John Locke (1632-1704) believed that the human mind at birth is “tabula rasa” and considered the senses as “doorways through which knowledge entered the mind” (p. 48). John Dewey (1859-1952) thought that the passive reception of knowledge through senses is not the real meaning of experience and proposed the notion of “learning by doing.” Also he claimed that “… the education comes through the stimulation of the child’s powers by the demands of the social situation in which he finds himself …” (p.218). What is the impact of empiricism and experimentalism on the philosophy of education?
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During Locke’s time there was no real systematic study of the education of children, but Locke was a keen observer. He thought children should not be worn out with lectures, but experience and practice were the better approaches to learning. Learning for him was receptive rather than active. He is considered the originator of child-centered education.
Dewey saw the important parts of education as what happened outside the classroom. His interest in psychology led him to study learning, attention, memory, imagination, and thinking. He felt the educational methods were not consistent with contemporary psychological principles of normal development. He wanted a lab school where educational thinking could be studied scientifically. He thought the teacher was the center, and it should be the child. School for him was primarily a social institution. He saw the sociological implications of education as growth. He related curriculum to real life, and teachers should be specialists. Curriculum was around themes. Students were not to be grouped by reading and writing ability but on the basis of interest and the ability to do certain kinds of work. He thought periods of intense work should be followed with periods of relaxation. School was seen as the intermediary between home and community.
Many of these ideas are with us today. Some examples would be: learning is multi-dimensional; many classrooms are child centered with teachers who are specialists in certain subject areas. There is a sense of community created within the classroom. Curriculum continues to often be around thematic units. Teachers vary the work by the demands of the effort needed on the part of the students. There is emphasis on building relationships with home and community and the school. Those in education are striving to develop excellent qualitative and quantitative studies to inform best practices. Science is contributing not only with educational research but with research in neuroscience and the biology of learning. Locke and Dewey certainly contributed to the philosophy of education as threads of their thinking are evident today.
(Jan)
John Locke is the first of the British empiricists. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, which appeared in 1690, laid John Locke’s philosophical foundation for empiricism. In 17th century there were not much systematic study of education and of children, but in Locke’s works, he claimed that it is critical that children have the freedom to experiment because they possess curiosity to seek knowledge. Locke believed that knowledge begins in sensation and indicated the importance of the method of observation and experiment. He viewed human mind at birth as “white paper” and contented that there were no innate ideas existing in it. Through experience and through the use of the senses and a process of reflection, human mind acquires knowledge. Locke claimed that children’s curiosity should be encouraged. Also, children’s capacities and play should govern learning. However, “learning for him was receptive rather than active; …” (p. 49).
John Dewey, influenced by Darwin’s biological framework, developed his educational philosophy of experimentalism. Dewey’s thought of education, in accordance with Locke, was that knowledge is acquired through experience. He claimed that knowledge comes about through experience and children learn better from experience. Because things are constantly changing, each experience is incorporated with or adjusted by previous experience. Through the accumulation of experience, children acquire knowledge. However, during the process of incorporating or adjusting past experience, Dewey argued that children should be active learners and the center of education. Through directly acting on their environment and observe the consequences of their actions, children are able to modify their future actions and master the situation. Children do not passively receive experience but actively act on it to form their knowledge.
Both of them proposed the importance of experience in acquiring knowledge. The impact of empiricism and experimentalism on the philosophy of education is that learning from experience. Children are encouraged to learn from hands-on experimentation and reflection. Through engaging in play and social activities and through the accumulation of experience, children acquire knowledge and learn how to adjust to an ever-changing society. This is the goal of education.
Lascarides, V. C., & Hinitz, B. F. (2000). History of early childhood education. New York,
Falmer Press, the Taylor & Francis Group.
Weiler, K. (2004). What can we learn from progressive education? Radical Teacher, 69, 4-9.
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