional Clause 11, each State has to
arrange education in its region. Each State according to its Education Code keeps
control over Education in its area.

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 Financial Control: Education in financial matters depends entirely on Governance.

The government regulates Education by giving grants.
 Educational Control: Government determines the form of Curriculum, School
system, Text-books, teaching methods, Examination method etc. according to its
goals, needs and National Education Policy and Education institutions have to follow
these.
 Administrative Control: The Educational institutions have to perform accordingly
under the formulation of Education Code of each State-rule. Apart from this, the
Principal, appointments of teachers, various institutions etc. under government
recognition has control of governance.
In any country, the objectives of education cannot remain without being influenced by
Politics. The objectives of education of Democratic countries are different from the
objectives of education of totalitarian and communist countries. Democracy includes values
like Equality, Freedom, Justice, Pluralism, Tolerance, Respect, Participation, etc. The
Democratic value of Equality speaks of equal rights and obligations for all the people living
in the same State. The value of Freedom allows people to have self-governance. Justice in
society is expressed through the Laws. Pluralism is a kind of acceptance that even though we
all are equal before the State and the Law, still our beliefs, ideologies, views etc. are not
same. Without Tolerance or enduringness, the people of the society cannot live in a cordial
and respectful manner. Respect is the basis of many values. Participation ensures the person
the right to vote. All these values are kept in mind while setting the objectives of Education.
Therefore, the Political basis plays an important role in determining the objectives of
Education.
The operation of human actions is based only on the objectives. Only objectives motivate the
human behavior. Objective-less Education cannot develop the Society. Therefore, all the
Philosophical, Psychological, Social, Historical, Economic and Political aspects have a
specific role in determining the objectives of education in the context of a developing and
democratic Society. The objectives of education are affected by all these in small or large
amounts. These education objectives cover various aspects related to the individual and
contribute to his all-round development.

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4.10 SUMMARY
It is quite evident from above that education plays an important role in human life. It is the
education that builds a person's perspective, makes the required changes in a person’s
behavior, makes him aware of his rights and responsibilities, teaches a person to adapt and
adjust with his environment, connects him to his culture, makes him financially self-reliant
and ensures his role in society. Therefore, the creation of objectives of education is an
essential action as it provides right direction in the learning process and clear directions to
learners. Since the field of education is wide, it becomes necessary to consider various
dimensions affecting education such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, history,
economics, and politics.

4.11 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Discuss in detail the importance of objectives of education.
2. Briefly discuss various basis of objective formation in education.
3. How the philosophical basis of education is different from the psychological basis of
education?
4. How does economic and political basis contribute to formation of objectives in
education?

4.12 REFERENCES

 Sharma, K.R. (2002). Philosophy of education.3rd ed. Delhi, Atlantic Publishers and
Distributors.
 Hamm, C. M. (1999). Philosophical Issues in Education- An Introduction. New York:
The Falmer Press.
 Magee, J. B. (1971). Philosophical Analysis In Education, Harper and Row
Publishers.
 Shermis, S. S. (1967). Philosophical Foundations of Education. Van Nostrand
Reinhold.

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4.13 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Shukla, S., and Kumar, K. (1987). Sociological Perspectives in Education. US: South
Asia Books.
 Aggarwal, J.C. (2008). Reading in Foundation and Process of Education. New Delhi:
Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.
 Brubacher, J. S. (1969). Modern Philosophy of Education. New Delhi: McGraw Hill.

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UNIT-3

Lesson 1 : Sri Aurobindo

Lesson 2 : Jiddu Krishnamurti

Lesson 3 : John Dewey

Lesson 4 : Jean Jacques Rousseau

Lesson 5 : Paulo Freire

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Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

LESSON 1
SRI AUROBINDO

Ranjan Kumar Sahoo

Assistant Professor
School of Open Learning
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

1.1 Learning Objectives

1.2 Introduction
1.3 Life of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh
1.4 Aurobindo’s General Philosophy of Life
1.5 Aurobindo’s Philosophy of Education
1.6 Aims of Education
1.7 Curriculum
1.8 Method of Teaching
1.9 Place of Teacher
1.10 Place of Child
1.11 Notes on Aurobindo’s Integral Education
1.11.1 Chief Points of Integral Education
1.11.2 Two-fold Bases of Integrated Education
1.11.3 Objectives of Integral Education
1.11.4 Stages of Integral Education
1.11.5 Measures for Achieving the Ends of Integral Education
1.12 Sri Aurobindo Ashram
1.13 Summary
1.14 Glossary
1.15 Self-assessment Questions
1.16 References
1.17 Suggested Readings

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1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Sketch the life experiences of Sri Aurobindo.
 Understand Aurobindo’s philosophy of education
 Explain the aims of education according to Sri Aurobindo.
 Evaluate curriculum, method of teaching, place of teacher and child according
Aurobindo’s philosophy of education.
 Construct understanding of Aurobindo’s integral education.

1.2 INTRODUCTION
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh occupies a very important position among the contemporary Indian
philosophers of education due to his wide knowledge of East and West, ancient and modern
systems of education. He has presented an integral philosophy of education through his
‘ashram' at Pondicherry. Here, experiments are conducted to evolve a new system of
education which may be adopted for the reconstruction of Indian education. He considers the
fulfilment of swadharma as the law of life and wants that every individual in a nation should
fulfil his swadharma. Hence, the purpose of education is to prepare individual to serve their
nation and humanity. His education philosophy in the field of modern education is very
important.

1.3 LIFE OF SRI AUROBINDO GHOSH

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, a famous sage, poet, patriot, philosopher and an educationist, is known
by the name Aurobindo, was born on August 15, 1872 in Kolkata. The word 'Aurobindo'
means 'Lotus' in sanskrit. His father Dr. Krishan Dhan Ghosh loved the Western culture and
he wanted his son to grow up into a fake Englishman. So, Aurobindo was sent to England at
the age of seven and he lived there for 14 years. He got education in London and Cambridge,
and he became a master in English, Greek and Latin. He passed the Indian Civil Service
Examination in 1890 but he could not appear for the horse-riding test. As a result, he was
disqualified for the job and he returned to India in 1893.

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Aurobindo studied sanskrit language and literature in India and served as an adviser and
sometimes as secretary to the Maharaja for fourteen years in the princely state of Baroda. He
became a professor of English at Baroda College. He learnt Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi,
and delve deeply in the culture and philosophy of India. He practiced yoga in 1904. As per
the instruction of the Indian National Congress, he became the principal of Bengal National
College (now Jadavpur University) at Kolkata. After the Bengal Partition (1905), Aurobindo
resigned from his job and became an active freedom fighter. He launched the journals Vande
Matram, Karma Yogi, Dharm and the Bengali daily Yugantar to propagate his revolutionary
ideas and arouse intense feelings of nationalism among the people of India. His political and
nationalistic sentiments were expressed through his writings and fiery speeches. The British
Government arrested Aurobindo and put him in Alipore Jail for a year in connection with the
Alipore Bomb Case in 1908. When he was in jail, he spent most of his time in yoga,
meditation and the study of the Gita, philosophy and spiritual literature.

Once he was in Alipore jail, he realised the presence of God in a dream. After his release
from the prison, he shunned all his political activities immediately and returned to
Pondicherry for penance and spiritual advancement. He spent his retired life at his ashram in
Pondicherry. He became a yogi and devoted his time to yoga and meditation. He preached his
philosophy of dharma, education, spiritual advancement and brahmacharya across the
country. He had set up an international ashram and International Centre of Education at
Pondicherry and started several educational and social activities. He established Auroville as
a city of universal culture for international cooperation and human unity. Aurobindo
propounded his major philosophy and published it in Arya a new journal in English from
1914 to 1921. Aurobindo, the great saint, passed away on December 5, 1950. His demise put
an end to a glorious chapter in the spiritual history of India.

1.4 AUROBINDO’S GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of life is based on an experienced integralism. It is a synthesis of
idealism, realism, naturalism and pragmatism. His life began with psychic experiences
connected with his political, philosophical and poetic life. The general philosophical ideas of
Aurobindo are found mostly in his weekly newspaper "karma yoga”.
Corner stone of Indian thought: Jnana (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion) and Karma (work
ethics) are the three cornerstones upon which the Indian philosophy of life has been built.
Those who resort to Jnana, Bhakti and Karma can walk on the divine path. Aurobindo stood
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against the exclusive emphasis on them. He did not want to deprive the individual of the
variety of life. He believed any such emphasis resulted in the lopsided development of a
personality.
He felt that there should be a combination of India's genius consisting of spirituality,
creativeness and intellectuality. Spirituality is indeed the master key of the Indian mind, the
sense of the infinite is native to it. The first age of India's greatness was a spiritual age when
she sought passionately for the truth of existence through the intuitive mind and through an
inner experience and interpretation of both the psychic and the physical existence. Aurobindo
had a great faith in the creativeness of India. “For three thousand years at least ... India has
been creating abundantly, incessantly and lavishly with an inexhaustible many sidedness
republics and kingdoms and empires; philosophies and cosmogonies and sciences; creeds,
arts and poems ... systems of yoga, arts spiritual, arts worldly, ... the list is endless and in each
item there is about a plethora of activity”. The third pillar of India's genius is its strong
intellectuality. In the words of Aurobindo, “the greatness of Indian culture depends on its
strong intellectuality. It is at once austere and rich, robust and minute, powerful and delicate,
massive in principle and curious in detail.
Integral approach to Indian thought: Aurobindo wanted to discover integration in Indian
thoughts. He also wanted to see life as a whole. As he wanted to strike a balance between the
multicoloured shades of life, he turned to the Gita. He says that there is a fellowship between
God and man. The fellowship with God can be achieved by disinterested action (Nishkan
Karma) in society, never-ending meditation, self-forgetting devotion and feeling a kind of
unity of all things in God. Synthesis and understanding: The basic principle of Aurobindo's
philosophy of life is the synthesis and understanding of life and the universe. He believed that
the Gita preserves a proper balance in the world of knowledge, devotion and work. In the
words of Aurobindo, "He in whom all three meet and become one entirety”. He is the
supreme being, the Purushothama". Swami Sivananda says, “Aurobindo is the consummate
expression of the Indian spirit of synthesis”.
Unity of truth: Aurobindo arrived at the concept of the basic unity of truth by synthesising
the views in Indian thoughts. He observes, "First of all, there is undoubtedly a truth, one and
eternal, which we are seeking, from which all other truth derives, by the light of which all
other Truth finds its rightful place in the total scheme of knowledge”.
Super mind: This is the keyword of Aurobindo's philosophy. He believes that the mind of
man is imperfect and is not in a position to understand the integral truth. Only the super mind
can have an understanding of the integral truth. Aurobindo remarks, "Man will become a
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super mind. Super mind will have a super mental consciousness. Consciousness of Sat-Chit-
Anand: Truth, Self, Bliss: Truth, Beauty, Goodness”.
Superman: Man becomes a superman when he attains a super mind. He surrenders himself
completely to the will of God and becomes a superman. Aurobindo aimed at the integral man.
The superman is the integral Man, the ideal man who makes an ideal society.
Purna Yoga: Aurobindo thought that there is a wide gulf between the ordinary mind and the
super mind. He tried to integrate them into a single whole through purna yoga (Fig. 9.1). He
believed that purna yoga helps man to realise the supreme, the Purushothama. According to
him, “All life is “Yoga”. In the words of Aurobindo "The very first lesson in this yoga is to
face life and its trials with a quiet mind, a firm courage and an entire reliance on the Divine
Shakti”. According to Aurobindo, “An unconditional surrender to God is the first step of
Yoga”. In fact, Aurobindo's yoga aims at the creation of divinity in the whole man. The
education of the mind is stressed in order to achieve the aim of yoga.

Life: Aurobindo was of the opinion that life is universal and it is imperishable. According to
him, “Life is a form of cosmic energy, a dynamic movement or current of it, positive or
negative, a constant act or play of the force which builds up forms, energises them by an
unceasing process of disintegration and renewal of their substances”.
Rebirth: Aurobindo had a deep faith in the philosophy of rebirth. According to him, birth
and death are a predetermined process in the scheme of evolution. In the words of Aurobindo,
“All the secrets of circumstances of rebirth center around the capital need of the soul, the
need of growth, the need of experience, that governs the line of its evolution and all the rest is
accessory”.

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Law of karma: Aurobindo believed that man is the maker of his own fate. But the heredity
and environment are determined by the present and past actions of man. He found continuity
between different births. In this way he believed the doctrine of karma. However, karma does
not determine the fate of soul.
Evolution of man: Aurobindo was of the opinion that the individual is in the continuous
process of evolution to attain the union of the individual soul with the supreme soul.
According to him, "Life is not for life alone, but for God. There is an inner law and meaning
for all things depending on the supreme”. This is the inner law, which guides, regulates and
controls the universe, and propels it into action.
Experienced integration: Aurobindo's philosophy is the result of his concept of
"experienced integration”. It is an integral approach to solve various problems of human life.
It is a synthesis of the idealism, realism, naturalism and pragmatism of the East and the West
and of the old and the new.
Spiritualism: Aurobindo was a spiritualist. He regretted the neglect of spiritual elements,
which is responsible for the decay of human societies. He says, “the radical defect of all
civilization has been the neglect of the spiritual elements.”

1.5 AUROBINDO’S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Aurobindo Ghosh is a true yogi, a great philosopher and an eminent educationist. He starts
his life as a political thinker but very soon he becomes a spiritual integralist. He shows
mankind the way to the highest spiritual growth. His philosophy of education directly
emerges from his philosophy of life based on spiritual penance, practice of yoga and
brahmacharya. He believes that any education, which involves all the three factors, will
definitely develop man to the fullest extent. The journey of his life is a unique experience in
harmonising the two important ends of existence, that is, spirit and matter. He tries to
translate these ideals into a system of education through his Pondicherry ashram school now
grown into Auroville-a city of universal culture. According to Aurobindo, real education is
that which provides a free and creative, environment to the child by developing his interests,
creativity, mental, moral and aesthetic senses. Finally, they lead to the development of his
spiritual powers.
Study of mind: The true basis of education is the study of mind. Any system of education
that ignores the study of mind hampers the intellectual growth. Therefore, the study of human
mind is basic to education. The human mind consists of four layers, namely, chitta, manas,
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buddhi, and intuition. Chitta is the store house of memory. This passive memory is automatic
and needs no training. The active memory requires training and improvement. Manas or the
power of mind is the second layer of the mind. It is regarded as the sixth sense. Intellect or
buddhi is the third layer of mind and works at the higher level. There are two kinds of
intellect that is right hand mind and left hand mind. Right hand mind judges, images,
memories, observe commands and manipulates. Left hand mind is the source of analytical
faculties—distinguish, compare, classify, generalise, deduce, infer and conclude. Intuition is
the fourth layer of mind having a "direct vision of knowledge”. “It brings to man those
brilliant messages from the unknown, which are the beginning of his higher knowledge”.
Therefore, an ideal teacher should try to develop this intuitive power in the people.
Focal points: Aurobindo considers the man, the nation or people and the universal humanity
as the three focal points. True education should take them into account.
Development of spirit: Aurobindo advocates the national system of education on a spiritual
basis. True education will be "an instrument for this real spirit in the mind and body of the
individual and the nation".
Development of real man: The important business of education is to bring out the real man.
Therefore, education should aim at the development of all the faculties of the child to make
him a real man. It can be done by promoting the powers of observation, memory, reasoning
etc.
Education according to child's nature: Aurobindo believes that education must be provided
to the child according to his mental aptitudes and psychological needs. He wants and
advocates child-centred education.
Freedom for child: Aurobindo wants education to be child-centred. He, therefore, advocates
perfect liberty for the child. This is because he believes that the child can acquire the best
knowledge if his mind is trained in a free atmosphere without any hindrance. He also advises
that hard things should not be brought into the child's experience.
Development of consciousness: Education should foster consciousness in the students by
bringing out or developing the latent powers of the child.
Brahmacharya: Aurobindo lays great stress on brahmacharya. In fact, he wants
brahmacharya to be the main foundation of education.
Physical purification: Aurobindo bestows great importance on moral education for physical
purification. He wants the child to habituate himself to the right emotions, the noblest
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associations, the best mental, emotional and physical habits through moral education. The
teacher should impart the moral training to the students by his personal example, daily
conversation and extensive reading of good books.
Religious education: Aurobindo is of the opinion that without religious overtones in
education there will be corruption and anarchy in the country. He believes that the essence of
religious education is to prepare the student to live for God, for humanity, for country, for
others and for himself.
Training of senses: Like Western philosophers Rousseau, Pestolazzi and Froebel, Aurobindo
believes that the senses are the gateways of knowledge. So, the senses of the child should be
trained in a proper manner. Such training helps the child to grasp the soul of education.
Subjects of education: Aurobindo is in favour of child-centred education. Therefore, he
recommends those subjects which are of interest to the students and are related to their lives.
Emphasis on mother tongue: Aurobindo wants mother tongue as the medium of all
instruction. He believes that the child could learn better if the education is imparted to him
through the medium of his mother tongue.

1.6 AIMS OF EDUCATION

Acquire knowledge: The aim of education is helping the child to acquire knowledge.
According to Aurobindo, knowledge should be the latest and related to the different fields
such as literature, culture, science, politics etc.
Physical purity: Physical purity and development of the child is the main aim of education.
This is because it is the body which should perform all religious obligations. Aurobindo
insists that without physical purity and development, spiritual development is not possible. In
fact, physical purity and development are the two bases upon which the edifice of spiritual
development is built.
Training of senses: The aim of education is to train all the senses namely, hearing, speaking,
listening, touching, smelling and tasting. As senses are the important sources of knowledge,
they should be trained properly so that nerve, chitta and manas become pure. Education is the
only process through which the senses of the child can be trained to the fullest extent in order
to acquire more knowledge.
Develop logical faculty: Aurobindo believes that logical faculty plays a very significant role
in the education of the child. He has mentioned three steps for the training and development
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of the logical faculty, that is, drawing inferences, making success and failures and causes of
success and failures. The first step of logical faculty involves the encouragement of the child
to draw inferences from the facts and enable him to trace the causes and effects, which lead to
the drawing of inferences. The second step of logical faculty is to enable the child to mark
success and failures. This enables him to draw inferences in a logical manner. The third step
is to enable the child to notice the causes of success and failure of a particular experiment.
Mental development: Mental development: Mental development means the development of
all mental faculties such as memory, thinking, reasoning, imagination, discrimination, special
relationship and generalisation. The aim of education is to develop these faculties
harmoniously.
Development of morality: Moral and emotional development are the essentials needed for
the child to foster the right attitude in him. In the absence of these developments, mental
development will become harmful to human progress. Aurobindo, therefore, emphasises the
fact that the hearts of children should be trained and developed through education to show
extreme love, sympathy and consideration for all living beings. The teachers should be a role
model for the child to develop morality.
Development of conscience: Aurobindo has remarked four levels of conscience-chitta,
manas, intelligence and intuition. The duty of the teacher is to help the child in the
development of all these levels of conscience harmoniously.
Spiritual development: Aurobindo believes that every human being has some element of
divinity in him. The teacher should bring it out, then nourish it through yoga exercises and
brahmacharya. According to Aurobindo, “The chief aim of education should be to help the
growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use”.
Self-realisation: Aurobindo believes firmly that self-realisation should be the aim of
education. In fact, self-realisation enables the individual to realise his real being. Therefore,
this is the ultimate meaning of life on the earth.
Development of potentialities: Aurobindo believes that every child has some latent physical,
mental and spiritual potentialities. Hence, he considers the development of such hidden
potentialities as one of the aims of education. Here, the task of the teacher is to draw out these
potentialities in a harmonious way and turn the child into a complete man or real man, i.e.,
superman.

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1.7 CURRICULUM
Aurobindo suggests all those subjects and activities, which the students are interested in. The
subjects and activities included in the curriculum should possess creativity and educational
expression. Thus, the curriculum is constructed in such a way as to develop the inner
potential of the child and turn him into a super human being. Aurobindo has prescribed the
following five principles of curriculum construction.
 Curriculum should be interesting for the child.
 Curriculum should include all subjects and activities which promote mental and
spiritual development of the child.
 The subjects of a curriculum should be able to motivate the child to learn.
 Curriculum should activate the creative potentialities of the child in order to develop
him into a real man.
 Curriculum should motivate the children towards the attainment of up-to-date
knowledge of the whole world.
On the basis of these above principles, Aurobindo includes the different subjects and
activities in the curriculum for the different stages of education and types of education for the
proper growth of the learners.
Primary stage: Mother tongue, English, French, Literature, National History, Art, Painting,
General Science, Social Studies and Arithmetic.
Secondary stage: Mother tongue, English, French, Arithmetic, Art, Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Physiology, Health Education and Social Studies.
University stage: Indian and Western Philosophies, History of Civilization, English
Literature, French Literature, Sociology, Psychology, History of Science, Physics, Chemistry,
Zoology, Botany, International Relations and Integration.
Vocational education: Arts, Paintings, Photography, Sewing, Sculptural drawings, Typing,
Shorthand, Cottage Industries, Carpentry, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nursing,
Indian and European Music, Dramatisation and Dancing.
Physical education: Physical training, games, gymnastics, preventive medical care and
health education.

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Mental education: It is meant for the development of the powers of the child's mind. It
includes the study of Language, Mathematics, Social Science and Applied Sciences.
Psychic and spiritual education: Spiritual and psychic values such as love, truth, faith in
God, strength of mind and heart are stressed.
International education: Universal love, sympathy, fellow feeling and international
understanding are the main features of this education.
Moral education: The pupils should be guided to cultivate: (a) Right emotions (b) noble
habits; (c) right associations; and (d) right actions to develop morality among them. Moral
training should be supplemented by the application of Raja Yoga. This type of training
purifies the mind and the body.
Vital education: It includes various activities such as student participation in music, fine art,
dance, drama, craft, and ballet.

1.8 METHOD OF TEACHING

Freedom to child: Freedom to the child enables him to acquire more and more knowledge
by his own efforts. Any restriction imposed on the child will retard his natural growth and
development. So, the teacher should act only as a helper and guide and stimulator for the
natural development of the child.
Love and sympathy for the child: The teacher should treat the child with utmost love,
sympathy and kind consideration. This will reduce the tension felt in learning and promote
the natural development of the child.
Mother tongue: Education through mother tongue enables the child to grasp and understand
even the most difficult subjects. Hence, the medium of instruction should be in mother
tongue.
Child-centred education: Education should always be child centred. The teacher should
study the varied interests of his pupils before he provides education to them. This will
encourage and motivate the learners to acquire more and more knowledge.
Self-experience: Self-learning experiences should be provided to the child. This type of
learning is very useful for his future life.

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Learning by doing: Aurobindo believes that learning by doing is the best method of
learning. This method places great emphasis on the activities of the pupils. Here, the bookish
knowledge is supplemented by experimentation.
Group learning or co-operative learning: The teaching-learning process is a cooperative
process. Therefore, there must be a learning based on the cooperative activities of teacher and
children.
Nature of child: Naturally each child has been gifted with some mental and spiritual
potentialities. Education should develop these gifts in the child by developing his inner
capacity.
Education according to 3 A's: The mind of the child is a great vehicle for acquiring
knowledge. So, the mind has to be consulted in his growth. According to Aurobindo,
education should be provided to the child according to three A's namely, age, ability and
aptitude. For this purpose, the teacher should adopt the methods of teaching according to the
age and nature of the child. He should know the ability and aptitude of his students before he
imparts education to them. Aurobindo emphasises this aim of education because every child
has something divine in him. It is education which should discover and develop the divine
qualities in the child.
Lead child from near to far: The child should be educated from the known to the unknown
and from what he is to what he shall be. It is to work from the near to the far. All new
knowledge must be built around the child's daily experiences directly connected with his
environment-local as well as national. The past is our foundation, the present is our material
and the future will be our aim and summit. Thus, the past, present and future should go
handin-hand towards the progress of the individual.

1.9 PLACE OF TEACHER

The teacher occupies a very important role in the process of education. He is an embodiment
of self-control, humility, spiritual equality between man and man. In the words of Aurobindo,
“Teacher is a man helping his brothers, a child leading child, a light kindling other lights, an
awakened soul awakening other souls, at the highest a power of presence of the divine calling
to him other powers of the divine”. He also remarks, “One must be a saint and a hero to be a
good teacher. One must become a great 'yogi' to be a good teacher”. According to Aurobindo,
“The teacher is not an instructor or task master; he is a helper and guide. His business is to
suggest and not to impose. He does not actually train the pupil's mind, he only shows him
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how to perfect his instruments of knowledge and helps him and encourages him in the
process. He does not impart knowledge to him. He shows him how to acquire knowledge for
himself. He does not call forth the knowledge that is within. He only shows him where it lies
and how it can be habituated to rise to the surface”.
The teacher is not only an instructor but a helper and a guide for the pupils. He should not
impose anything on the learners. He should stimulate the child in order to develop him
naturally. The role of the teacher will always be appreciated if he can prepare the child to
serve the suffering humanity and eradicate the evils, which are obstructing the progress of
society and humanity.

1.10 PLACE OF CHILD

According to Aurobindo, nature has bestowed different human beings with different
capacities and powers. Therefore, education should develop in the child whatever has already
been endowed to him by God. In this regard, he says, “The child is a soul to find them, to find
himself, to grow into their maturity, into a fullness of physical and vital energy and utmost
breadth, death and height of his emotional, his intellectual and his spiritual being”. Thus, each
human being is self-developing. But the parents and the teachers should help him achieve the
fullest development. He believes that the child has his own inherent capacities and special
abilities. So, he has assigned a special place to the child in the teaching-learning process.
Hence, education should satisfy the needs and interests of the child. This will enable the child
to develop his personality fully according to his powers. Aurobindo observes, “The idea of
hammering the child into the shape desired by the parents or teacher is a barbarous and
ignorant superstition. There can be no great error than for the parents to arrange before hand
that his son shall develop particular qualities and capacities. To force the nature to abandon
its own Dharm is to do permanent harm, mutilate its growth and deface its perfection”.

1.11 NOTES OF AUROBINDO’S INTEGRAL EDUCATION

Integral education is that education in which the human body, mind and intellect are
combined together to form a magnificent machine. We can call it a machine for want of a
better word and it is superior to any other equipment built by man. According to Aurobindo,
"Integral education is that which helps to bring out full advantage, makes ready for the full
purpose of life and scope of all that is in the individual man, which at the same time helps
him to enter into his right relation with life, mind and soul of the people to which he belongs
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and with the great total life, mind and soul of humanity of which he himself is a unit and his
people or nation, a separate and inseparable member". He is a great supporter of the national
system of education and he realises that this is the source of national reconstruction. This
view is contained in his system of integral education. In this way, integral education should
have the following four chief points:
1.11.1 Chief Points of Integral Education
Education must integrate the human body, mind and soul to serve its real purpose.
Strengthening body and mind: Integral education should strengthen the physical and
mental aspects through the study of science and technology. Education through science and
technology makes the material basis stronger, complete and more effective for the
manifestation of the spirit.
Five principal aspects of integral education: Aurobindo's idea of integral education is the
idea of complete education. He says that education to be complete must have five principal
aspects relating to the five principal activities of human being—the physical, the vital, the
mental, the psychic and the spiritual.
Four major aspects of truth: Integral education should have four major aspects of truth,
namely, love, knowledge, power and beauty. In the words of Aurobindo, “The truth we seek
is made of four major aspects: love, knowledge, power and beauty. These four attributes of
truth will spontaneously express themselves in our being. The psyche will be the vehicle of
true and pure love, the mind that of infallible knowledge and the body will be the expression
of a perfect beauty and a perfect harmony".
The vehicles of love, knowledge, power and beauty: Integral education of Aurobindo spells
four vehicles for the four aspects of Truth. Education of physical being (tapasya of beauty):
Physical education is an important component of integral education. The physical body will
be the expression of a perfect beauty and a perfect harmony. Hence, education should be
directed towards the realisation of four important goals, namely,
 To discipline and control the physical functions.
 Harmonious development of the body and physical movements.
 Rectification of defects and overcoming physical limitations.
 To awaken the body consciousness.

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One has to undertake physical exercises to achieve the first three goals, and to achieve the
fourth goal one has to draw upon multiple faculties. The spiritual discipline, service, bhakti,
yoga, games and sports, asanas and pranayama are considered to be the most important tools
to control the restlessness of the body and to achieve concentration. Physical education is also
essential for controlling the sex drives.
Education of vital being (tapasya of power): Education of the vital being is an important
part of the concept of integral education. Vital education lays emphasis on the observation of
impulses, energies and desires of the vital being of man. As a result, the pupils get an
opportunity to understand both the inner world and the world outside. The second aspect of
the vital being is the utilisation of the sense organs which helps an individual to receive
knowledge. Therefore, senses like, sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste and mind should be
trained. To get a training to be an aesthetic personality, one should give up bad habits and
develop human habits, emotions and their associations. Aurobindo advises that training of the
senses should be the first care of the teacher.
Education of mental being (tapasya of knowledge): Since the human mind is the vehicle of
infallible knowledge, education must build its power to make it an excellent medium of
knowledge. The mind has to be made silent and attentive in order to receive knowledge and
manifest it. By yoga one acquires mastery of the mind and reaches a region higher than the
mind, which we call knowledge. This helps in the gradual liberation from ignorance. Mental
education has three fold functions: (i) to gather old knowledge; (ii) to discover new
knowledge; and (iii) to develop the capacity to use and apply the knowledge acquired. The
pupil develops cognition, ideas, intelligence and mental perceptions through the application
of his knowledge. As we have already mentioned, the mind has four levels-chitta, manas,
buddhi and intuition.
Education of psychic being (tapasya of love): Psychic being is the psychological centre of
man. It is the vehicle of true and pure love. The function of education is to enable man to
become conscious of this psychological centre which is the key to an integral personality.
Love is made of desirable feelings and emotions, directed towards whole-hearted clarity and
goodwill towards others and communion with the Divine. Psychic education enables an
individual to see his soul and helps him to grow in freedom according to its inner nature. It
supports the vital, the physical and the mental being so that an individual understands life and
himself.

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1.11.2 Two-fold Bases of Integrated Education

Aurobindo has mentioned two bases for integrated education:
 Individuality is one whole
 Humanity is one.
Individuality is one whole: This can be divided into the following categories:
Harmonious development: The individuality of man constitutes body, mind and soul which
have their significances when they are harmoniously developed. An individual's intellectual
development must be developed in relation to his moral, emotional and spiritual nature and
vice versa. A balanced and harmonious development of all the aspects of human
personality—cognitive (knowledge), conative (skills) and affective (attitudes and values)
moulds an individual into an integrated individual.
Socio-economic-politico integration: Education should aim at developing the individual as
an economic, political and social being, in order to train him as a productive and disciplined
member of the society.
Different aspects of 'self' but self is one: We may distinguish in man the different aspects of
his being, mental, intellectual, ethical, practical, aesthetic, physical and the like. But all these
have been as powers of a "self" that manifests through them and yet they are not all the 'self'.
No concentration on academic perfection alone: The study of the mind is essential to
understand the innate power of the child. Any system of education which concentrates on
academic perfection of the child, disregarding his mind, hampers intellectual growth. Hence,
concentration on academic perfection of the child and the study of his mind are necessary to
produce an integrated mind.
Humanity is one: Aurobindo immerses himself in vedanta and yoga. He developed synthesis
between the East and the West instead of finding conflict between them. He also synthesises
'Spirit' and 'Matter', 'Science' and 'Vedanta' in order to see the oneness of humanity.
1.11.3 Objectives of Integral Education
Aurobindo's integral education has the following objectives:
Recovery of old spiritual knowledge: Integral education should aim at the recovery of the
old spiritual knowledge experienced in all its splendour, depth and fullness.

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New forms of philosophy and literature: The second objective of Aurobindo's integral
education is to let the spiritual knowledge flow into new forms of philosophy, literature, art,
science etc.
Synthesis of a spiritualised society: The aim of integral education is to strive for a great
synthesis of a spiritualised society. According to Aurobindo, the existing problems must be
dealt within the light of the Indian spirit.
1.11.4 Stages of Integral Education
There are five stages in the integral education related to the principal activities of the human
beings. The five stages of integral education succeed each other in a chronological order for
the growth of the individual (Fig. 9.2). But the five stages must continue, complementing
each other, till the end of life.

Physical education: It includes physical training, games, gymnastics, balanced diet,

preventive medical care and health education. For total harmonious and integrated
development of the body, physical discipline, by controlling various parts of the body and
freedom from diseases, must be obtained.
Vital education: It includes student participation in music, fine art, dance, drama, craft and
ballet for the development and utilisation of senses so as to eventually control them. Learning
by doing is the guiding principle of this education.
Mental education: It includes various academic studies such as languages, mathematics,
social sciences, applied and pure sciences and so on for the development of attention and
concentration, development of the capacity to expand and enrich the mental horizon and
development of reasoning power to accept the desirable thoughts and reject the undesirable
ones.

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Psychic education: It includes the study of spiritual and psychic values like love, truth, faith
in God, and strength of mind and heart. Psychic education is related to yoga. It is education
which includes the development of non material values.
Spiritual education: This education leads to eternal bliss. This is the highest level of
education called super-mental education. This stage is reached after one develops physical,
vital, mental and psychic elements. It requires deep and intensive insight and persistent
efforts.
1.11.5 Measures for Achieving the Ends of Integral Education
Role of teacher in integral education: The teacher has a unique place in integral education.
He is not an instructor or task master. He is a helper and guide. His business is to suggest
ways for the natural development of the child.
Discipline in integral education: Aurobindo stresses the significance of free environment
under the guidance of the teacher. Maximum freedom should be given to the child for the
development of the psychic being. The students should be allowed to choose their own
subjects and develop the areas of interests.
Moral training in integral education: Moral principles should be provided to the child
through the personal example of the teacher. It should be based on practical opportunities.
Moral training should be given through yoga.
Faith in the potentialities of child in integral education: Generally every child possesses
hidden potentialities. The teacher must have an immense faith in the capacity of the child. His
task is to bring it out and help develop it so as to turn the child into a complete man.
Physical education in integral education: The human body is the means of fulfillment of
dharma. Therefore, the aim of integral education is the development of the physical part of
the body and it cannot be left aside.
Principles of teaching in integral education: The basic principle of true teaching is that
nothing can be taught. The knowledge is within the child. It is revealed through swadharma
and swabhav. The second principle of teaching is that the child should be consulted in his
own growth. The chief aim of education is to help the growing soul to draw out that which is
hidden and make it perfect for the best use. The third principle of teaching is teaching the
child from the known to the unknown. That is, all new knowledge must be built around the
child's daily experiences directly connected with his environment.

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Curriculum in integral education: Curriculum in integral education system includes the

five basic elements of being the physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic and the spiritual.
The integral education system emphasises a flexible, interest based and environment based
curriculum so that the child achieves the utmost possible perfection of himself and
contributes his maximum to humanity as a whole.
The concept of integral education is a remarkable contribution of Sri Aurobindo. We must
understand the inter-relationship among the different elements within man, the nation and the
universal humanity. We must also see the synthesis among these elements in order to grasp
the concept of integral education.

1.12 SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM

The Aurobindo Ashram is located near the sea-shore at Pondichery. Persons from different
walks of life, from different parts of India and of the world are its inmates. The Ashram
provides an environment of peace and harmony. A strict code of discipline is followed there.
All the activities in the Ashram are taken in the spirit of service and dedication to the Divine.
The inmates are engaged in some productive work or other. The Mother used to conduct the
affairs of the Ashram. A school and an international university centre have been established.
The school was initially started in 1948. It expanded gradually from a primary school to a
full-fledged high school. Here, the teachers are not paid-workers but Ashramites. They are
taking teaching as their 'Sadhana'. The institution provides an ideal system of education along
with Aurobindo's line of thought. In 1952, it was named as 'Sri Aurobindo International
University Centre' and was inaugurated by the Mother. Later, with the widened activities, the
institution was renamed as "Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education" in 1959. The
main objective of this International Centre of Education is to evolve a system of education for
making it dynamic, ideal for society, to organise an environment conducive to the
development of the five aspects of personality-the physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic
and the spiritual; to develop the sense of oneness of mankind and international harmony.
Apart from academic subjects, physical and health education, the curriculum includes other
subjects like psychic and spiritual studies, cultural activities like art, music, drama, etc. and
education for national integration and international harmony. In the International Centre of
Education, there is a continuity of education from the Kindergarten to the end of studies.
There are so many departments and services, workshops, farms and a number of commercial
and industrial undertakings. The institution provides all the requirements for the free growth

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of the child. The students and teachers who are from different parts of the globe live and
work together. The culture of different countries are accepted here to promote unity of all
human race.
AUROVILLE
Auroville, “The City of Dawn” five miles away from Pondicherry. It is conceived of as a city
of human unity and harmony. It was inaugurated by the Mother on 28 February, 1968 to give
a shape to Aurobindo's vision of a modern self-supporting community which can enjoy the
advantage of scientific developments and pursue spiritual activities. The Charter of Auroville
was signed by children from 121 countries who poured soil from their respective lands into a
lotus shaped urn symbolising the unity of the human race. Auroville aims at searching for a
new education in a new society. The environment of Auroville was organized with the aim of
humanising the people living there by synthesising their nations, ideologies, knowledge,
culture etc. The city has four zones namely cultural, industrial, residential and educational.
They represent the four important activities of human life.
According to the Charter of Auroville, “Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. It belongs
to humanity as a whole and is conceived as “the City of Human Unity.” But to live in
Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the divine consciousness. Auroville will be the
place of an unending education, of constant progress and youth that never ages.

1.13 SUMMARY
Aurobindo is a great philosopher, educationist, nationalist and a yogi. His contribution to the
field of education is very unique. He stresses childcentred education and allows maximum
freedom to the child for his natural development. He integrates the Western philosophy with
the Indian one. He accepts the teacher as a helper, guide and instructor. The bases of his
philosophy of education are spiritual faith, brahmacharya and yoga practices. His
philosophical ideas lead us from materialism to spiritualism. He preaches the ideals and
values of Indian culture based on brahmacharya, yoga, concentration and meditation. His
preaching helps an individual to attain the full development of his body, mind and soul in a
harmonious way. The philosophy of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is a unique one in the field of
Indian education. He wants to make the Indian soceity good and happy by making the
individuals good through education. In the words of Dr. R.S. Mani, “His views on education
reveal that Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the most eminent and distinguished educationists
of our country.”

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1.14 GLOSSARY

 Super mind: This is the keyword of Aurobindo's philosophy. He believes that the
mind of man is imperfect and is not in a position to understand the integral truth. Only
the super mind can have an understanding of the integral truth.
 Superman: When a person surrenders himself/herself completely to the will of God,
he/she becomes a superman. According to Aurobindo the superman is the integral
Man, the ideal man who makes an ideal society.
 Integral Education: Integral education is that education in which the human body,
mind and intellect are combined together to form a magnificent machine. According
to Aurobindo, “integral education is that which helps to bring out full advantage,
makes ready for the full purpose of life and scope of all that is in the individual man,
which at the same time helps him to enter into his right relation with life, mind and
soul of the people to which he belongs and with the great total life, mind and soul of
humanity of which he himself is a unit and his people or nation, a separate and
inseparable member.”

1.15 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Describe the educational philosophy of Aurobindo.
2. Write a note on Aurobindo's International Institution in Pondicherry.
3. Point out the general philosophy of Aurobindo.
4. Discuss the contribution of Aurobindo to Education.
5. State the importance of yoga and brahmacharya in education and life.
6. Explain the features of Aurobindo's Education and Philosophy.

1.16 REFERENCES

 Cohen, B. (1969). Educational Thought- An Introduction. Britain: MacMillan.

 Magee, J. B. (1971). Philosophical Analysis in Education, Harper and Row
Publishers.

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 Shermis, S. S. (1967). Philosophical Foundations of Education. Van Nostrand

Reinhold.
 Mohanty, Jagannatha (1991). Foundation of Education, Cuttack – 2, Takshashila.
 Nayak, B.K. (2020). Textbook of Foundation of Education. Cuttack, Odisha: Kitab
Mhal.

1.17 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Morsy. 1952. Thinkers in Education, Second edition, Vol. 2. Paris: UNESCO.

 Kriplani, K. 1980. Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography. Shantiniketan: Viswa
Bharathi.

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LESSON 2
JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI

Bhawana Mishra
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

2.1 Learning Objectives

2.2 Introduction
2.3 Jiddu Krishnamurti
2.3.1 Biographical details
2.3.2 Early life
2.3.3 Discovery of self
2.4 Perspectives and views on education
2.5 Importance of his philosophy
2.5.1 Important Books by Jiddu Krishnamurti
2.6 Summary
2.7 Glossary
2.8 Answers to In-text Questions
2.9 Self-Assessment Questions
2.10 References
2.11 Suggested Readings

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2.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Explain the purpose of education according to J. Krishnamurthy.
 Detail out about J. Krishnamurthy in the context of the background which shaped his
personality and thoughts.
 Acquaint themselves with various books, their titles and content of the text written by
the thinker.
 Construct understanding of educational ideas based on J. Krishnamurti’s perspectives
and views on education.
 Analyze J. Krishnamurti’s theory in the light of teaching learning processes.

2.2 INTRODUCTION
As you have gained knowledge on what education is and how it is deeply linked with society.
Now going deeper in the understanding about education, it becomes pertinent to know and
understand various philosophies of education. And therefore, this lesson will talk about the
world famous, influential speaker and writer of spiritual and educational matters J.
Krishnamurti. He was one of the greatest educational thinkers.
His perspectives, views and insights on education are discussed in details. Also,
important factors which shaped his thoughts and personalities are mentioned, how his early
life had been is also discussed in this chapter. His books and literature on meditation, life,
education are also discussed briefly. After going through this chapter, you can apply his
theory in solving common day to day problems, can make meaning of life and understand
purpose of education better.
This lesson will also enable you to develop your perspective and your own stance on
matters and phenomena occurring around you. Your understanding of and about educational
thinkers will help in decision making at various levels and understanding interdisciplinary
subjects like education more effectively.

2.3 JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI

J. Krishnamurti was a world renowned philosopher and a very skilled and mature writer of
spiritual matters. He was also known as a preacher. J. Krishnamurti was a very deep expert in
these subjects, such as mental revolution, nature of intellect, meditation and how to bring
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positive changes in society. Strongly disapproving of his dignified image, Krishnamurti

dissolved a large and prosperous organization, which was built with him at the center. He
stated clearly that truth is a 'landless land' and cannot be reached through any formal religion,
philosophy or sect.
2.3.1 Brief Biographical Details
Name: Jiddu Krishnamurti
Birth: Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11th May, 1895 in Madanapalle, Tamil Nadu
(modern-day Chittoor District in Andhra Pradesh) in a religious Brahmin family.
Father: Jiddu Narayaniah
Mother: Sanjeevamma
Important Writings: First and Last Freedom, Education and the Significance of Life,
Freedom from the Known, Insights into Education: Bringing about a Totally New Mind,
Krishnamurti on Education, Last Talks, A Dialogue with Oneself, Truth is a Pathless Land,
Learning Art, On Love and Loneliness, On God, and so on
Establishment: ‘Rishi Valley School’ of South India, Krishnamurti Foundation, Brockwood
Park School, Happy Valley School
Awards/Recognition: Annie Besant declared him 'World Guru' in 1927
Death: 17th February, 1986, Ojai, California, United States of America
2.3.2 Early Life
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11th May, 1895 in a poor Brahmin family in a small town in
Tamil Nadu (present-day Andhra Pradesh). He was born as the eighth child of his parents,
hence he was named Krishnamurti on the lines of Krishna.
In 1903, his family moved to Kudappa and resided there. As a young boy, Jiddu Krishnamurti
suffered from several diseases and was often considered 'mentally unstable'. As a result, he
was no longer the favorite student of his teachers, due to which he had to be repeatedly
harassed by his teachers and father. In 1909, one day Jiddu Krishnamurti met the prophet
Charles Webster Leadbeater. Charles Webster Leadbeater was astounded by Jiddu
Krishnamurti's prodigious talent and announced that one day this child would become a
world teacher and guide the development of mankind. Subsequently, he was taken into the

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leadbeater group. Thus began his education in the Theosophical Society of Adyar which
continued throughout his life.
2.3.3 Discovery of Self
In 1911, the Theosophical Society (run by Mrs. Anni Bescent) established the 'Order of the
Star in the East', which aimed to mobilize the world for Krishnamurti as his new head and
teacher. The same year he was moved to London, where he gave his first public discourse and
also published his early works. From 1911 to 1914, Krishnamurti and other fellow
Theosophists were taken on a tour of several European countries by followers. After World
War I ended, he went on a worldwide tour, where he preached about his duties as head of the
OSE.
From 1930 to 1944, he went on world travels and engaged in discourses. He started a speech
tour in India in the autumn of 1947 and managed to attract crowds of young intellectuals to
his discourses.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
1. J. krishnamurti started speech tour in India in _______________.
2. J. Krishnamurti introduced new system of philosophy in education. True /
False
3. Krishnamurti focuses on purpose of education to :
a) develop holistic individual b) unbroken-undivided individual
c) free man d) all of these
4. ____________________ gave him the title of ‘world guru’.
5. I-you-me-mode is a ____________________ style of writing.

2.4 PERSPECTIVES AND VIEWS ON EDUCATION

The birth of Krishnamurti's ideas is considered the same as the invention of the Atom Bomb.
Krishnamurti was a mysterious figure to many intellectuals, as well as the intellectual
explosion that has taken place in the world because of him, he took many thinkers, writers
and politicians under his influence.
He did not explain any new method or system of philosophy, but he deduced lessons from the
day-to-day life of man - the challenges of a corrupt and violent society, the search for human
safety and happiness, topics revolved around areas such as fear, sorrow, anger. According to

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him, "The greatest task of education is the development of a person who can recognize the
totality of life". Both idealists and experts are connected to the block, not to the whole. A
sense of inclusiveness is not possible until we give up the urge for any one type of
methodology. "
He spoke of man's deep relationship with nature and environment and integrity from nature
and environment. His vision goes beyond all man-made divisions, walls, beliefs, perspectives
and gives a sense of living momentarily, at the bottom of eternal thought.
Krishnamurti raises a deep question on the correct and holistic education of children, they ask
whether our education can help the child to blossom into an unbroken-undivided person and
become a real human being? So that the child can become a free man and see his inner and
outer influences and understand the rhythm of life, lest he should consider life and self
separate and continue to struggle till death. People need to become free from the standards, to
become just a simple, dualityless human being. At the same time, he can find such a
livelihood, a work that he loves, which is not based on the ambitions, fantasies of others,
which is based on direct demand for life instead of market. Can current education nurture
such a questioning mind "questioning mind" that does not accept anything without thinking,
intuitively. Krishnamurti considers mechanically living a tragedy. He talks about the great art
of living. This art of living comes from being aware and sensitive to everything, from being
open and peaceful of our mind and heart, to seeing and hearing everything properly. To live
in total, it is very important to see and hear accurately.
For Krishnamurti, action is to see accurately or to understand any external or internal
phenomenon. They say - If we see the reality of something, then action happens
automatically.
Krishnamurti believes that the first task of education is to help each person understand his
mental process. How family or socio-communal prejudices influence his thoughts, tendencies
and behavior. And how do these things affect his feelings, thoughts and behavior. That is, he
should have proper knowledge of the structure and process of his mind and this is possible
only when education teaches us to look at the mind (inward flowering). But today this
objective of education is not visible far and wide. Rather, she takes us out of her so much that
there is no tendency to peep into her. The social environment also helps in this education.
Rather, perhaps because of this, education has also removed self-discovery from its domain.

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In Krishnamurti's words, "The aim of education is to establish the right relationships, not only
between two individuals but also between the individual and society, and that is why
education is the first thing that helps a person understand his psychological process." "
Jiddu Krishnamurti also raises questions on teachers and says - "We teachers do not
understand ourselves deeply and the children." We do not understand our relationship with
ourselves fundamentally, and keep on filling it only with information and passing
examinations, then how will we be able to bring a new kind of education? If the teacher
himself is confused, narrow, nationalistic and unshakeable then it is natural that his disciple
will be the same. First of all, worrying about educating oneself is more important than
worrying about the future welfare and safety of the child.
According to Krishnamurti, today's teachers only teach what to read, how to study, they are
busy in improving children's English or mathematics. They are worried about all these things,
and then after five or ten years the children are pushed into the life of which they do not
know anything. Nobody tells the children about all these things, or even if they are told, to
push the children in some direction, which results in the children becoming socialists,
Congressmen or something else.
Teachers do not teach children, nor cooperate on how to think about the problems of life.
Krishnamurti says that discussing it for some time will not work, rather it should be discussed
during all these years, is education here? Not only should you pass the minor examinations in
school, it should be learned that when a child leaves school, he can face life, become an
enlightened human being, not a machinist, Hindu, Muslim, communist or Become something
like this.
According to Krishnamurti, the process of learning is of paramount importance in equitable
education and overall development. According to him, education does not mean collecting
information only, but it is important to have deep understanding. The true meaning of
education is to understand oneself, to know every word, every emotion, not to know the
activities of the mind, but to know big things. The aim of education should not be to produce
educated novices but to develop children who have a holistic approach to life, who have a
positive attitude towards creativity and life, a sense of cooperation in place of competition
and also be responsible for the society.
He said that goodness, love and compassion cannot be instilled in human beings by any
teacher, organized religion, political, social, economic measures. He said that through self-
realization, by introducing oneself, we have to free ourselves from fear, preconceptions,

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authority, authenticity and orthodoxy, this can be the basis of systemic and radical
psychological changes in human beings.
J. Krishnamurti established Krishnamurti foundations in the United States, India, England,
Canada and Spain to protect himself and his teachings from being glorified and to distort the
interpretation of his teachings. He also established schools in India, England and America,
about which he was aware that in education, emphasis should not only be on classical
intellectual skills but also on understanding the mind and brain. In addition to living and
technical skills, the art of living should also be taught skillfully.

2.5 IMPORTANCE OF HIS PHILOSOPHY

Krishnamurti stressed on the importance of education; this is the most special element of his
ideas. He said that children learn to deal with many kinds of difficulties while getting
education. Their thoughts mature and they realize the importance of hard work. He believed
that this awareness is very important for understanding deeply the right relationship between
humans with nature and with man-made instruments. Krishnamurti insists on internal
discipline. Says, 'External discipline makes the mind foolish, it brings a tendency to imitate.'
Krishnamurti used to say, 'If you listen carefully and discipline yourself by thinking after
taking care of others, then it brings order. Where there is order, freedom always remains. If
you are not free to do so, you cannot make arrangements. J. Krishnamurti through his
educational ideas entrusts the responsibility to both teachers and students to build a good
society in which all human beings can live happily without violence, in peace and security,
because today's students are tomorrow's future.
Krishnamurti used to say that until people understand the divisive forces like organized
religion and nationalism, they will not be able to change their consciousness and society will
not change till then. Along with this, the ideas of Jiddu also challenge the existence of
present-day monks and self-proclaimed gurus. If even today in the scientific age, such
hypocrites are cropping up, then we are the reason, because neither we know the truth, nor do
we want to know, nor do we want to unearth the 'ungrounded land' about which Jiddu
krishnamurti used to talk. We want heaven but do not want to die for it, seek God but by
holding someone else's finger. If the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti is to be said in one
sentence, then we can say that the person as the initial unit is the means of bringing
unprecedented change in the whole society.

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2.5.1 Important Books by Jiddu Krishnamurti

His literature includes public talks, Q&A, debates, interviews, interactions, diaries and his
own writing which has so far been available as over 75 books and over 700 audio and over
1200 video cassette CDs. His original literature is in the English language, which has been
translated into several major languages. His conversations, Q&A, discussions, interviews,
interactions, audio and video tapes of discourses are also available. Name and brief
information of some of his books are given below-
 Meditations: Krishnamurti went from his origin in a small south Indian village to
become one of the greatest spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. He taught that
the only way to peace on earth is the transformation of the human psyche and that
there is no path to this transformation, no method for achieving it, no gurus or
spiritual authorities who can help. The transformation is a truth each of us must
discover within ourselves. This classic collection of brief excerpts from
Krishnamurti's books and talks presents the essence of his teaching on meditation-a
state of attention, beyond thought, which brings total freedom from authority and
ambition, fears and separateness. This doubly expanded edition features even more of
the great teacher's wisdom than the original version, and also includes some never
before published material.
 On God: On God contemplates our search for the sacred. "Sometimes you think life
is mechanical, and at other times when there is sorrow and confusion, you revert to
faith, looking to a supreme being for guidance and help." Krishnamurti explores the
futility of seeking knowledge of the "unknowable" and shows that it is only when we
have ceased seeking with our intellects that we may be "radically free" to experience
reality, truth, and bliss. He talks about "the religious mind" as one that directly
perceives the sacred rather than adhering top religious dogma.
 On Love and Loneliness: In 1950 Krishnamurti said: "It is only when the mind is not
escaping in any form that it is possible to be in direct communion with that thing we
call lonliness, the alone, and to have communion with that thing, there must be
affection, there must be love." On Love and Lonliness is a compelling investigation of
our intimate relationships with ourselves, others, and society. Krishnamurti suggests
that "true relationship" can come into being only when there is self-knowledge of the
conditions which divide and islolate individuals and groups. Only by renouncing the
self can we understand the problem of lonliness, and truly love.

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 Insights into Education : Bringing about a Totally New Mind: Insights into
Education presents the educational philosophy of J. Krishnamurti in an easy to use,
topic-based format. It is a practical handbook that comes alive when used as an
introduction to group investigation and dialogue. What it offers to teachers
everywhere is an inroad into the many matters of concern with which they are faced
on a daily basis. That we cannot continue as we have been doing, with rote-learning,
fact-finding, and a modicum of analysis as the building blocks of education, is
obvious to anyone who is at all concerned with teaching and learning in a world with
accelerating technological advancement, alienation, and despair. It is these very issues
that are tackled here, sometimes implicitly but always at depth. What Krishnamurti
proposes, and here discloses, is a different approach to learning altogether, one that
distinguishes itself radically from what we normally understand by that term: the
accumulation of knowledge, with its application and testing. By narrowing down our
understanding to the pragmatic and the measurable, we forfeit the opportunity to
probe deeply and to awaken intelligence in our students and in ourselves. What is
meant by intelligence in this context is not the capacity to memorize and measure, but
that subtle ability to see the whole which comes alive in a human being when he/she
sees the limits of the measurable. To awaken this intelligence is the goal of education.
 First and Last Freedom: In the first and last freedom, we receive a broad and
succinct introduction of J. Krishnamurti's insights and a challenging invitation to
participate in them. The inclusion of various concerns of Krishnamurti's teachings is
available in this book. This book was published in 1954 but even today it is one of the
most read books of Krishnamurti. A deeper study of the teachings of Krishnamurti
adds another dimension.
 Education and the Significance of Life: This book highlights the wide meaning and
importance of education in life. We face a serious challenge: “We, the teachers, do
not understand ourselves deeply and the children. We do not understand our
relationship with ourselves fundamentally, and keep on filling it only with
information and passing examinations, then how will we be able to bring a new kind
of education?
 Freedom from the Known: To be free from all means, to be free from the known,
that state of mind that says "I don't know" and which does not even lead to the
answer. In a state of mind that does not look completely, nor hopes, in such a state of

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mind you can say "I understand". This is the only stage when the mind is free, from
this stage you can see things in a different way that you know.
 Krishnamurti on Education: The book is divided into two sections - Krishnamurti
talks with the students in the first section and the teachers in the second section.
 The Future is Now: Last Talks in India: This is the compilation of the last talks
held in India. It also has discussions and public talks with Buddhists at Rajghat,
Varanasi. Apart from this, it includes dialogues with teachers of the Rishi valley
school and public talks in Madras.
 A Dialogue with Oneself: It is a pithy interpretation of the difficulties and challenges
faced by human relations. This book is in a unique style. And it seems as if
Krishnamurti is addressing himself.
 Truth is a pathless land: With this historical statement J. Krishnamurti disbanded
the vast organization named 'Order of the Star' of which he was the head and was
reputed as the 'World Teacher'. This speech delivered in Holland on 3 August 1929 is
unique in itself and presents a timeless challenge to the inventors of truth.
 Life Ahead: According to Krishnamurti, the process of learning is of paramount
importance in right education and overall development. This entire process is
thoroughly investigated in this book.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
5. J. Krishnamurti has written extensively in ____________________language.
6. ____________________important tool for transformation of human psyche.
7. ‘Insights into education’ is written by________________________.
8. Krishnamurti emphasized on saving oneself from divisive forces. True/ False.

2.6 SUMMARY
Krishnamurti's fundamental philosophy has attracted traditional, unconventional thinkers,
philosophers, top rule-founders, material and psychologists, and all the contemporaries in
religion, truth and real life and all have been enlightened by his clear vision. Krishnamurti

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comes to us as an influential and independent teacher who cannot be defined in any category;
His talks and writings are not related to any particular religion and his teachings are not only
for East and West, but for the whole of humanity. Krishnamurti always raised the talk of
freedom from the peripheries . Krishnamurti worked as a way to move around established
traditions and inspire people towards self-realization, this makes him the world's greatest
philosopher of the last century. Similarly, Henry Miller wrote of him - "There is no man
(other than Krishnamurti) whom I would consider more fortunate to meet. I do not know of
any living person whose idea is more inspiring."

2.7 GLOSSARY

 Meditation: to train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear and
emotionally stable state.
 Discovery of self: Concentration of the mental powers upon an object.the process
which a person undergoes to determine what he/she feels about everything and form
their own opinion.

2.8 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

1. 1947 5. English
2. False 6. Meditation
3. all the above 7. J. Krishnamurti
4. Annie Besant 8. True.

2.9 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain the purpose of education in the light of J. Krishnamurti’s views on education

with suitable examples.
2. Discuss importance of J. Krishnamurti’s philosophy and how it can be practiced in
classrooms?

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2.10 REFERENCES

 J. Krishnamurti - Janmanas Parichar Manch, 2013.

 J. Krishnamurti - On Education, Collection of Indian Literature, 2012.
 J. Krishnamurti - A Resplendent Constellation, Srgyanagatha, 2013.
 J. Krishnamurti's Philosophy of Education, Deshbandhu, 2013.
 Saraswati Agarwal - Education philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, 2008, Perspective
Year 15, Issue 2, page-130.
 J. Krishnamurti - Mind in meditation, Varanasi, J.V. Krishnamurti Foundation, 1997.

2.11 SUGGESTED READINGS

 J. Krishnamurti - On God, Harper Collins Publishers, 1992.

 J. Krishnamurti - On Love and Loneliness, Harper Collins Publishers, 1994.
 J. Krishnamurti - Mediations, Shambhala Publications,2002.
 J. Krishnamurti - Insights into Education: Bringing about a Totally New Mind,
Krishnamurti Publications, 2016.

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Basic Concepts and Ideas in Education

LESSON 3
JOHN DEWEY

Karishma Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

Himani Sharma
Research Scholar
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

3.1 Learning Objectives

3.2 Introduction
3.3 Philosophy of John Dewey: 'Pragmatistic' Position
3.3.1 John Dewey's 'Progressive Education': Dewey's Laboratory School (1894)
3.3.2 School: A Miniature Society
3.3.3 Education and Democracy
3.4 Educational Objectives according to John Dewey
3.4.1 Nature of Teaching Methods in Dewey's Ideal School
3.4.2 Curriculum According to Dewey
3.4.3 Student-Teacher Relationship
3.4.4 Child and Discipline: According to John Dewey
3.5 Criticisms of Dewey’s Philosophy
3.6 Summary
3.7 Glossary
3.8 Answers to in-text Questions
3.9 Self-assessment Questions
3.10 References
3.11 Suggested Readings
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3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 To sketch the life experiences of John Dewey.
 To appreciate John Dewey’s concept of Pragmatism and its relationship with
Democracy.
 To reflect on John Dewey’s ideas including his emphasis on School as a miniature
Society, the ideal school, curriculum, and the student-teacher relationship.
 To study the Dewey’s context of aims & objectives and discipline that recognize
learners’ needs and potentials in contemporary world.
 To recognize Dewey’s contribution to the idea of child-centered teaching-learning
methods & progressive society.
 To critically evaluate Dewey’s notions of Education.

3.2 INTRODUCTION
John Dewey is known as the Philosopher who laid the foundation of the Philosophy of the
Modern Education System. John Dewey was born on 20th October 1859 in Burlington
(Vermont), United States. Dewey's father was Archibald Dewey and mother Lucina
Artemisia Rich. Like any ordinary child, Dewey started his education from a government
school in America. Dewey was an excellent student in school. In the year 1878, he received
his bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont. In the university he showed great
interest in philosophy and under the patronage of his mentor H.A.P. Torre's he secured
second rank in his graduation. Immediately after receiving his bachelor's degree Dewey got
opportunity to become a school teacher, this experience increased his interest in teaching and
education. “During this period, he paid due attention towards increasing his philosophical
knowledge and simultaneously he took guidance from his mentor Torre”. (Williams, 2017)
In the year 1882, Dewey wrote his first article 'The Metaphysical Assumptions of
Materialism'. Sometime later in the year 1884, Dewey went to achieve a doctorate from 'John
Hopkins' and was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. While
working as Assistant Professor, he established his famous 'Laboratory School' in year 1894 as
an ideal educational institution, which he called a progressive school. In this school, he
brought 'progressive' changes in learning and teaching methods also gave due emphasis on
'Progressive Educational Position'. Dewey was highly acclaimed for his work as philosopher
and his brilliant personality. He was a person of rich talent with excellence of an educationist,
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philosopher, social and educational reformer. In the year 1904, he also served as a Professor
of Philosophy at Columbia University. Dewey worked for a long time in Columbia and wrote
several books in which the imprint of his academic and philosophical position can be seen.
John Dewey was invited for a lecture by Peking University for his applaudable work
in the field of philosophy and education. He worked and prepared the reconstruction plans of
the National schools of Turkey on the request of Government of Turkey. John Dewey,
undertook several projects on 'nation reconstruction and educational reform' with the support
of the national government for several countries (such as Russia, China, Mexico, Turkey,
etc.). “The main theme underlying Dewey’s philosophy was his belief that a democratic
society of informed and engaged inquirers was the best means of promoting human interests”.
(Talebi, 2015)
In the year 1930 Dewey departed from his teaching works but he continued his
philosophical works. Dewey died in year 1952 due to his illness. Even after his death, many
of his academic and philosophical works continued to be published.

3.3 PHILOSOPHY OF JOHN DEWEY: ‘PRAGMATISTIC’ POSITION

The philosophical views and position of John Dewey is known as 'Pragmatism'. Dewey is
well known for his important works as the promoter of 'Pragmatism' and the developer of
'Functional Psychology'. John Dewey supported learning by doing based on the individual’s
experiences attained by the interaction with his environment. He was opposed to the concept
of ‘Dualism’ and believed that the thoughts and ideas of human mind and psyche do not
originate due to any external spiritual world. Rather it is the product of evolution. We can
clearly evident 'Experimentalism', 'Pragmatism', 'Utilitarianism' 'Progressivism' etc. directly
in Dewey's Philosophy
Among various theories and philosophical beliefs of John Dewey, the most important is use
of reflective and logical testing for solving any problem. According to him, 'experience' is the
center of human thinking. In order to understand the relation between human and nature we
need to see how he interacts with nature, during which his real-world experiences can be
more helpful in strengthening his understanding about the nature. Controlled observational
testing and experimentation is necessary to gain knowledge. Thus, reflective inquiry is
necessary for the attainment of knowledge. According to Dewey, human beings should form
goals according to their experiences and needs in their life. According to his 'Utilitarianism'

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point of view, human beings need to pay attention to their own problems and useful elements
should be accepted only after testing and examination.
3.3.1 JOHN DEWEY'S 'PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION': DEWEY'S LABORATORY
SCHOOL (1894)
John Dewey believed that education is a social process and a process of development.
“Education is not preparation for life but life itself”. (Talebi, 2015) Unlike the concept of
vocational and liberal education system in dualism, John Dewey envisioned an education
system in which the education system could run through practical activities. This type of
education system will not be for business but through the medium of business. Dewey
conceptualized an ideal school in year 1894 and laid the foundation of a Laboratory School.
With his work in this Laboratory School, he laid down the changes in the framework of
Education with regard to the dynamics of the changing society. Dewey, while presenting his
views on 'Progressive Education', accepted that seeing the changing nature of society, it is
also very important to improve educational institutions and schools.
Dewey opted a system of tests and experiments to make teaching methods progressive
in his Laboratory School. Experiments were carried out in this school to make teaching
methods more developed and effective. He emphasized on 'progressive education', which
strengthens and reforms schools, while abandoning traditional and formal education. In
Dewey's ideal model of school, education is Child-centered. Dewey proposed that education
should be according to the changing pace of society and to fulfill its ever-changing
objectives. The teacher should provide opportunities to the child for learning through self-
observation, research, investigation and experiences. Dewey proposed that the structure of the
'Progressive Education' should be based on social, psychological and political values.
Dewey's position of 'Progressive Education' leads both the teacher and the student to
undertake teaching-learning process through self-experience and using experimental method.

Activity
Talk to any person of the age of your grand-parents and identify the type of Education
that was given to them. Discuss with them the strengths and weaknesses of the
educational system of that time with respect to the contemporary idea of present
education. Specifically try to find out if there were any informal educational
engagements at that time.

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3.3.2 SCHOOL: A MINIATURE SOCIETY

A 'school' like a democratic community should be the reflection of the society at large.
Dewey has called school and educational institution a mirror image of 'society'. In the
educational and philosophical ideas, articles, quotes etc. of Dewey also we get to see the
imprints of effective and progressive reforms in the schools. According to Dewey, "The
school is a special environment where the child is taught specific activities and occupations
with a view to his desired development." School is a representative of the society, as the
society so is the framework of its constructed schools, curriculum and education. Dewey
believes that the child should not be taught moral values, rather he should be taught social
values and ethics through activities and experiences based on moral values. The child can
develop these moral values by himself with his collaboration and participation with his
classmates.
Functions of school as an ideal model:
 To prepare the framework of education, that reflects the society. To prepare the child
for the life.
 School should provide real-world experiences to the children.
 Educational goals should be set to develop functional activities in the school and to
fulfil social objectives.
 In schools, students should be provided opportunities for learning by self-doing,
experiencing, experimentation and testing. They learn quickly from these methods.
 As a social institution function of the school is to incorporate values in the child to
play a significant role for the progress of society.
 According to Dewey, the school should provide education to the learners only after
knowing, understanding and analysing their experiences and assessing their needs.
 Schools should reward and motivate skilled children by organizing creative activities
and competitions based on functional and social objectives.
 Schools should prepare curriculum to make student understand the external world
(social and physical). By doing so, children will be alert towards society and will be
able to make life progressive.

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3.3.3 EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY

Dewey in his book 'Democracy and Education', 1916, showed a very deep connection
between democracy and education, drawing a close attention towards the awareness of
democratic values. An educated person is better able to understand the need of democracy
and choose the right government by taking appropriate decisions, for the progress of both
society and the nation. A strong framework of education system is the key to a democratic
nation. An appropriate and progressive education system helps individuals in building nation
and a progressive society.
In a democratic nation, every person enjoys the right to equality. There is a significant
relationship between democracy and education and both are essential for each other's
progress. Equal right to education, freedom to work voluntarily, establishment of moral and
social values, democratic educational system and educational objectives are all essential
aspects of a democratic nation, which is the outcome correct decision making by people.
'Progressive education' and democratic values make the people responsible towards society.
“Society is one word, but many things. Men associate together in all kinds ofways and
for all kinds of purposes.The curriculum of education should reflect democratic values”.
(Dewey, 1916a) Through education, a person become well of aware his basic Human Rights.
Education in a democratic structure provides opportunities to the child to think, work,
train, investigate and research independently without barriers. Active participation of the
child while taking education is important. This active participation comes because of the
freedom and fair treatment given to the child that can only be available in a democratic
system.
Philosophical and Educational Works of John Dewey
John Dewey contributed significantly in every aspect of philosophy but education and
psychology remained his special fields. Dewey’s ideas mirror the effects of the new
industrialized colonized society, fraught with the problems and aftermaths of two World
Wars. “Dewey was largely inspired by Marx’s theory of social struggle and conflict between
classes” (Sikandar, 2015). All philosophical and educational ideas of Dewey were developed
on the basis of his psychological knowledge. Dewey has been considered the founder of
Functional Psychology. John Dewey has been a scholar whose articles and books continued
to be published for the next seven decades even after his death. His books and articles have
been translated into different languages and even today many books and articles are
published on John Dewey.

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Among the various research works, books, papers, articles written by John Dewey in the
field of education, philosophy, arts, some of his important works are as follows:
 The School and Society: Being Three Lectures, 1899 (Dewey, 1899)
 The Child and the Curriculum, 1902 (Dewey, 1902)
 Studies in Logical Theory, 1903 (Dewey, 1903)
 How We Think, published in 1910 and revised in 1933 (Dewey, 1910)
 German Philosophy and Politics, 1915 (Dewey, 1915)
 Democracy and Education, 1916 (Dewey, 1916a)
 Introduction to Essays in Experimental Logic, 1916 (Dewey, 1916b)
 Human Nature and Conduct, 1922 (Dewey, 1922)
 Art as Experience, 1934 (Dewey, 1934)
 Liberalism and Social Action, 1935 (Dewey, 1963)
 Experience and Education, 1938 (Dewey, 1986)
 Freedom and Culture, 1939 (Dewey, 1939)
 Problems of Man, 1946 (Dewey, 2014)
 Knowing and the Known, 1949 (Anderson, 1926)

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
6. Dewey was opposed to the concept of monism/dualism. (Tick the correct
option.)
7. In Dewey's ideal model of school, education is subject-centered. (True / False)
8. Which among the following is not an essential aspect of a democratic nation?
a) Equal right to education b) Freedom to work voluntarily
c) Autocratic educational system d) Establishment of moral and social
values
9. Dewey was largely inspired by _______________ theory of social struggle and
conflict between classes.
10. Identify which of the works of John Dewey has been incorrectly matched with
the year of their publication?
(a) Art as Experience: 1934 b) Problems of Man:1948
c) Knowing and the Known: 1949 d) Studies in Logical Theory: 1903

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3.4 EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES ACCORDING TO JOHN DEWEY

The mentality of considering the aims of education separately as the medium and the goal has
been rejected by John Dewey. According to John Dewey, educational activities itself have
innate values. These values are determined by understanding the students' own goals. He has
recognized the importance of independent understanding of the children in setting goals for
themselves. Social acceptance and utility should also be considered while setting educational
objectives. According to him the objectives of education is to develop the strengths and
abilities of the child.
 Utility Objective: Every child is unique in his/her way. Therefore, the aim of
education should be to create an environment in which every child gets an opportunity
to contribute in social awakening and for human development. It is necessary to give
the child the freedom to acquire education according to his/her interest. The
'Pragmatist' philosophy of Dewey says that the child should take education of the
subject which has a utility for fulfilling the life and educational goals. According to
the utilitarian aim the education of child should be useful for public life and should
provide all necessary experiences.
 Practical Objective: From practical point of view education should work to increase
the social efficiency of the child. The structure of education should satisfy the needs,
ambitions, purposes and thoughts of the child. Anything which gives experiential and
practical knowledge to the students should be organised and taught in schools.
 Based on Democratic Values: The aim of education is to inculcate democratic values
and ideals in a person, which in turn can ensure their participation in a democratic
society. A collaboration in which a person is completely free and independent and is
willing to cooperate with others. It should be part of objective of the education to
provide a person due freedom to aspire for and fulfil his dreams and ambitions.
 Objective of Adjustment in the Social Environment: According to Dewey’s
philosophy one of the life objectives is to remain aware about one’s social
environment and to adopt the values of society. The aim of education should be to
make a child able to adjust to his social life.
 Experience-based Education: Education should be useful for the child. More
important is that, it should be given using real-life experiences and concrete objects of
his/her life. E.g., explaining any concept using example of mall to a child belonging to
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rural area (who has not visited a mall) will not be much effective. The ‘Pragmatist’
philosophy places more confidence in the quality of knowledge gained from the
child's own prior experiences. The structure of education should also fulfil this
purpose. Experiential knowledge remains useful to the child throughout his life and
helps him to face difficulties of his life.
3.4.1 NATURE OF TEACHING METHODS IN DEWEY'S IDEAL SCHOOL
According to Dewey, the school education should advance the progress of the child and the
society. “John Dewey is quite against the traditional methods of teaching. He emphasizes
direct experience as the basis of all methods. To him knowledge should arise from concrete
and meaningful situations”. (Kaur, 2019)
 Learning by doing: The popular idea of Dewey is that the child should be given
freedom to work. He learns more efficiently by performing tasks by his own efforts.
Learning which is achieved through doing is long-lasting. Learning by doing
strengthen the child physically, mentally and psychologically. The reason for this is
that he attains self-confidence, mental satisfaction and peace through self-efforts.
 Experience-based learning: John Dewey says, “We do not learn from experiences
.... We learn from reflecting on experiences”. (Erasmus, 2006) Teachers should work
on providing opportunities to children to learn from the real-world experiences and
through environment by coming in direct contact with one’s own environment. For
this teacher should provide experience-based learning by encouraging their ideas and
thought process in the classroom.
 Learning by Experiment: Dewey’s 'Pragmatism' emphasises on creating learning
opportunities involving testing and experimentation in teaching methodologies. In
order to solve problems, the teacher should motivate the child to use methods of
experimentation and investigations by giving him freedom in the teaching-learning
process.
 Student-centred Learning Approach: The development of child can be done
according to his needs and abilities by making education and teaching method child-
centred. Dewey has always placed children at first place in the education system. The
learner-centred teaching and learning methods help the teachers to understand the
psychological state of the learner beforehand. Student-centred learning techniques
contribute significantly in the all-round development of the child's personality.

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 Purposive Learning: Learning which serves the purposes in child’s life is more
useful. Purposive learning also helps the individual to adjust to his social
environment. Purposive learning in the teaching method keeps the needs of the child
at the centre. The purposive method understands the learners’ interests and works to
make their experiences enriching.
3.4.2 CURRICULUM ACCORDING TO DEWEY
John Dewey's book ‘The Child and the Curriculum’ was published in the year 1902. In his
book, ‘Dewey has emphasized child-centered education and considered child’s efforts and his
experiential knowledge to be most important for his all-round development. He also
considered social perspectives useful for the development of child's education. In this book,
special attention has been paid to develop the framework of curriculum according to both
child and community-centered education’. Dewey considers it necessary for the students to
learn by self-activities than learning through school subjects and therefore curriculum should
be designed accordingly.
According to the philosophy of Dewey the curriculum should have the following
characteristics:
 Activity-Centred: John Dewey has considered activities as the basis of acquiring
knowledge. There should be provisions for learning through functional activities in
the curriculum. Children's interest also develops through activities. It is necessary to
have less bookish knowledge and more utility based, vocational and social activities
in the curriculum.
 Integrated Structure: The curriculum outline should be based on integrated
structure. To fulfil goals of life, the curriculum should have an integrated combination
for the development of social, moral, educational, biological aspects. Inclusion of
various facts, subjects, ideas and bases in the curriculum provides it an integrating
form.
 Flexibility: In order to keep up the pace with the progress of society it is necessary to
develop the curriculum and educational goals accordingly. Flexibility in the learning
process and educational objectives is useful for teacher, students, community, society
everyone. The principle of 'Progressive Education' is also based on the initiative to
tailor the curriculum according to the situation. Due to the flexibility of the academic
methods and curriculum, it can be reformed anytime as per the needs to recreate it.

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The flexibility of the course and curriculum can prove to be important for the daily
educational needs of the children.
 Utility-Based: The curriculum should be developed according to the needs of the
child. Adopting a Pragmatist approach in his book ‘The Child and the Curriculum’
Dewey explained that curriculum and education should be developed to meet social
and personal needs. The utilitarian aim of curriculum should prepare a child for
his/her upcoming life.
 Socially-Efficient: Dewey considered that the curriculum should be designed to make
the child socially efficient. The working of the school should be in line with the
development of social values and moral base. Dewey calls school as a miniature of
society and supports the thought of developing the child’s abilities in accordance with
society and making himself socially efficient in life.
3.4.3 STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONSHIP
According to Dewey, ‘the teacher is a mentor and director, he steers the boat, but the energy
that drives him must come from those who are learning’. Dewey views teacher as a guide
who plays a role of helper in the child's development. According to him, the teacher is an
important part of the educational institution who works for shaping the future of the children.
The teacher acts as a social worker as he prepares the children for a good and bright future.
These children are the ones who build a better nation and society.
Dewey understands that for a teacher the more important thing is to understand the
interests and needs of the child, rather than filling knowledge in them. The teacher must
know that a child learns best from his own experiences or by doing tasks himself/herself.
The teacher's first effort should be to prepare the child for his future life and to show
him the right direction being the guide. It is his responsibility to provide the children useful
education so that they become competent to resolve problems of their lives.
3.4.4 CHILD AND DISCIPLINE: ACCORDING TO JOHN DEWEY
John Dewey was a staunch supporter of child’s freedom. He considered it appropriate to
discipline child through social values, because of this he will be able to better adjust with
society and his social environment. The teacher should work to make child aware of social
values. Teacher should direct child only after understanding his previous experiences and
knowledge.
The teacher needs not to discipline the child through strict rules and punishments.
Rather he can educate the child to learn from his experiences through research and
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experimentation. The teacher needs not to impose his understanding and thinking on the child
in order to discipline the child. The teacher should motivate the child for self-learning, self-
discipline and group discipline. Inculcation of discipline and personality of child should be
developed through cooperation and functional activities.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
6. In Dewey’s Ideal School, the following methods can be used best to help
learners in their classrooms:
a) Learning by imitation b) Learning by doing
c) Learning by riddles d) Learning by association
7. John Dewey's book ‘The Child and the Curriculum’ was published in the
year _______________.
8. Children's interest also develops through _______________.
9. Dewey considered that the curriculum should be designed to make the child
socially efficient/dependent.
10. The teacher must know that a child learns best from his own experiences.
True / False
11. The teacher should motivate the child for:
a) self-learning b) group discipline
c) both a and b d) repetitive learning

3.5 CRITICISMS OF DEWEY’S PHILOSOPHY

John Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatism works for the reform of Society and Education. But
its critics have condemned this philosophy for neglecting spiritual values. John Dewey
believes that a child should educate according to a progressive society and not in accordance
with the spiritual values. The nature of education is changeable and progressive.
Some points of Criticism of Dewey's philosophy:
 Ignoring Spiritual Values: The Pragmatist view of Dewey considers spiritual values
less important and presents an position to develop the nature of education in
accordance with the material world and changing social values. His critics did not
favour the lack of spiritual values in Dewey’s pragmatistic philosophy.

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 Limited Role of Teacher: The role of teacher is only of a guide. The teacher's job is
only to create opportunities for the child to have experiences of real world. The role of
the teacher is limited; he cannot impose his belief and opinions on the child.
 Lack of Stable Goals: Fixed goals have no significance in Dewey's educational
philosophy. According to Dewey, progressive society requires progressive goals and
not static goals. Dewey's philosophy emphasizes to develop educational objectives
according to the utility of child and social values. On the other hand, educational
thinkers believe that education needs to have stable goals. Without static goals the
condition and direction of education would be like a directionless boat in the sea.
 Indifference to Cultural Values: Dewey theory of Pragmatism does not accept the
need of cultural values. According to Dewey, instead of cultural values, a dynamic
society today needs practical and utilitarian educational principles. In another sense,
today a child needs a progressive society and needs to acquire education according to
his utilitarian purposes in life.
Where Dewey has discussed about the nation, the discontinuation of the cultural
existence of the nation from the path of education, shows a contradiction in Dewey's
opinion. In the absence of culture, humans are like fish without water. Disregard to
cultural heritage and identity makes Dewey's philosophy drab in the educational
context.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
12. John Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatism works for the reform of
_______________ and _______________.
13. According to Dewey, a dynamic society today needs practical and utilitarian
educational principles. True / False
14. According to Dewey’s philosophy, the role of the teacher is limited/unlimited.
Tick the correct answer.
15. Following criticisms are not an essential aspect of Dewey’s philosophy in the
context of educational ideas:
a) Indifference to cultural ideas b) Limited role of teacher
c) Using Integrated structure d) Lack of stable goals

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3.6 SUMMARY
It would not be an exagertion if we say that John Dewey’s philosophical position laid the
foundation of modern Education system. The central theme of Dewey’s philosophy has
always been revolved around the belief of a democrartic society of informed and well-
engaged inquirers. These inquirers are supposed to be the best means for promoting human
interests in a democratic society. His philosophical position is known as ‘Pragmatism’.
Dewey has always opposed the concept of Dualism, he has rather focussed on the veiwpoints
of ‘Expermentalism’, ‘Utilitarianism’, ‘Progressivism’ etc. Dewey, while presenting his
views on 'Progressive Education', accepted the changing nature of society, so as to direct the
progress of educational institutions specifically schools.
Dewey, in his book, 'Democracy and Education' (Dewey, 1916a), emphasised a deep
connection between democracy and education thereby drawing a close attention towards the
awareness of democratic values. He believed that education in a democratic structure
provides opportunities to the child to think, work, train, investigate and research
independently without barriers. Some of the works of Dewey such as Democracy and
Education (Dewey, 1916a), Problems of Man (1946) (Dewey, 2014), Freedom and Culture
(1939) (Dewey, 1939) etc., gives an insight into his understanding about society and
education.
According to John Dewey, educational activities themselves have innate values.
These values are determined by understanding the students' own goals. He has recognized the
importance of independent understanding of the children in setting goals for themselves. John
Dewey has always been quite against the traditional methods of teaching and emphasized
direct experience as the basis of all methods. He talked about child-centered education in his
book ‘The Child and the Curriculum’ (Dewey, 1902). According to him, the teacher is an
important part of the educational institution who works for shaping the future of the children.
Some critiques justifiably point out that Dewey has ignored the importance of spiritual
values, has limited the role of teacher as that of a mere guide and has shown indifference to
the culture and values that define the contextual realities of children. This ignorance of the
spiritual and cultural side of human existence devoids the children the rich context of their
existencial reality.

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3.7 GLOSSARY

 Progressive: developing or happening gradually

 Utilitarian: something that is usable or is needful for us
 Conceptualized: form an idea or a concept of/about something

3.8 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

1. Dualism 9. Efficient
2. False 10. True
3. Option (c) 11. Option (c)
4. Marx’s 12. Society and Education
5. Option (b) 13. True
6. Option (b) 14. Limited
7. 1920 15. Using Integrated structure
8. Activities.

3.9 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain the philosophical position of John Dewey in the context of democracy and its
importance in the educational contexts of the learners.
2. Reflect on John Dewey’s idea of progressive society and its impact on the school.
What will be the learners’ role in the progressive society?
3. Enlist different teaching methods proposed by John Dewey in his ‘Ideal School’
concept. What is the importance of these methods of teaching and learning in
contemporary educational scenario?

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3.10 REFERENCES

 Anderson, J. (1926). The Knower and the Known. Proceedings of the Aristotelian
Society (Vol. 27). [Aristotelian Society, Wiley]. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4544113
 Dewey, J. (1899). The School and Society: Being Three Lectures. University of
Chicago Press.
 Dewey, J. (1902). The Child and the Curriculum. Chicago & London: The University
of Chicago Press.
 Dewey, J. (1903). Studies in Logical Theory (Vol. 11). Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press.
 Dewey, J. (1910). How We Think. D. C. Heath & Co PUBLISHERS (Vol. 5).
 Dewey, J. (1915). German Philosophy and Politics. H. Holt.
 Dewey, J. (1916a). Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of
Education (First). Duke Classics.
 Dewey, J. (1916b). Introduction to Essays in Experimental Logic. The Middle Works
of John Dewey, 10, 320–365.
 Dewey, J. (1922). Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction into Social
Psychology. London: George Allen & Unwin.
 Dewey, J. (1934). The Live Creature. In Art as Experience (p. 19). Capricorn Books,
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.
 Dewey, J. (1939). Freedom and Culture.
 Dewey, J. (1963). Liberalism and Social Action (Vol. 74). Capricorn Books New
York.
 Dewey, J. (1986). Experience and Education. In The educational forum (Vol. 50, pp.
241–252). Taylor & Francis.
 Dewey, J. (2014). Problems of Men. Open Road Media.
 Erasmus, C. J. (2006). Developing Reflective Practice Skills Through the Use of a
Road Map. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 30file:///(2), 57.
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 Kaur, G. (2019). Educational Thoughts of John Dewey. International Journal of 360

Degree Management Review, 7, 42–44.
 Sikandar, A. (2015). John Dewey and His Philosophy of Education. Journal of
Education and Educational Development, 2(2), 191–201.
 Talebi, K. (2015). John Dewey - Philosopher and Educational Reformer. European
Journal of Education Studies, 1(1), 1–13.
 Williams, M. K. (2017). John Dewey in the 21 st Century, 9(1), 91–102.

3.11 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of

Education (First). Duke Classics.
 Kaur, G. (2019). EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS OF JOHN DEWEY. International
Journal of 360 Management Review, 7, 42–44.
 Dewey, J. (1902). The Child and the Curriculum. CHICAGO & LONDON: THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS.
 Dewey, J. (1903). Studies in Logical Theory (Vol. 11). Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press.
 Dewey, J. (1910). How We Think. D. C. Heath & Co PUBLISHERS (Vol. 5).
 Dewey, J. (1915). German Philosophy and Politics. H. Holt.
 Dewey, J. (1916a). Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of
Education (First). Duke Classics.
 Dewey, J. (1916b). Introduction to Essays in Experimental Logic. The Middle Works
of John Dewey, 10, 320–365.

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LESSON 4
JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Karishma Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

Himani Sharma
Research Scholar
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

4.1 Learning Objectives

4.2 Introduction
4.3 The Philosophical Thoughts of J. J. Rousseau
4.3.1 Rousseau: Supporter Of 'Naturalism'
4.3.2 'Emile, 1762'
4.3.3 Tender Perspectives Towards Children
4.3.4 Naturalistic and Negative Education
4.4 Educational Thoughts of J.J. Rousseau
4.4.1 Aims of Education
4.4.2 Teaching Methods in Rousseau’s Philosophy
4.4.3 Student and Teacher Relationship
4.4.4 Child and Discipline
4.5 Limitations of Rousseau's Educational Philosophy
4.6 Summary
4.7 Glossary
4.8 Answers to in-text Questions
4.9 Self-Assessment Questions
4.10 References

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4.11 Suggested Readings

4.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 To sketch the life experiences of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
 To appreciate Jean Rousseau’s concept of Naturalistic education and its relationship
with Child’s freedom and learning.
 To reflect on Rousseau’s ideas including his emphasis on child learning in the natural
surrounding bound with the beauty and in the laps of nature
 To understand Rousseau’s philosophy and his love for nature, his perspectives
towards child and society, the curriculum, and the student-teacher relationship.
 To study the Rousseau’s context of aims & objectives and discipline that recognize
learners’ freedom to express themselves, their natural development, and the place of
nature in the contemporary world.
 To critically evaluate Rousseau’s notions on the Education.

4.2 INTRODUCTION
We know Jean Jacques Rousseau as a famous philosopher, writer and musician who was the
biggest supporter of ‘Naturalism’. Rousseau was born on 28 June 1712 in a poor family in
Geneva. Rousseau's parents were Isaac Rousseau and Suzanne Bernard. Rousseau's father
was a local watchmaker. His mother died a few days after his birth. After his mother's death,
his father and aunt raised him. But their behaviour towards Rousseau was careless. Rousseau
did not have much education. At the age of 13, he left his home and worked as an apprentice
to an engraver at his place. At the age of 16, he began spending his life by wandering over
different places. Over the next 10 years, Rousseau worked as a carpenter, servant and
musician.
In 1735 he also taught two children as a private tutor. This teaching experience
aroused interest in him towards education. In 1742, he moved to Paris to pursue his career as
a musician. Apart from this from 1743 to 1744, Rousseau served as a secretary to the French
ambassador in Venice. An important breakthrough came in his life when he participated in an
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essay writing competition in year 1749. In this competition, Rousseau was awarded the first
position by the prestigious French Academy of 'Dijon'. His ideas in the essay spread sensation
everywhere. The title given for the essay was 'Discourse on the Arts and Sciences'. In this
essay, Rousseau viewed that the growing progress of science and arts cannot be considered
beneficial for humanity. In the year 1755, for his second essay (titled 'The Origin of
Inequality'), he faced controversies due to his difference of opinion with Thomas Hobbes'
ideas.
In 1762, his works 'Emile' and 'The Social Contract' got completed. Due to Rousseau's
sarcasm and critical point of views towards French political institutions and religion, his
relations with French authorities got bitter, due to which he had to spend many years in exile
first in Prussia and then in Bern. From 1763 to 1765, Rousseau wrote article on
'Constitutional Project for Corsica'. At the same time, the work of his autobiography ‘The
Confessions: With the Reveries of the Solitary Walker’ also started. Rousseau also faced
criticisms and hostile behaviour for many of his writings due to which he made the decision
to leave England. In his final years, he completed several other works, one of which was his
autobiography ‘The Confessions of J.J. Rousseau: With the Reveries of the Solitary Walker’
which was published in 1777. The same year he returned to France, and on 2 July 1778 he
passed away.

4.3 THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT OF JEAN JACQUES

ROUSSEAUY

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU'S 'SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE'

Rousseau's philosophical views on society and human civilization lie on three important
influences. These are the state of time, different experiences of one's own life and one's
emotional nature. Rousseau presented his views on the relationship between society and man
in 'The Social Contract'. (J. J. Rousseau, 2011) He opposes the extreme harshness that falls on
the soft mind of the child in society and wants from the society to let the child be a child. The
child should not be compared to an adult. Rousseau states, "Man was born free and
everywhere he is in chains. Those who consider themselves the masters of others are indeed
greater slaves than they."
Rousseau believes that man should free himself from the shackles of society with the help of
education. Opposing social values, Rousseau states, "Civilization is a hopeless race to
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discover remedies for the evils it produces." Rousseau advises man to stay away from society
and get education because the rules and laws made in social life contaminate the natural self
of human beings. In the same context Rousseau further states “Civilized man is born, lives
and dies in slavery” (Jamwal, 2017). In contrast to this, man is able to attain his true natural
self by staying away from social life.
4.3.1 ROUSSEAU: SUPPORTER OF 'NATURALISM'
Jean Jacques Rousseau was very much influenced by the natural environment of Paris
(France) in his life. His experiences in France gave birth to attraction towards nature and
natural values in his mind. Rousseau was the one who started the naturalism movement. In
Rousseau's 'naturalist' philosophy the state of nature, natural man and natural civilization are
the three very important elements. He completely rejects the traditional approach in
education, and exclaims, “Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the
world, but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man”. (Jamwal, 2017) In his naturalist
philosophy, in order to acquire wholesome and all-round development Rousseau advice the
child to remain in the midst of nature because he believes nature is the only teacher. While
propounding these ideas, he gave the slogan of "Back to nature" to human beings.
In his philosophy of naturalism nature is predominant and man is subordinate to it.
Rousseau was a famous naturalist. In 'naturalism' philosophy, education is given to the child
according to his age and by keeping his needs and abilities in mind. This philosophy is
against traditional approach in education and strongly condemns its orthodox nature.
According to James Ward, "Naturalism is the doctrine that separates nature from God,
subordinates the soul to matter, and establishes immutable laws supremely." (Bajpai, 2021)
This philosophy recognizes the physical world and nature as the ultimate reality rest all is
false. Apart from this, naturalist philosophy also denies the very existence of God. Naturalism
views all human beings with the same point of view. Knowledge of natural and moral values
is the most significant education. Apart from Jean Jacques Rousseau, there are few other
proponents of Naturalism they are Aristotle, Comte, Bacon, Herbert Spencer, Rabindranath
Tagore and Sir T.P. Nun.
Other features of Rousseau's 'naturalism' philosophy are:
 Special importance has been given to the child. Education should be child-centred and
not teacher-centred.

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 All round development of Child takes place when complete freedom is given to
him/her, and not through discipline.
 This philosophy out rightly denies the very existence of the God, soul or any other
divine power.
 Innate conscience, moral instincts, the power of prayer all are nothing but illusions.
 According to the philosophy of Naturalism, education should enhance the power of
senses in the child.
 Values should be cultivated to meet the specific needs of the individual.
4.3.2 'EMILE, 1762'
In his book 'Emile' (J. J. Rousseau, 1889), Rousseau talks about the education of an
imaginary child. The book is written in five parts, which throws light on the education and
educational goals of the imaginary child ‘Emile’ at different stages (infancy, childhood,
boyhood and adulthood). Apart from this Rousseau in the fifth part discusses the education of
Emile's wife 'Sophie' to highlight women’s education because he believes that education is
very important for the development of women. Remember that in the western world of the
eighteenth century, women did not have even the right to vote. They could not go out of the
house alone. So, the right to work and study is a distant thing. These five parts are as follows:
 Education in Infancy (1-5 Years) - In child's infancy, utmost care should be taken to
develop his physical and mental strength. Rousseau said "All wickedness comes from
weakness. The child is wicked only because he is weak. Make him strong; and he will
be good”. (J. J. Rousseau, 2018) To increase the physical and mental strength of the
child, it is necessary to give him an open and clean environment, which he can only
get by nature. It is unfair to spoil a child by giving him valuable things. Instead, the
child should be freed and allowed to do the activities according to his interest. These
activities are part of his education. With this he can develop his natural abilities and
natural instincts.
 Education in Childhood (5-12 Years) - This stage plays the most prominent role in a
child's life. During this period, child can easily and for long time memorise the
knowledge acquired through the senses. Therefore, the aim of education should be to
increase the sensory powers of the child. The child has no knowledge of right and
wrong in his childhood, therefore it is necessary to provide moral education to the
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child using examples. In Emile, Rousseau believes that Emile learns best from his
experiences and through the consequences of the decisions he makes in his life.
Therefore, the child should be given the freedom to do the activities according to his
desires.
 Education in Adolescence (12-15 Years) - Rousseau after developing the physical,
mental and moral aspects of his imaginary child 'Emile' believes that at the age of
boyhood now it is necessary for him to increase his intellectual knowledge. Now he
has reached the level of his adult life and during this period, his curiosity increases.
Therefore, he encourages Emile to acquire knowledge about nature and subjects
related to nature. Apart from this, he talks about giving education of performing arts,
geography and science. At this stage, the child should be taught through his own
efforts and direct observation.
 Education in Adulthood (15-20 Years) - Rousseau believes that at this stage one
needs to get moral education in his life. A person comes in direct contact with the
environment around him and learns only from his direct experiences. This stage
develops and amplifies excessive emotions within the adult. At the same time, this
phase is also the state of his mental and physical changes. In this stage, the child
is more exposed to social life. Therefore, he should be given the education to adjust in
the social world.
 Women's Education - In the fifth part of his book Emile, Rousseau describes a
woman named 'Sophie'. In this section, this new character plays the role of wife of
‘Emile’. Rousseau considers women's education necessary, but their education is
limited to learning the arts like sewing, embroidery, weaving. Rousseau is of the
opinion that the education acquired by the women should be to please the men.
Rousseau has stated that “A man seeks to serve, women seeks to please, the one
knowledge, the other taste” (Jamwal, 2017) He considers acquiring of intellectual
knowledge by women will degrade their natural behaviour. In his books Rousseau has
given special importance to 'Ethics' and 'Religion' in women's education. He
advocates making women obedient and hardworking towards their partner.

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4.3.3 TENDER PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS CHILDREN

The child is naive, pure hearted and simple in nature. The behaviour of a child is like his
heart pure, true and simple. Rousseau's gentle attitude towards child says that the child should
be considered and accepted as a child, in spite of a mini adult. A child is not an adult, so he
should not be judged on the standards of an adult. Rousseau insists to keep the child away
from harmful social influences. In order to protect the child's natural self from harm, it is
necessary that he comes into contact with nature and attains his natural self. Children have
innate curiosity. Child needs to learn from his own experiences and their consequences. The
child's eagerness develops investigative ability in him to use new things and objects.
Rousseau is in favour of taking education according to child’s efforts and interests. His
naturalistic views emphasise to give complete freedom to the child because only by living in
lap of nature and gaining freedom, child can do his all-round development
4.3.4 NATURALISTIC AND NEGATIVE EDUCATION
In the context of natural education, Rousseau believes that the child should be taught in the
nature, in the natural environment, in a neat and clean environment away from the city's
pollution and social influences. Rousseau asserts that a child who has been educated by
Nature will be self-reliant and use reason to guide his action. The child will allow his mind
and body to work together to enhance his understanding of the world. Through this natural
form of education, the child will develop his own ideas and be governed by his own will, not
the will of others. (Peckover, 2012) According to him nature, object and man are the three
main teachers in the life of a child. The child can succeed in achieving his full development
by coming in contact with these three in his life. Man cannot control nature. Nature helps
man in his complete development. Only nature is unlimited and complete, therefore nature is
most important for child and human being. It is in this context that, Rousseau asks the child
to acquire education in a natural environment.
According to Rousseau, 'Negative education' means using books, being inside closed
rooms and staying within the predefined limits. He opposes getting education from books.
The child and adult should acquire knowledge through direct interaction with objects and
nature instead of bookish knowledge (or studying in closed boundaries and rooms).
Rousseau's negative education is completely opposite to formal and traditional education.
Rousseau’s Negative education, states to provide freedom to child to perform activities and

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tasks on his own. He talks about embracing nature, not books, and expects from the child to
increase his interest for doing all the tasks on his own.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
1. What is the name of Jean Jacques Rousseau’s autobiography?
2. According to Rousseau, ‘Man was born free and everywhere he is in
________’. Chains / Prisons
3. Following is not one of the works that highlights Rousseau’s
philosophical ideas:
a) Emile b) The Social Construct
c) Discourse on the Philosophy d) The Origin of Inequality
4. Who among the following is not amongst the proponents of Naturalism
unlike Rousseau?
a) Kierkegaard b) Bacon
c) T. P. Nunn d) Rabindranath Tagore
5. In his book 'Emile', Rousseau talks about the education of an __________
child.
6. Rousseau’s __________ education, states to provide freedom to child to
perform activities and tasks on his own. (Progressive / Negative)

4.4 EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS OF J.J. ROUSSEAU

Rousseau considers education extremely important for the development of humanity. He

believed, ‘Education can provide children with a vision of Nature that is not separated from
humanity’. (Peckover, 2012) Teaching the child according to his needs and abilities is helpful
in his development. Rousseau's educational philosophy considers child’s physical and mental
development more important than his/her intellectual development. He gives more emphasis
on developing a child's natural abilities. Education cannot be acquired in interrupted form;
hence he opposes bookish knowledge and argues for achieving education in the open

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environment. Nature should be accepted as the prime teacher of man and child. The child
should perform his responsibilities towards material world with complete devotion.
4.4.1 AIMS OF EDUCATION
The significant and necessary objectives of education in the educational philosophy of
Rousseau are as follows:
 Attainment of Freedom: Rousseau's naturalistic opinion asks to provide complete
freedom to the child. The aim of education should be to provide opportunities for the
child to develop his abilities and capabilities. Rousseau does not compel the child to
live within the boundaries. His naturalist philosophy advocates complete
independence of the child. Therefore, the aim of education should also be the same
which is to provide opportunities and freedom to the child to learn through his own
efforts and make decisions.
 Learning from Circumstances - One of the aims of education in naturalist
philosophy is to make the child and adult self-sufficient. The responsibility of
education is to prepare the learner for his life. Education to adjust according to their
environment can be helpful in his development. He learns from the circumstances and
can make appropriate modifications in himself according to their results. Only that
education can be considered appropriate which can help the child and which he can
follow in his life.
 Child-Centred Education - The child's position is the most important in his
educational philosophy. In cycle of education, he places the child at the centre of the
circle. He gives due importance to gain education according to the abilities and
interests of child. Taking child out of the natural environment means to create a
barrier in his all-round development. Rousseau considers it right to keep the child
away from social values and treat him as a child and find it inappropriate to treat the
child as an adult. He considers it appropriate to free the child from any restraints in
his childhood. Rousseau also believes the aim of education should be to develop his
wholesome personality and character.
 Developing Innate Capabilities - Another necessary goal of education should be to
develop the child according to his needs. Education should unearth and develop latent
abilities of the person. A child is good by his nature with a pure mind and is able to

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see everyone with equal eye. He also recognizes the difference between right and
wrong. The need is only to provide him with the right education, which he can
achieve only by getting close to nature.
 Holistic Development - All-round development of child and man can be achieved
only by natural education. Because he is able to develop his abilities fully by staying
close to nature. Rousseau has also paid utmost attention to the all-round development
of the child. The right meaning of taking proper education is to achieve all-round
development of oneself also the true education is one which can develop all aspects of
child and adult.
 Moral Education - Moral education helps the child to distinguish right from wrong.
On the basis of moral values, he learns to help himself and others. Rousseau advises
the child to stay away from society and social perspectives. He encourages him/her to
get moral values-based education to fight social evils. In the all-round development of
the child moral education contributes immensely along with physical and mental
education.
4.4.2 TEACHING METHODS IN ROUSSEAU’S PHILOSOPHY
Child-centred education is described in Rousseau's naturalist philosophy which gives
complete freedom to the child and also respects his/her natural self. Apart from this, the
education of the child can only be done by living in the natural environment. he educational
philosophy of Rousseau provides an opportunity for the child to learn through his own efforts
and to choose subjects to according to his interests. The following educational methods are
useful for the child:
 Learning by doing: About educational methods Rousseau explains that a child gains
the most effective knowledge through his own efforts. By doing this, his physical
strength also develops. In learning by doing, the child not only gains physical strength
but also feel good mentally. This instils self-confidence in the child, also his
successful and unsuccessful efforts inspire him to move forward in life.
 Learning through Senses: Rousseau believes child remembers the knowledge
acquired through senses for long time because it is secured directly through the
source. Providing multi-sensory education to the child is very helpful in his
personality development. Traditional education that is imparted in schools does not
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remain useful over time because the child may forget them. But the education which
involves knowledge related with the information and experiences acquired through
multiple senses leaves a deep impression on his mind and brain. Therefore, the child
should learn to use all his senses.
 Exploration / Discovery Method: In order to make the child's knowledge permanent
it is necessary to provide him maximum time to explore and observe new things. In
Rousseau's educational philosophy, discovery method is the most important learning
method for acquiring knowledge. Rousseau strongly opposes the rote-learning
method. He insists the child to get education in natural surroundings so that the child
can gain knowledge by exploring himself because this type of experiences and
information will always mark in his memory.
 Self-Education Method: The child can become successful in developing his own
abilities by using self-education method. Self-education method is helpful to the child
as it helps in boosting his confidence by motivating him to achieve new goals in life.
Rousseau places more emphasis on self-study approach as it increases a child's
interest. The child can choose his own learning areas according to his needs and
interests. In contact with nature, the child understands his needs better and is clearer
about them. He can gain knowledge by using the self-education method for the
comfort of his curiosity.
 Self-Experience method: According to Rousseau, the child should be motivated to
learn on the basis of his experiences. Children understand correctly when they are in
direct contact with facts and their surroundings. Through direct contact, they become
aware of the reality of the object quickly. Experiences right or wrong, good or bad can
both help in the development of the child in all forms. That is why the child should be
given freedom to understand nature, things, humans etc. These experiences provide
him true education and make him a skilled person.
4.4.3 STUDENT AND TEACHER RELATIONSHIP
Rousseau was supporter of providing complete freedom to the child. The child should stay
away from the social system and should acquire education near nature. Social evils and the
conservative rules and laws of society can be a hindrance in the overall development of
human beings. The child should have the freedom to decide and act according to his interests.
Rousseau believes that the child must follow rules of nature. Rousseau also feels the need for
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the child to inculcate a sense of patriotism towards his nation in his work 'Consideration on
the Government of Poland' (J.-J. Rousseau, 1772). In the various stages (from infancy to old
age), Rousseau has motivated to develop his interests, work for the development of mind and
body, participate in activities and actions, enhance moral and personality development as well
as character formation, development of religious and social qualities within himself/herself.
He has also encouraged the child to develop nation friendly and patriotic feeling. These
develop due to adjustment between nature of the child and his surroundings.
In Rousseau's educational philosophy, the child's position is above the teacher and all
attention is focused on the child. Where the place of a child is in the centre, the place and
importance of the teacher is secondary. The teacher can observe the child from a distance, he
can tell the child the proper path but walking on it is only the task of the child. “He believed
that teacher should not interfere with the activities of the children. Rousseau considers nature
as the most qualified teacher”. (Jamwal, 2017) The conservative and traditional education
system of the society impairs the development of the child. Teacher is also a part of the
society; therefore, the teacher becomes a hindrance in the development of the child. The
teacher can only provide education to the child on social values whereas natural education is
more important for the child. For this reason, the teacher's position in the philosophy of
Rousseau is minimal.
4.4.4 CHILD AND DISCIPLINE
According to Rousseau's 'naturalist' philosophy, disciplining a child means punishing him
harshly. Thus, Rousseau's philosophy is against social discipline or discipline based on social
norms. Rousseau advises the child to remain self-experienced and independent. He considers
it important to provide complete freedom to the child and to live with nature his development.
He believes in self-discipline approach. Disciplining a child and trying to control him can be
a barrier to his development. Contrary to this, giving the child freedom to learn through his
own efforts motivates him for self-discipline. The meaning of social life and social discipline
is to fasten the child and man in chains. Rousseau said “God makes all things good; man
meddles with them and they become evil”. (J.-J. Rousseau, 1988) Social life corrupts the
child's brain and binds him to the shackles of rules. Rousseau has advocated disciplining the
child by natural rules. Nature teaches both child and man when it the time comes and makes
him know both right and wrong, good, and bad in his surroundings.

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IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

7. Education can provide children with a vision of Nature that is not separated
from ____________.
8. Rousseau's naturalistic opinion asks to provide complete freedom to the
child. True / False
9. Which of the following methods in teaching were not suggested in
Rousseau’s positioning in his philosophy:
a) Self-Education Method b) Self-Experience method
c) Learning through Senses d) Learning by traditional method
10. The ____________ and ____________ education system of the society
impairs the development of the child.
11. In Rousseau's educational philosophy, the child's position is above the
teacher and all attention is focused on the child. (True / False)
12. Rousseau said, “____________ makes all things good; man meddles with
them and they become evil”.

4.5 LIMITATIONS OF ROUSEEAU’S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

There were some weaknesses and shortcomings in Rousseau's naturalist philosophy and
educational outlook as well. Rousseau saw the arrival of science and arts as a hindrance to the
natural development of the human mind. Rousseau's philosophy also opposes social life. It is
impossible to human life. Man is a social animal who can develop himself fully only by
living in society. Therefore, following are some of the limitations in Rousseau's philosophy:
 No Place for science - Natural world is not enough for education. For the all-round
development of the child, knowledge related to the technical and scientific
development happening around him is also necessary, which is absent in the naturalist
philosophy of Rousseau.
 No Place for Books - Rousseau's educational philosophy considers the use of books
futile and calls for a complete boycott of it. Rousseau views the idea of learning from
books negatively. Books are a repository of knowledge which has the potential to
introduce knowledge to individuals in different forms.

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 Flawed Discipline Method - Rousseau highly values absolute freedom under his
naturalistic philosophy. In opposition to this, other philosophers believe that by giving
complete freedom to the child, he can harm himself by going on wrong path. It is
necessary that the child develops sense of responsibilities towards his environment
and can be linked to the values of social life. Complete freedom in the social world is
neither possible nor can be.
 No Role of Teacher - The teacher plays the main and important role in the life of the
student. But in Rousseau's philosophy, the role of the teacher is only that of the stage
setter, where the child is in the role of the hero and who is doing all the work
according to himself. The position of the teacher is minimal, and his specific role has
not been accepted.
 Less Importance to Women Education: Rousseau has not laid much emphasis on
women’s education rather he has believed that women should learn to develop skills
that help her please her partner. In his Book V, he has talked about Sophie, a
companion and wife of Emile who is supposed to learn the skills such as embroidery,
sewing cooking etc, as part of her education that pleases her partner (husband Emile).
Rousseau has opposed women getting intellectual knowledge as it will degrade her
natural behaviour.

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
13. Man is a ___________ animal who can develop himself fully only by living in
society. (Social/Emotional)
14. Following is not a criticism of Rousseau’s educational philosophy:
a) No Role of Teacher b) No Place for Books
c) More emphasis on Women Education d) Flawed Discipline Method
15. Rousseau highly values absolute freedom under his ____________ philosophy.
Naturalistic / Pragmatistic
16. Rousseau has opposed women getting intellectual knowledge as it will degrade
her natural behaviour. (True/False)

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4.6 SUMMARY
Jean Jacques Rousseau, a staunch supporter of naturalism, who laid the foundation of
naturalistic education and learning alongwith nature. Rousseau believed that a child should be
taught in natural surroundings so that he can come close to the nature and learn to appreciate
it. He believed that the society is extremely harsh on the soft minds of children and that
society should let the child be the child. He expressed his ideas and the relationaship between
society and Man in his work the Social Contract (1762)(J.-J. Rousseau, 1964). In Rousseau's
'naturalist' philosophy the state of nature, natural man and natural civilization are the three
very important elements. He completely rejects the traditional approach in education.
In his philosophy of Naturalism Rousseau talks about nature being predominant and
man to be the subordinate to it. Rousseau was a famous naturalist. In 'naturalism' philosophy,
education is given to the child according to his age and by keeping his needs and abilities in
mind. Rousseau expresses his ideas on educating the child in his book Emile written in the
year 1762. In this book, he throws light on the educational goals of the imaginary child
created by him named Emile and also talks about the education of his wife named Sophie.
Rousseau believed that children should learn from their own experiences and their
consequences whether good or bad and that they shoul be given complete freedom to grow
according to their natural surroundings.
Rousseau's concept of Negative education is completely opposite to formal and
traditional education. Rousseau’s Negative education, states to provide freedom to child to
perform activities and tasks on his own. He talks about embracing nature, not books, and
expects from the child to increase his interest for doing all the tasks on his own. Rousseau
considers it right to keep the child away from social values and treat him as a child and find it
inappropriate to treat the child as an adult. He believes that a child is not an adult, so he should
not be judged on the standards of an adult. Some of the limitations of Rousseau’s philosophy
points out that he does not emphasises the role of teachers but instead only belives teacher to
act as a stage-setter for a child, no discipline to the child instead supports the notion of
providing complete freedom to children and let them learn from the consequences that face
from their acctions. Some critiques have also rightfully pointed out that rousseau has payed
less importance on educating women.

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4.7 GLOSSARY

 Doctrine: a principle or position in the branch of knowledge or a system of beliefs

 Naturalistic: derived from or closely related to nature or natural surroundings and/or
the real life.
 Conservative: not easy to change an opinion or traditional in approach
 Shackles: a pair of metal rings attached with chains, something to restrict someone to
move
 Confession: an act of admitting something (when done or hidden something wrongly)

4.8 ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS

1. The Confessions: With the 9. Learning by traditional method

Reveries of the Solitary Walker
10. Conservative, Traditional
2. Chains
11. True
3. Discourse on the Philosophy
12. God
4. Kierkegaard
13. Social
5. Imaginary
14. More emphasis on Women
6. Negative Education

7. Humanity 15. Naturalistic

8. True 16. True

4.9 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain the philosophical position of Jean Rousseau in the context of nature and its
importance in the educational contexts of the learners?
2. Reflect on Rousseau’s idea of naturalistic education and its impact on the society.
What will be the learners’ role in the society?
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3. How do you see Rousseau’s idea of providing the complete freedom to the child in
order to reach their fullest extent? Is it/not a hindrance in disciplining a child?
4. How much do you agree/disagree with Rousseau’s ideas on the education of women?
Does Rousseau’s ideas show his equal treatment towards women in terms of
education?

4.10 REFERENCES

 Bajpai, A. (2021). PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION-.

 Jamwal, B. S. (2017). Rousseau and His Educational Philosophy. Scholarly Research
Journal for Humanity Science & English Language, 4(24).
https://doi.org/10.21922/srjhsel.v4i24.10327
 Peckover, C. (2012). Realizing the Natural Self: Rousseau and the Current System of
Education. Philosophical Studies in Education, 43, 84–94. Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1000297
 Rousseau, J.-J. (1772). Considerations on the Government of Poland and on its
Proposed Reformation. Retrieved April, 29, 254. Retrieved from
https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/125482/5016_Rousseau_Considerations_on_the_Govern
ment_of_Poland.pdf
 Rousseau, J.-J. (1964). The Social Contract (1762). Londres.
 Rousseau, J.-J. (1988). JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU, EMILE or ON EDUCATION
(1762), 5–9.
 Rousseau, J. J. (1889). EMILE; or, Concerning Education. BOSTON: D. C. HEAT H
& COMPANY. https://doi.org/10.1017/ccol0521572657.010
 Rousseau, J. J. (2011). The Social Contract. The Two Narratives of Political
Economy, 1762, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118011690.ch7
 Rousseau, J. J. (2018). Emile: Book I. https://doi.org/10.1093/oseo/instance.00095795

4.11 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Jamwal, B. S. (2017). Rousseau and His Educational Philosophy. Scholarly Research

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Journal for Humanity Science & English Language, 4(24).

https://doi.org/10.21922/srjhsel.v4i24.10327
 Peckover, C. (2012). Realizing the Natural Self: Rousseau and the Current System of
Education. Philosophical Studies in Education, 43, 84–94. Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1000297
 Rousseau, J.-J. (1772). Considerations on the Government of Poland and on its
Proposed Reformation. Retrieved April, 29, 254. Retrieved from
https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/125482/5016_Rousseau_Considerations_on_the_Govern
ment_of_Poland.pdf
 Rousseau, J.-J. (1988). JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU, EMILE or ON EDUCATION
(1762), 5–9.
 Rousseau, J. J. (1889). EMILE; or, Concerning Education. BOSTON: D. C. HEAT H
& COMPANY. https://doi.org/10.1017/ccol0521572657.010
 Rousseau, J. J. (2011). The Social Contract. The Two Narratives of Political
Economy, 1762, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118011690.ch7

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LESSON 5
PAULO FREIRE

Preeti Sharma
Research Scholar
Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi
[email protected]

STRUCTURE

5.1 Learning Objectives

5.2 Introduction
5.3 Life Profile of Paulo Freire
5.4 Educational Ideas of Paulo Freire
5.4.1 Dialogue
5.4.2 Praxis
5.4.3 Generative Themes
5.4.4 Easter Experience
5.4.5 Conscientization
5.4.6 Codification
5.4.7 Banking Concept of Education
5.4.8 Problem Posing Education’
5.4.9 Culture Circle
5.5 Educational Philosophy of Paulo Freire
5.6 Educational Implications of Paulo’s Philosophy
5.7 Summary
5.8 Glossary
5.9 Self-Assessment Questions
5.10 References
5.11 Suggested Readings
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5.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

On completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
 Describe life-journey of Paulo Freire, which shaped his educational philosophy
 Analyse different educational ideas of the thinker
 Evaluate educational philosophy of the thinker
 Apply his educational ideas in teaching learning process

5.2 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter you read about ‘Naturalism’ the educational philosophy of Jean
Jacques Rousseau. According to this children should be allowed to develop naturally without
constraints, as this freedom will help them to develop with their fullest potential, both
educationally and morally. He criticized the traditional methods of teaching and
recommended child-centred education in place of teacher-centred education. Rousseau gave
stage-wise blueprint of education and curriculum for children. He supported women
education also.
In this lesson you will learn about the educational philosophy of another prominent thinker
Paulo Freire, who criticized the conventional teaching techniques which are based on the
assumption that children are empty vessel and they just passively receive the knowledge.
Therefore main task of teacher is to transfer knowledge in them. Students use knowledge
without understanding, analysing, and evaluating. Paulo proposed alternative pedagogy,
teaching concepts and philosophy. His various ideas and philosophies about education are
discussed in this chapter. The pedagogical application of the various concepts of polo is also
discussed. The lesson begins with a summary of his life, which had a profound effect on his
educational ideology.
Recall your school days, and analyze the way your teachers taught you. There would be some
teachers in whose classes you had a lot of fun while learning, you understood everything. The
teacher used to initiate discussions on the topics and used to motivate you to ask questions.
There might be some teachers who used to encourage you to observe your surroundings and
reflect on that. On the other hand there would be some teachers who were only interested in
completing syllabus, making you note down answers as it is from black boards. It means they
would have been using different teaching techniques, which will impact not only the learning
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of students but cognitive and personality development of them differently. For example if a
science teacher conducts experiments in the class room for explaining concepts, arouses
curiosity about topic, encourages children to observe phenomenon and critically think about
them in place of just lecturing in the class room. Children in such a classroom will be able to
understand, analyze and evaluate concepts in better ways. These classroom methods will help
in development of cognitive skills like questioning, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, critical
thinking etc. Let us see how Freire criticized traditional teaching methods and proposed new
methods in their place.

5.3 LIFE PROFILE OF PAULO FREIRE

Freire (September 19, 1921- May 2, 1997) is widely known as a radical educationist and
philosopher. Freire is remembered for his work with adult illiterates and for promoting
critical pedagogy, a theory and philosophy of education. He was born to a middle-class
family in Recife, Brazil. His family had to shift to low-cost city of Jaboatão dos Guararapes
during the Great Depression of 1931. His father expired in 1934. The young boy got exposed
to a harsh life marked by poverty, constant hunger and hardships. These factors greatly
diminished his learning abilities.
Paulo says, "I didn't understand anything because of my hunger. I wasn't dumb. It wasn't lack
of interest. My social condition didn't allow me to have an education. Experience showed me
once again the relationship between social class and knowledge". While playing football with
other poor children, he stated to have learned a lot. His childhood experiences infused in him
empathy for the deprived and underprivileged, and he was deeply motivated to do something
to make their lives better, to work and struggle for the poor. His brother started earning due to
which he started eating more and started reading and understanding more. Freire joined the
law school at the University of Recife in 1943. He also studied philosophy and the
psychology of language. He preferred to work as a secondary school Portuguese teacher in
spite of enrolment in legal bar. As a teacher Freire got first-hand experience of teaching
methods, operational curricula, attitudes and behavior of teachers and students of then
Portugal. As an instrument of socialization schools not only impart knowledge and skills but
all enforce social norms and obedience to the authority. In these circumstances, schools act as
instruments of hegemony to extend military dictatorship. In 1944, he married Elza Maia
Costa de Oliveira, a fellow teacher. The two worked together and had five children and was
happily married till Elza’s death in 1986. After which he fell in love and married former pupil
of his, Maria Araujo.

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In 1946, Freire was appointed director of the Department of Education and Culture in
Pernambuco. A person needs to be literate for voting in presidential elections of Brazil
in1940’s. Many adult education programs were organized for the education of the masses.
Working primarily among the illiterate poor, Freire began to develop educational praxis.
Being the director of the Department of Cultural Extension at the University of Recife in
1961, he taught to a large number of farm workers, reading and writing in just 45 days using
his innovative techniques of cultural circle. In response to the success of this experiment, the
Brazilian government approved the creation of thousands of cultural circles across the
country. His novel practices in adult literacy in Brazil, gained him international recognition.
Freire was imprisoned for 70 days following the 1964 coup d’état for what the new regime
considered having subversive elements in his teaching. He had to leave Brazil to avoid
military action further. During his over a decade long exile he worked in Chile, US, UK,
Switerzerland, at UNFAO etc. Freire published his first book, Education as the Practice of
Freedom (1967), followed by his most famous work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968) in
Portuguese. Freire was offered a visiting professorship at Harvard University in 1969. The
next year, Pedagogy of the Oppressed was published in Spanish and English, vastly
expanding its reach. Because of right-wing authoritarian military governments, the book went
unpublished in Brazil until 1974, when, starting with the presidency of Ernesto Geisel, the
military junta started a process of slow and controlled political liberalization.
In 1979, he visited Brazil after more than a decade long exile, eventually moved back in
1980. Freire joined the Workers' Party (PT) in São Paulo and acted as a supervisor for its
adult literacy project from 1980 to 1986. When the Workers' Party won the 1988 São Paulo
mayoral elections, Freire was appointed municipal Secretary of Education. Freire died of
heart failure.
Freire wrote and co-wrote over 20 books on education, pedagogy and related themes. Some
of his famous works includes:Pedagogy of the Oppressed(1970) (1993), Cultural action for
freedom, Education for critical consciousness(1973), Conscientization(1975), Education, the
practice of freedom(1975), The politics of education: culture, power, and
liberation(1985),Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed(1994), Politics and
education(1998)etc. The King Balduin prize for International Development was bestowed
upon him in Belgium in 1980. He was awarded the UNESCO prize for Education for Peace
in 1986. He was presented with the Andres Bello Inter-American Prize for Education by the
Organization of American States (OAS) in 1992.

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5.4 EDUCATIONAL IDEAS OF PAULO FREIRE

Paulo Freire, whose perspective is derived from both Marxist and Existentialist thought, has
evolved pedagogical approach that has been applied in many contexts. It is more than simply
a collection of methods or techniques. Some of the important ideas in Freire's work are:
5.4.1 Dialogue
Dialogue means intellectual encounter of people with each other, which is experienced
through world to name the world. It’s a parley between people on a common topic. Thus,
dialogue is not possible between those who want to name the world and those who do not. As
dialogue is an existential reality, it should be applied to the pedagogy, too (Freire, 2011).
Parity amongst the participants is prerequisites for dialogue. There must be shared respect,
strong faith, love (care and commitment) and hope. Each one must question what he or she
knows with courage and realizes that through dialogue prevailing thoughts will transform into
new knowledge. Dialogue is one of the techniques to be used in problem posing education.
Dialogue is a sign of the democratic stance of the educator. Therefore, a democratic educator
is a dialogist by nature. Freire emphasizes, that dialogue is not only an educational technique,
but also a style of confrontation that is peculiar to humans and must be used by all humans.
5.4.2 Praxis (Action/Intervention)
Praxis is the procedure by which a theory, concept, or skill is enacted, embodied, or realized.
The central concept in Freire’s epistemology is praxis, which means conscious action. The
act of knowing includes a dialectical movement from idea to action and from thinking on
action to a new action (Ayhan, 1995). It is not enough for people to come together for
dialogue in order to gain knowledge of their social reality. They must act together upon their
environment in order to transform it. They need to critically contemplate upon their reality
and to renovate it through further action and critical thinking.
5.4.3 Generative Themes
According to Paulo Freire, an epoch “is characterized by a complex of ideas, concepts, hopes,
doubts, values and challenges in dialectical interaction with their opposites striving towards
their fulfilment”. The concrete representation of these constitutes the themes of the epoch.
Generative themes contain the relation between an objective condition and the perceptions
held about it by the people involved in it. In social analysis these themes may be discovered
in a concrete representation in which the opposite theme is also revealed (i.e., each theme
interacts with its opposite
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5.4.4 Easter Experience

Paulo Freire says that “those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-
examine themselves constantly. This conversion is so radical as not to allow for ambivalent
behaviour… Conversion to the people requires a profound rebirth. Those who undergo it
must take on a new form of existence; they can no longer remain as they were.” An example
of this is the way in which the divide between teachers and learners can be transcended. The
educator for liberation has to die as the unilateral educator of educatees in order to be born
again as the educator-educatee of the educatees-educators. An educator is a person who has
to live in the deep significance of Easter (Taylor, 1993)
5.4.5 Conscientization
Conscientization also interpreted as "consciousness raising" and "critical consciousness".
It is a process in which individuals and communities develop critical understanding of one’s
social reality through reflection and action. This reflection and action is the key to transform
the reality. This requires examining and acting on the root causes of oppression as
experienced by the people. This goes beyond simply attaining the technical skills of reading
and writing. It is a keystone in ending the culture of silence, in which oppression is not
mentioned and thereby sustained. Paulo Freire says that we all inculcate social myths which
have a hegemonic tendency, and so learning is a critical process which depends upon
uncovering real problems and determining actual needs.
5.4.6 Codification
This is a process of collecting data in order to build up a picture (codify) around real
situations and real people. De-codification is a process whereby the people in a group begin
to identify with aspects of the situation until they feel themselves to be in the situation and so
able to reflect critically upon its various aspects, thus gathering understanding. It is like a
photographer bringing a picture into focus. (McLaren, 2000)
5.4.7 Banking Concept of Knowledge
Freire named banking education as ‘educaçãobancaria’ in Portuguese, the term bancaria
means as bank or bank-related (Tagliavia, 2008). Banking concept of education is the most
significant theme of Freire’s critical pedagogy.
“The students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of
communicating, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students
patiently receive, memorize, and repeat. This is the "banking" concept of education, in which
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the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing
the deposits.” (Freire, 2011: 51).
In banking concept the students are ignored at the first step and considered empty vessels,
who passively receive the knowledge. The learner is the object of the learning process, and
not the subject and the knowledge is directly transmitted to students. The teacher is the sole
distributor of knowledge. In this process, the knowledge is consumed without any criticism,
and the learners experience a cultural alienation and become defenseless against cultural
imperialism (Mayo, 2011). The reason why Freire calls this educational model as banking
education is that it regards depositing in the students as one of the most important purposes
(Milan, 2008). This model ignores the fact that the human is a historical being. Joel Spring
(2010), a professor of pedagogy from the United States, believes that the banking education is
not libertarian and that it causes the oppressed to become obedient and alienated. According
to Freire (2011), the banking education is designed to serve the purpose of the oppressors and
it causes dehumanization. This model is covertly based on the assumption that there is a
polarity between the human and the world. According to this assumption, the human just
exists on the world, but is not together with the world or others
5.4.8 Problem Posing Education
The basic aim of the problem posing education is liberation which means the thinking and
acting of the people in order to transform the world on which they live. Actual liberation can
also be considered as humanization. According to him, problem posing education aims to
strengthen the student’s skills of thinking critically or contemplating on the object of
knowledge and reasons for his/her existence. When this aim is achieved, the student will start
acquiring knowledge through a feeling of epistemological curiosity. It is not possible to
acquire systematical knowledge without curiosity. In this respect, curiosity is an instrument
of acquiring knowledge (Vittoria, 2010). He summarizes the process of acquiring knowledge
as follows:
“Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless,
impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and
with each other.” (Freire, 2011: 51)
5.4.9 Culture Circle
Freire took education out of the classroom and created “the culture circle‟, where learners
used their own ways of speaking to articulate their shared understanding of how their world
came to be like it was and how to act to change their future. This method transforms teaching
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process from monologue to dialogue and in mutually respectful learning. This method
fastened the learning process: in Brazil illiterate adults learned to read and write in 30 hours
in culture circles, everyone makes good progress, not just a few isolated “star-pupils‟
(www.gaian democracy.net).

Activity 1
Visit an adult education programme and report on the influence of Freirian pedagogy.
Write in about 100 words.

5.5 EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF PAULO FREIRE

The dominant historical and political circumstances of neo-colonialism and imperialism
molded pedagogy of Paulo. Paulo Freire, one of the prominent representatives of critical
pedagogy, is widely-known for his libertarian concepts in this field. He had strongly and
repeatedly criticized the prevailing educational methods within a broad framework, which he
calls banking education, by analyzing the viewpoint of society in line with his experience in
Latin America. According to him, the social relations are made authoritative and dominant by
advantaged persons who belong to the class of oppressors. The remaining members of the
society constitute the oppressed. According to Freire this imperative process is expedited by
many tools, one of these tools is the conventional education, which he named as banking
education. Freire’s understanding of society and social relations is based on class relations.
He views oppressor-oppressed dialectic in social dynamics. Freire discusses two types of
knowledge, unconscious, sometimes practical knowledge and critical, reflective or theory
knowledge. Beliefs are moulded into knowledge by dialogue and critical thinking.
Knowledge should not be restricted to logic and content, or emotions and superstitions, but
should search for the relations between understandings and feelings. His critique of ‘banking
education’ and his ‘problem posing’ pedagogical recommendation are based on his idea of
man, his consciousness and relation to the world. By acting as a depositor, the teacher
‘domesticates’ the child into oppressor’s consciousness. The teacher-taught relationship and
process of education has been severely damaged by this banking concept. To him, banking
education is based on false assumption, which consider men as objects and works for the
continuation of ‘domination’, whereas problem-posing education through its pedagogy
thrives for liberation. Freire says ‘Implicit in banking concept is the assumption of a
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dichotomy between man and the world; man is merely in the world, not with the world or
with others; man is spectator, not re-creator. In this view, man is not a conscious being; he is
rather a possessor of consciousness; an empty ‘mind’ passively open to the reception of
deposits of reality from the world outside.’ The programme content of problem posing
education is generated from the investigation into this ‘thematic universe’. In order to
conscientize human beings, the technique of dialogue and praxis will best serve the purpose
according to Freire. Implies, that learning is a process where presented knowledge, is shaped
through deliberation, dialogue and critical analysis. The main objective of education is to
raise the awareness of the students to mould them into subjects, rather than objects, of the
world. To achieve this, students need to be taught to think democratically and to constantly
question and make meaning from everything they learn. Freire strongly believed that in
knowing which a social process, inherent individual dimension cannot be forgotten or even
devalued. The process of knowing, which involves the whole conscious self, emotions,
memory, affects an epistemologically enquiring mind, focused on the object, equally involves
other thinking subjects, that is, others are also capable of knowing and curious. This simply
means that the relationship called “thinking” is not enclosed in a relationship “thinking
subject – knowable object” because it extends to other thinking subjects. Freire believed that
teaching is a political and democratic process. The teacher must learn about (and from) the
student to co-construct the knowledge in ways that are meaningful to the student. The
teachers must become learners and the learners must become teachers. In order to become
productive subjects of the meaning or knowledge of the object, learners must consider
themselves thinking subjects like the teachers. Through this dialectic association, teaching
and learning will turn into knowing and re-knowing. The learners will know the unknown,
and the educators re-know the known. In critical pedagogy Freire advocated that teachers and
students must be made aware of the “politics” that surround education. The way students are
taught and the way teaching learning process serves the political agenda. Teachers bring their
political ideas and philosophies into the classroom. Freire believed that “education makes
sense because women and men learn that through learning they can make and remake
themselves, because women and men are able to take responsibility for themselves as beings
capable of knowing – of knowing that they know and knowing that they don’t”. According to
Freire the purpose of education is liberation; it is achieved through authentic dialogue and
action in which everyone speaks one’s own word with the mediation of the world to name the
world followed by appropriate action. This, in a nutshell, is the ‘Pedagogy of the
Oppressed’. The major contributions of Paulo’s educational philosophy are:

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 He emphasized that education is a dialogical (two way process) rather a curricular

form. The dialogue should bring teacher and the taught together in spite of teacher
acting on the taught. A dialogue requires critical thinking; in turn it generates critical
thinking and deepens the understanding in the participants.
 The dialogue need to be accompanied by the informed action in order to make a
difference in the world
 Conscientization - developing consciousness that is understood to have the power to
transform reality.
 Continuous emphasis on lived experience of participants to make education more
meaningful

Activity 2
Visit a school of your choice, make an observational study of teacher-pupil
relationships from the Freirian perspective and prepare a report. Write in about 100
words.

5.6 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF PAULO’S PHILOSOPHY

 Generative themes are used in third world countries and among teachers of minority
groups and adult illiterates of richer nations. Used in needs analysis, planning of
program content and curriculum development. As it relates the reality held by men
and the perception about the reality held by educationist, policy makers and men.
 He advocates building a newer model of relationship between the teacher, student and
society. He proposed that the learner in a teacher-student relationship should be
treated as a co-creator of knowledge and not as a passive recipient of knowledge.
 It is the role of the educator to foster a process of dialogue and liberation that would
enable citizens to reach critical consciousness.
 According to Freire teachers should be beyond criticism so as to be good role models
to their students. Teaching is a very noble profession and those who go into it must be
ready to lead by example, thus calling for continued personal reflection to remain
worthy of the profession.
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 Learners should be allowed to participate and also bring out what has been learned
from their surroundings and earlier experiences. It is not the job of the teacher to
provide answers to the problems, but to help the learners achieve a form of critical
thinking about the situation.
 The learning circle is a non-hierarchal 'class' model where participants can discuss
generative themes which have significance within the context of their lives. learning
based on group dialogue is liberating for everyone involved in the process
 Man is not allowed to understand and transform the reality that encircles him when
education is simply a method used to adapt him to this reality. Freire is of the opinion
that “dialogicity‟ should be established between teacher and student, since man does
not create himself in silence, but through words, actions and reflection.
 The problem posing education considers the teacher not as a person that transfers
knowledge, but as a person that perceives together with the students. In this process,
the students carry out critical research together with the teacher rather than being
amenable listeners (Freire, 2011). With the problem posing education, people start
perceiving the world not as a stable reality but as a reality in the process of
transformation
 While explaining any concept real life examples from learner’s environment should
be incorporated in teaching learning process. E.g. While introducing the concept of
integers in mathematics class example of lift of a building (Ground floor is denoted by
zero, below ground floor denoted by negative integers etc) will not be appropriate if
learners have not seen lift before.
With regard to learning, literacy and praxis he says: "If learning to read and write is to
constitute an act of knowing the learners must assume from the beginning the role of creative
subjects. It is not a matter of memorizing and repeating given syllables, words and phrases
but rather, reflecting critically on the process of reading and writing itself and on the
profound significance of language" (Freire, 1988).
Influence of Freire’s view may be observed on NCF 2005, wherein it is mentioned that
teaching is no more an activity of planning a lesson or presenting ready-made knowledge for
achieving outcomes that can be measured objectively. Now it has been seen as a process of
making children “think and try out what they are learning”. A teacher has to shift away from
his/her traditional stance of “informing” to that of “eliciting” and “guiding”. A teacher’s role
is one of facilitating construction of knowledge and engaging children by raising the right
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kind of questions and organizing well-chosen activities and tasks. “Active engagement
involves enquiry, exploration, questioning, debates, application and reflection leading to
theory building and creation of ideas/positions. Schools must provide opportunities to
question, enquire debate, reflect, and arrive at concepts or create new ideas.” (NCF, 2005).

5.7 SUMMARY
In this chapter we came to know about the life journey of Freire, how his family problems
and social conditions affected his childhood and learning. We also came to know that his
experiences in school as a student and as a teachers had profound impact on his philosophy
and teaching ideas. We also discussed various educational concepts propounded by him,
which involves Dialogue, praxis, Generative Themes, Easter Experience, Conscientization,
codification, Banking concept of knowledge, Problem posing education, and Culture Circle.
Further in this chapter Educational Philosophy of Paulo Freire and its Implication have been
elaborated.

5.8 GLOSSARY

 Conscientization: the coming to consciousness of oppression and the commitment to

end that oppression. It constitutes both growing critical awareness in the learner of
himself and his willingness to act on the reality to change it. It is through reading of
the world that the oppressed come to knowledge.
 Praxis: reflection and action
 Generative Themes: As explained above every epoch “is characterized by a complex
of ideas, concepts, hopes, doubts, values and challenges in dialectical interaction with
their opposites striving towards their fulfilment”. The predominant theme of the
current epoch is ‘domination’ and its opposite theme is ‘liberation’. The pedagogy of
banking concept given by Freire works for the continuation of ‘domination’, contrary
to this the pedagogy of problem-posing education struggles for liberation. To achieve
liberation ‘dialogue’ is the effective tool in which everyone speaks one’s own words
with the mediation of the world to name the world.

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5.9 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. Explain banking and problem-posing concept of education
2. Explain Paulo Freire’s notion of ‘conscientization’ and its significance for classroom
pedagogy
3. Critically examine the role of state in education in the modern Indian Context
4. Discuss with examples the impact of social factors on education of children
5. What will be impact of banking concept of education on the education, career and
personality of the child?
6. What do you mean by ‘dialogue in education’? Do you think it is significant in
personality development of the learner? Explain with examples
7. Can ‘problem posing’ concept completely define the aim and the process of
education? Examine in the light of your study of Freire.

5.10 REFERENCES

 Freire, Paulo (1970). Cultural action for freedom. Harmondworth: Penguin books.
 Freire, Paulo (1993). Education for Critical Consciousness. New York: Continuum.
 Freire, Paulo (1994). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Trans Myra Bergman
Ravos. Rev. Ed.

5.11 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Freire, Paulo (1970). Cultural action for freedom. Harmondworth: Penguin books.
 Freire, Paulo (1993). Education for Critical Consciousness. New York: Continuum.
 Freire, Paulo (1 994): Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Trans Myra Bergman
Ravos. Rev. Ed.
 IGNOU (2000): Unit 12 Aims of Education: Modern Thinkers, M.A (Education)
Programme
 Kumar, K. (1993). Raj, Samaj aur Shiksha. New Delhi: Raj Kamal Prakashan.

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 Mittal, M.L. (2012). Shiksha keSamajshastriya Aadhar.Delhi: Pearson. Ch 1 P 1-9;

Ch 3 P 20-28; Ch 4 P 33-42; Ch 5 P 46-52; Ch 9&10 P 82-91 & 96-111; Ch 11 P 116-
119; Ch 14 P 145-151; Ch 18 P 193-199; Ch 19 P; Ch 20 P 214-224; Ch 23 P 245-
254; Ch 24 P 258-282.
 Pandeya, R. S. ( 1994). Shiksha Darshan. Vi nod Pustak Mandir, Agra. Ch 2 P 26-34;
Ch 3 P 59-61; Ch 4 75-88; Ch 22 P 396-424
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1O7w2BfvOw
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fapjLS-XTEA

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