The school curriculum and its relevance to black societal pressures
| dc.contributor.advisor | Luthuli, P.C. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Cemane, Kenny Benedict. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-08-01T09:33:08Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-08-01T09:33:08Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1987 | |
| dc.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. | en_US |
| dc.description.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. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10530/797 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | Curriculum planning. | en_US |
| dc.title | The school curriculum and its relevance to black societal pressures | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
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