Philosophies of education tell us the aims of education, problems of education, methods of teaching, nature, and meaning of education. There are mainly three educational philosophies:
- Idealism
- Naturalism
- Pragmatism
Let us study idealism in detail-
Meaning of Idealism:
The word idealism has been taken from the Greek word idein which means to see. The ideology assumes there are two types of worlds: a) the spiritual world and b) the materialistic world. The spiritual world is superior to the materialistic world. God is the ultimate truth, and the soul is part of God.
This philosophy believes that the reality of life lies in ideas and thoughts. Ideas are alive and permanent as compared to objects. So, ideas are supreme. They can be obtained through moral, ethical, and spiritual values. Humans are spiritual and divine. The ultimate goal of humans is to attain god.
This concept is associated with different Western philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Plato is called the father of idealism because he gives ideas in a systematic and organized manner.
In the context of India, many philosophers promoted this philosophy. Swami Vivekananda, Dayananda Saraswati, and Rabindranath Tagore are some of those philosophers.
Principles of Idealism:
- Ideas are supreme: Ideas are more important than the objects. Idealists believe that knowledge of mind and soul can be achieved through ideas.
- Unity in diversity: Idealists believe in the principle of unity in diversity.
- Faith in spiritual values: This philosophy has faith in spiritual values.
- Man is important: Man is considered more important than nature because man can think about materialistic things.
Aims of education:
According to this philosophy, the main objectives of education are:
- To promote self-realization among the students
- To promote health, wellness, and fitness
- To cultivate truth, ideas, and goodness
- To transfer cultural heritage from one generation to another
- To develop intelligence, logical thinking, and rationality
- To inculcate spiritual development
Books for education:
Idealists believe that the major sources of education are the Vedas and the Upanishads. These books are the lighthouse of all types of knowledge.
Idealism and Curriculum:
- Curriculum should be related to the knowledge of humanity. For this, spiritual and religious books should be inculcated in the curriculum.
- For intellectual development, subjects like math and language should be taught.
- To improve the health of students physical, and sports education should be given
- Arts and music education should be given to pupils in order to preserve the culture.
- There should be subjects like history and science.
Idealism and methods of teaching:
Plato- Discussion method
Hegel- Logical measuring
Froebel- Play way and imitation
Herbert- Instructional method
Pestalozzi- Training of physical organs or activity method
Socrates- Question and answer method
Idealism and discipline:
- Discipline should not be imposed.
- It should be developed internally.
- Inner discipline should be inculcated through moral and religious education.
- The teacher should motivate students through her code of conduct.
- There should be control over the freedom of students.
- Students are encouraged to participate in social activities so that they learn various values such as sacrifice and cooperation.
Idealism and teacher:
- The teacher should act as a guide.
- The teacher should be a role model for his or her students.
- The teacher must have a good character and personality.
- Students should be fully understood by the teachers.
- The teacher should have qualities of spiritualism.
- The teacher must have knowledge of his or her subject fully.
Idealism and students:
According to this philosophy, students are passive learners while the teachers are active. They just follow the instructions of the students. The teachers guide the students and show a path for the future. The students just obey the orders of the teacher.
