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| Philosophy
Questions
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1. Among the variety of philosophical views, it is quite
difficult to find out which one is the best. Nevertheless,
it is possible to estimate that the Georgist philosophy may
be quite important today and applicable to the modern education.
It should be pointed out that the Georgist philosophy was
developed in response to the growing materialization and ‘marketization’
of the world. Obviously, these problems are still relevant
today and, what is even more important, they affect dramatically
the modern education.
Speaking about the essence of this philosophy, it should be
said that the followers of Georgism paid a lot of attention
to the role of art in human life and, among the most sincere
followers of George’s ideas may be named Leo Tolstoy
and Bernard Show. In fact, the supporters of this philosophy
trended to humanize the modern world and subordinate economic
needs to social ones. Also, it is worthy of mention that Tolstoy,
for instance, insisted on the necessity to widely implement
art in all spheres of life in order to make it really accessible
to masses of people. According to him, it could really make
society and social relations more humanistic.
Obviously, these ideas are extremely important to modern education,
which tends to ‘marketization’ and dominance of
material values over spiritual ones. Consequently, the practical
implementation of the Georgist philosophy and its basic ideas
could really shift the focus of the modern education from
pragmatic, marketing values to humanistic and socially oriented
ones. At the same time, the wider use of art in the modern
education can also contribute to the aesthetic development
of students which often remains practically ignored by many
contemporary educators.
2. Historically, Marxism was contrasting to the dominating
capitalist ideology and that was one of the major reasons
of criticism of this philosophical movement. At the same time,
it is not just a difference from traditional capitalist ideologies
that provoked criticism of Marxism but also the basic ideological
concepts which, actually, targeted at the complete change
of the existing social order. In fact, the major ideological
tenets of Marxism remain unchangeable even at the present
epoch. In this respect, it should be said that one of the
conceptual positions of Marxism is he necessity of social
revolution which should totally change the relations that
exist in society. To put it more precisely, Marxists stand
on the ground that capitalist system is totally unjust and
is based on the exploitation of vast masses of people by a
limited, privileged group or class that dominates in the society.
In the result of such social injustice and inequality, antagonism
between the dominating and dominated classes is inevitable
and should result in the social revolution, which is supposed
to be realized by the force of proletariat, according to classics
of the Marxist theory.
After the social revolution, Marxists insist on the implementation
of structural and systematic changes in society. To put it
more precisely, firstly, it will be necessary to forbid the
right of private property and deprive capitalist of the control
over the means of production. Instead, they suggest the establishment
of social control over the means of production and property.
Consequently, Marxists believe that the new classless society
will be able to live in harmony since individuals, being free
of capitalist binds, such as private property, will be able
to develop their skills and abilities according to their own
will. In such a way, Marxism undermines the basic concept
of capitalism – the private property.
3. At first glance schooling and education are synonymous
terms, but in actuality, the difference between them is quite
substantial. In fact, schooling is a narrower term compared
to education and basically it implies students’ academic
development in the course of their study at school. In such
a way, schooling is mainly focused on the learning process
as a purely academic activity which, though, may be related
to some school activities. It is possible to estimate that
schooling mainly implies that students are viewed in the context
of their study at school, being practically objects of the
learning process. In this respect, it should be said that
education seems to be a larger term that involves not only
academic and school activities but also implies the development
of students as personalities that means that students are
rather viewed as relatively independent subjects of not only
purely learning process but education at large. Practically,
it means that education is actually a lifetime lasting process
that is not limited by certain age, for instance. Moreover,
education also implies not only the development of academic
knowledge and skills but also the harmonious development of
students including academic knowledge, social development,
moral and ethic views, etc.
4. In fact, it is hardly possible to disagree with the words
of William Arthur Ward because teaching is a very complicated
process and, at the present days, it is obviously not enough
to simply clearly explain the learning material and deliver
it to students. Nowadays, it is also necessary that students
really understand the learning material and, what is even
more important, that they are really inspired by their teacher,
by what they learn and how they do it. In such a way, it should
be said that good teachers can explain that is really important
because not all teachers can clearly convey their ideas and
learning material. At the same time, students cannot always
adequately perceive the explanations of teacher whatsoever
good they. This is why students need that a teacher could
also demonstrate in practice how this learning material he/she
teaches can be applied in a real life situation. However,
the good understanding of the learning material is not the
ultimate goal of the modern education. In actuality, the main
goal of education is to make students able and willing to
learn during their lifetime even in their adulthood and, in
such a situation, it is only the greatest or excellent teacher
who can inspire their students, to provoke the interests and
the desire to learn more. However, it is worthy of noting
that without clear explanation and good demonstration, even
the greatest teacher cannot inspire his/her students.
5. Nowadays, a good teaching rather resembles some art than
just a regular work, though this is true not only for the
present epoch, but it was always one of the basic conditions
of good teaching. To put it more precisely, a good teaching
cannot be based only on some knowledge of a subject, pedagogic,
various methods of teaching, knowledge of children’s
psychology, etc., but it also implies creativity, though all
the factors previously mentioned are also of the utmost importance.
It should be said that purely professional knowledge and skills
are the basis for a good teaching. In this respect, it should
be said that a teacher should know his/her subject well, perfectly
know the current trends in education and perspectives of its
further development, possess an arsenal of various methods
that he/she could use while teaching the subject, and naturally,
know students’ psychology. The latter is really important
because a good teaching implies an ability of a teacher to
find an individual approach to each student in the classroom
that means the knowledge of his/her current knowledge, skills
and abilities, psychological peculiarities, and socio-cultural
background. At the same time such a basis, needs creativity
in order to construct an effective system of teaching that
could identify, develop, and stimulate students’ skills
and abilities. It proves beyond a doubt that each classroom
and each student is unique and different from others. This
is why a good teaching is impossible without teachers’
ability to modify and change their work in accordance with
the concrete class or student and this is practically impossible
without creative approach to teaching.
6. Basically, any textbook should meet the main goals of education
and correspond to the current educational demands. Practically
it means that, first of all, the textbook must correspond
to the students’ level of development. In other words,
ideally, the textbook should be adapted to students’
age and knowledge. Otherwise, it could be hardly or, to put
it more precisely, adequately perceived by students. Furthermore,
the textbook should be well-structured in such a way that
students could gradually develop their skills and acquire
new knowledge through transition from easier learning material
to more complicated one. It is also very important that the
textbook is really interesting for students since one of its
major purposes should be the maintenance of students interest
to the subject and to what they actually learn. At the same
time, the textbook should not provide students with ample
information on the learning material. What is meant here is
the fact that the textbook should provide students with some
basic knowledge of the learning material but, at the same
time, evoke their interest to what they learn and stimulate
their desire to find more information on the subject they
learn. Finally, it should be said that the textbook cannot
be a universal book where students can find answers to all
the questions but it must prepare students to get ready to
find additional material in some extra sources, but the textbook
and, in this respect, some useful references or links within
the textbook could be quite helpful.
Bibliography:
1. Aller, P. The Georgist Philosophy in Culture and History.
New York: New Publishers, 1992.
2. Compayri, Gabriel and Mary D. Frost. Horace Mann and the
Public School in the United States, New York: New Publishers,
2002.
3. Parkays F.W. and G. Hass. Curriculum Planning, LA: Allyn
and Bacon, 2000.
4. Rebore Ronald W. Human Resources Administration in Education,
LA: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
5. Rosen, Sidney (ed.). My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching
Tales of Milton H. Erickson, M.D., New York: Touchstone, 1991.
6. Ward, William Arthur. Fountains of faith: The words of
William Arthur Ward, New York: Routledge, 1994.
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