The school curriculum and its relevance to black societal pressures
Loading...
Date
1987
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The study on "The School Curriculum and its Relevance
to Black Societal Pressures" is in the field of
Philosophy of Education. Some educators may not see
how relevant this study is to Philosophy of Education
as they maintain that language analysis should be the
primary role with which philosophy of education
should be concerned. Their contention is that
deliberate education should be more precise and
scientific, and analysis offers one way for doing
this. According to them many educational problems
are largely language problems. If these can be
solved then education problems may' then be solved. To
this view JI Reid in Archambault (1972) replies that
analysis is a legitimate part of philosophical
analysis - a part only, and a culture wholly devoted
to analysis would be decadent. He argues that if
analysis loses the sense of the whole it ceases to be
an intelligent analysis. This conviction is made
clear in the assertion that:-
"analysis without synthesis is blind,
or at least pointless or -feckless." (p. 24)
Philosophy of education should be understood as the
use of philosophical instruments. the application of
philosophical methods. to questions of education. as
well as the relation to education of the relevant
results of philosophical thinking. A philosophy of
education will be a more worked out. systematic
philosophical treatment of those aspects of
educational theory that are susceptible to
philosophical treatment. Philosophy of education is
conceived of by Kneller (1972) as seeking to
understand education in its entirety. interpreting it
by means of concepts which shall guide choice of
educational - ends and policies. Philosophy of
education/
"education depends on formal philosophy to the extent
that problems in education are of' a general
philosophical character~i Criticism of educational
Policies or suggestion of new ones cannot be gotten
into prior to such general philosophical questions
-as:
'the nature of the good life to which education
should lead;
the nature of man himself. because it is man who
is being educated;
.
the nature of society. since education is a
social endeavour;
the nature of ultimate reality. that all
knowledge seeks to, penetrate .
Kneller (1972) maintains that. nothing contributes
more to. continuous.• patient and careful reflection
"than. the treatment of' an educational problem in its
metaphysical dimensions. - Philosophers of education
draw on established branches of philosophy and bring
them together in ways that' 'are relevant to
educational issues. In the same tone the importance
of philosophy in determining curriculum trends and
decisions-has. been expressed by Hopkins who is quoted
by Doll~ (l982: p, 25) as maintaining that:"
"There is rarely a moment in a school day when
a teacher is not- confronted. with occasions
. where philosophy is a vital part of action.
An inventory of situations where philosophy
was not used in curriculum and teaching would
lead to a pile of chaff thrown out of educative
experiences."
This thesis is founded on Oakeshott’s concept of education as
A specific human engagement. This
notion is important because it should be recognized.
that the neonate does not grow and develop by
reacting to the environment like a biological
organism, He must be welcomed. be led. 'be brought up.
by an adult. and be initiated into the world to be
helped to participate in it .. This adult t has a goal
of which he is forever conscious.
'A human being is the sojourner in a world of meanings
not things.' I t is .a. world of occurrences in some
manner recognised. identified. 'understood and
-responded to in terms of this understanding. It is a
world of sentiments and beliefs. 'I t includes
artifacts that 'are expressions which 'have meanings
and require to be 'understood in order to be used and
enjoyed. Laok of this_ understanding presupposes
being a -stranger to the human condition. Human
conduct subscribes to . procedures composed of rules
and rule-like considerations. to which "human beings
should" subscribe if there" is ~something they want to
say or do. In Oakeshott's words (1972: p.18-19):
"Being human is recognizing oneself
to be related to others in virtue of
participation in multiple understood
relationships and.. in the enjoyment of
understood historic languages of feelings.
sentiments, imaginings. 'fancies desires.
recognitions. moral ~and religious beliefs.
intellectual and practical enterprises,
customs. conventions, procedures-and .
. practices, canons. maxims and principles
of conduct. rules which denote obligations
and offices which specify duties,"
Education •then is important for a human neonate
because of his human condition that demands that he
be. initiated. into an inheritance of human
•achievements of understanding, conviction, belief.
and attitude.This inheritance is composed of states
> of .mind that may be entered into only in an education
endeavor.
To - be human. involves engaging in
Activities, knowing and being aware of what one is
doing and why. Initiation into this condition can
only be in an engagement in which the child learns to
understand..
Education is not a transfer 'of the wisdom of earlier
'. generations to the ,child. ',nor "is' the .child to be
Adept..
adept at mimicking current adult performances ..
Education does ~not involve internalizing a whole gamut. of.
ready-made ideas. images. sentiments.
beliefs. anxieties, aspirations and .expectations of
adults. It demands "acquiring the abilities of
looking. listening. thinking, feeling, imagining.
believing. understanding, deciding. choosing and
wishing. The~ child should develop the ability of
throwing. back upon the world his own version of a
human: being-in-conduct, which is both a self disclosure
and a self-enactment.
Educational engagement between the adult and child
.
rests on the belief of the worth of what is to be
conveyed to the child.• The only essential medium
through which this spectrum. of knowledge can be
transmitted to a child is the curriculum. Such a
curriculum, if it must be-effective, should bear the
background of a child.
The adult must be an active interventionist in the
'education activity. He must explain, instruct as
well as guide and stimulate the child positively.
What children are taught is to be seen worthy by
them. To foster' this, it must be of such a kind that
it can by degrees be made their own. Instead of
remaining an alien school matter. it must become
deeply• formative of, children’s ways of thinking,
feeling, and acting. To accomplish this objective the
teacher must find the right balance between pressure
and permissiveness, between. freedom and authority •
between' self-expression and submission' to ,
disciplines. This help-enables the ,child to find the
best in himself in terms of what society thinks to be
the best in their culture.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education
in fulfilment or partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR of EDUCATION
in the Department of Philosophy of Education
at the University of Zululand, 1987.
Keywords
Curriculum planning.