Pragmatism is a contemporary educational philosophy that helps shape today’s educational system. According to Hookway (2008), it is a philosophical tradition that views “knowing the world as inseparable from an agency within it” (para. 1). Pragmatism came from the Greek word “pragma,” which means “action,” thus, this philosophy focuses on how one acquires knowledge through practice or work (Western philosophies of education, n.d.).

“Science experiments” by Idaho National Laboratory is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Basic Principles of Pragmatism

The principles of pragmatism lie in the way of clarifying the truth. Pragmatist views that we know through investigation lead to the fact (Hookway, 2008). The epistemology of this educational philosophy emphasizes the importance of inquiry and the scientific process in the ways of knowing. Proponents of this philosophy strongly suggest that we derived to the truth by observing one’s world and testing the concepts through experimentation. Therefore, the veracity of a claim can be determined “if and only if it is useful” (Hookway, 2008, para. 1).

Proponents of Pragmatism

The development of the pragmatic approach in education was initiated by Charles Sanders Pierce and William James around 1870 in the United States during the period of societal upheaval related to scientific, technical, and industrial development (as cited by Loomer, n.d., Hookway, 2008). During this period, initial proponents of pragmatism emphasize mainly on theorizing inquiry, meaning, and the nature of truth. Societal influences during the 19th century, thus, influences mainly the scientific approach of this philosophy.

Charles Pierce proposed that our actions are a result of our hypotheses about life (Lynch, 2016). In his view, our experiences and observations of the world lead to our decisions to act and respond. William James then added to explore more on searching for the truth in religion (Hookway, 2008). Moreover, James claimed that “the conclusions that we draw from the result of those actions guide our future decisions.” (Lynch, 2016, para. 4). The most notable pragmatist who introduced the philosophy to education was John Dewey (Drew, n.d.). According to Lynch (2016), Dewey formulated experimentalism, which states that the earth is continuously changing; therefore, there is no absolute truth. He is also a strong proponent of the problem-solving method. Dewey mentioned that we need to focus on real-life problems, and there are practical solutions to every possible problem (Western philosophies of education, n.d.). Furthermore, Hookway (2018) mentioned that Dewey moved the pragmatist philosophy towards politics, education, and other social progress.

The principles of the Pragmatist Philosophy were derived from Pierce, James, and Dewey’s beliefs and propositions. These principles serve as foundations grounding several educational systems that are in place right now.

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How Pragmatist Philosophy Affects Education

Pragmatism affects the educational system and influences how schools are delivering instructions in the classroom. This philosophical approach can be observed through the curriculum content and teaching methods that we currently have.

The education’s curriculum content in a pragmatic approach is guided by four main principles: utility, interest, experience, and integration (Sharma, Devi & Kumari, 2018). In the pragmatist point of view, education should have a value for students; therefore, lessons should be useful for students. Schools should focus on planning curriculum contents that will help students deal with the society in which he is living. The lessons should also be of interest to the students (Drew, n.d.). Thus, teachers should ensure that lessons are highly engaging for students. Pragmatism also values experiences. The curriculum content should include lessons where students can explore and discover things through activities or experiments.

Moreover, the curriculum content should be integrated. An interdisciplinary approach in education should be employed to construct a body of knowledge from different but related subject areas. In this way, students can realize the links of what they are learning, leading to a holistic learning experience.

A pragmatist educator implements various teaching methods that employ “spontaneous, purposeful and socialized activities in the teaching and learning process” (Hookway, 2008. p. 65). It involves experiential, experimental, and project-based learning (Drew. n.d.). Through this model, students learn by doing. The focus is on the experiences, such as project making, researches, and experiments. In this way, contents or theories learned in the classroom are utilized to create a more significant project that will help demonstrate students’ understanding. Teachers can also use play-based learning. Through this approach, students are learning while having fun. Students get their hands dirty and experience what life is, adding value to their learning experiences. Collaborative group work can also help students gain more skills in a pragmatic classroom.

Pragmatist philosophy emphasizes the value of experiences in shaping the truth. In this type of education, students can build their knowledge and skills through various hands-on activities; thus, they learn by doing. Teachers play a crucial role in delivering this in the classroom.

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Teacher’s Role in a Pragmatic Classroom

As pragmatism mainly centers on experiences, the teacher’s role in the classroom is more of a facilitator and guide than the ‘sage on the stage.’ In this approach, teachers are not the only source of knowledge. Pragmatic teachers help students in taking action (Drew, n.d.). The teacher creates lessons were students solve real-world problems. Students are challenged with some real-life situations and posed with questions and quandaries, thus, utilizing the content or theoretical knowledge and enhancing skills to resolve these in the classroom.

Learning by doing is significant in a pragmatic philosophy. Moreover, it views students as being bound to failure and exploration. Pragmatism’s purpose in education is emergent and adaptive. In my science and design classroom, I share this philosophy as I employ my students’ instructions. No matter how structured my Unit plan and Lesson plans are, teaching should be somehow adaptable to the needs of our students. There are some unforeseeable circumstances where we need to improvise to meet the learning needs of our students.

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Furthermore, pragmatism accentuates project-based learning. Pragmatist demonstrates teaching methods that foster creativity. This philosophy employs experiential activities that provide dynamic teaching and learning experience (Western philosophies of education, n.d.). Through purposeful and meaningful experiences, I can engage my students more in content knowledge and develop their collaboration, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.

In a pragmatic philosophy, the curriculum is integrated and places the students at the center of the teaching and learning process (Western philosophies of education, n.d.). This gives students a choice and agency towards their learning. I provide students with differentiation methods and various avenues to enhance their skills while learning the content. We should consider that pragmatism is an innovative, naturalistic, experimental, and problem-solving approach of life and education (Western philosophies of education, n.d.). In my classroom, I use project-based learning to develop my students’ moral characters who are responsible citizens in society.

As teachers, we need to develop our teaching philosophy as it will help us in creating a positive learning environment. It is essential for us to know the various educational philosophies and know where are stand use. This will guide us in facilitating our lessons, developing our curriculum, and choosing which teaching strategies or instructional techniques we will employ.

REFERENCES

Drew, C. (n.d.). The 4 Principles of Pragmatism in Education (2020). Retrieved April 28, 2020 from https://helpfulprofessor.com/pragmatism-in-education/

Hookway, C. (2008). Pragmatism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved April 28, 2020 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pragmatism/

Lynch, M (2016, August 5). Understanding the 4 Main Schools of Philosophy: Principle of Pragmatism. Edvocate. Retrieved April 28, 2020 from https://www.theedadvocate.org/understanding-4-main-schools-philosophy-principle-pragmatism/

Sharma, S., Devi, R., & Kumari, J. (2018). Pragmatism in education. International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research 5(1): 1549 – 1554. Retrieved April 28, 2020 from http://www.ijetsr.com/images/short_pdf/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf

Western philosophies of education. (n.d.). In S. Sikhauli (Ed.), MA.Edu.Philosophy (pp. 49-55). Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://www.academia.edu/34327764/M.A._Edu._Philosophy