Values and education
Values are bound everywhere in education and involve every aspect of school practice. By using values teachers and students evaluate each other while the society evaluate the whole education system.
The general study of values is known as axiology. It poses three major questions:
1) Whether values are objective or subjective? Objective ----values means that they exist in their own regardless of human preference e.g. goodness, truth and beauty. Subjective---values are those which reflect personal preferences e.g. to say education is valuable means that someone values education irrespective its goodness and worth.
2) Some values are absolute and eternal----means these values are valid everywhere and every time in the universe e.g. charity. These called absolute values. But there are other values which are not permanent e.g. grading to people because to know whether it is better to grade the people one should know the purpose and procedure of this phenomena.
3) The third major concern is whether they are hierarchical or not. It all depend on persons general philosophy e.g. idealist maintain strong hierarchy because they believe that this help us to realize our ultimate goal.
Researches are conducted to investigate above questions and results are very helpful for educators as well as philosophers.
Ethics and education
Ethics is the study of values in the realm of human conduct. Its major concern is to provide “right values as the basis for right actions”. These moral values are always derived from religion.
The teachers are always concerned with imparting the moral values and improving individual and social behaviors. They usual question faced by them is what type of values should be inculcated in students.
There are two major ethical theories
1) Instuitionism -----advocate the concept of individual apprehension of moral values and
2) Naturalism ----- advocating that values should be determined carefully after studying their consequences.
The major question is that whether values can be taught like other factual knowledge. The Aristotle has answered the question by saying that teacher can bring values to consciousness of students. If he or she is able to do so than the aim of education is achieved.
Aesthetics and education
Aesthetics is the study of values in realm of beauty. This is difficult to assess because they are likely to be subjective or objective. The only way to know about there subjectivity or objectivity is to rely on experts opinion. The major question is about proper subject matter and scope of art. One opinion is that art should depict life as a whole, others believe that it should perform social roles while still others who are confused about role of art in society.
Idealist values and education
According to idealist values and ethics are absolute. They are not man maid and are part of very nature of universe. In their point of view the evil is incomplete good and results from disorganization. They says in school students are not bad but strayed.
Plato--- said that good life is possible is a good society which is ruled by virtuous elite of philosopher kings. On the other hand Kant’s ideal society is that in which everyone behave with others as he liked to be behaved.
This theory present the idea that teacher should inculcate the absolute values in students and he should be have the idea that his single behavior will set an example for others.
Realist values and education
The concept of realist about values is similar to those of idealist. However there are many groups amongst themselves like;
Classical realist agrees with Aristotle that there is a universal moral law that binds us a rational beings. They agree that teacher should impart certain well defined values. They should clarify students about right and wrong regardless of change is aesthetics or moral fashion. They also emphasize that school should produce well rounded and moderate individuals. According to them the values are taught and do not developed automatically.
On the other hand Christian realist believes that although we can understand laws, but we must believe that they are maid by God and are permanent. They also believe that man has been created to attain supernatural good. According to them the will and intellect of individual should be trained and there must be firm discipline to eliminate bad habits.
The third major pole is of scientist realist who believes that good is that which accommodate us in our environment, as both the human and physical are constant. According to them right and wrong come from our understanding of nature and morality should be based on scientific investigation.
Pragmatist values and education
According to this school of thought the values are relative. The moral values change as culture and society change. The child should learn to make decision which procedure better and long lasting results for human in difficult situation. According to them values should not be imposed on but be agreed upon by discussion. They reject any idea of individualism that merge him in society.