Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting - A Book Review

Title:  Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting

Authors:  Herman C. Gregorio and Cornelia M. Gregorio

Place of Publication:  903 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City

Publisher:  R. P. GARCIA Publishing Company

Date of Publication:  1979

Number of Pages:  187

Reviewed by:  Michael E. Ecoben, MA

Content:

         Philosophy comes from the Greek word – “philo” means love and “sophio” means wisdom. According to Gregorio, “Philosophy can be defined as a systematic study of life and the universe as a whole in order to frame a logical and necessary system of general idea so that every element of human experience may be interpreted.  Philosophy uses the following steps of investigations to establish the validity of certain theory or concept:  Reason, Observation, Faith, Intuition, Authority and Controlled Experience. “  To Dr. John Dewey, the purpose of philosophy is to identify problems and suggest ways of handling these problems.

There are two major branches of Philosophies.  These are Metaphysics and Epistemology, the former analyzes the question of ultimate reality while the latter is the major differences between systems of philosophical thought.  According to Gregorio, the problems of how children ought to learn and inquire into the meaning of reality are fundamentals to education.  The teacher plays a key role in delivering the quality education to the students by having good motivations in every discussion.  The teacher serves as the facilitator that will enable the students to think well, organize their thoughts and make a product out of these ideas.

According to Gregorio, there are various schools of Philosophy.  These are the following:  1.) The Philosophy of Idealism – knowledge is independent of the sense of experience; there are different types of idealistic philosophy.  These are a) objectivism – emphasizes the objective and real independence of ideas that forms the substance of every object exists independently of the human perceiver, b) subjectivism – emphasizes the subjective mental state of human mind, c) organic – emphasizes the holistic state of mind that is unity throughout the universe and d) personalism which rejects the impersonal description of infinite mind and emphasizes the individual phenomena of the personal mind.  Thus, in idealism it has a high regard for uniqueness of every individual and academic freedom in education, 2.)  The Philosophy of Realism is an attempt to portray life as it is.  The realist believes that the world is made of real, substantial material entities,  3.) The Philosophy of Humanism is teaching all persons with dignity and worth. , 4.) Philosophies of Experimentalism and Pragmatism are closely related philosophies.  Experimentalism and Pragmatism aim of education is the development of the total child through experiencing or through the use of the theory of self-activity, 5.) The Philosophy of Scholasticism is stressing on the idea that man is a national being that possesses a body and soul, 6.) The Philosophy of Progressivism is all about learning as a process, 7.) The Philosophy of Existentialism is that reality is a matter of individual existence that each human being exists in a world that is without purpose and is fundamentally absurd, and 8.) Analytic Philosophy is also known as analysis.  Analytic philosophy asserts that man is different from other animals to the extent that he can to engage in reflection.

John Dewey, who was a philosopher and educator, lived an advocate of education.  He was an American.  His philosophical beliefs have been described as (1) radical empiricism, (2) experimentalism, (3) instrumentalism, and (4) pragmatism.  According to Dewey, radical empiricism is an act of finding out the meaning of a thing, one has to see how they are presented in experience.  The only philosophical method for knowing the whole reality is the scientific or experimental method while experimentalism is stressing the importance of experiment in achieving the truth and instrumentalism.

To Dr. Dewey “Education is life.”  He said that education is life and not preparation for life.  The educational concept is based on the idea that education is not learning alone but is it living. Growth as used by Dewey, means growth in knowledge, habits, skills, abilities and attitudes.    From Dr. John Dewey’s educational philosophy, the following educational concepts are derived:  the child is made the center of educative process, promoting the total growth of the child is made the aim of education, teaching and learning must utilize the theory of self-activity, the principles of individual differences, evaluation is made an integral part of teaching and learning, thinking and reasoning, academic freedom in the classroom and education is made more practical and functional.

According to Gregorio, community plays an important role in making the school more successful in achieving its goals and objectives.  The cooperative relationship between a school and the community it serves are essential to the functioning of modern education.   The community needs the school as a positive force for social betterment and economic development. The responsibility of the school in the future shall be conceived in terms of the larger needs of the community and the nation.  The school should serve as a learning house for all community ideas, programs, and interests.

Gregorio also emphasized on the important of democracy in education.  He said that education in a democracy must have its main concern in the welfare of all the people of the world.  It must serve each with justice; provide equal educational opportunity for all regardless of intelligence, race, color, religion, social status, economic condition or vocational plans and among others.

It also talks about the influence of Americans in the education curriculum of the Philippines.  Academic freedom is also discussed where the teachers and the students can go beyond the curriculum of the school.

Summary:

       The Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting are based on the following educational concepts:  First, the students are the primary and the center of the educative process; Second, the teachers focus on the total human formation of students instead of focusing on the lessons taught; Third, the curriculum is based on activities and projects; Fourth, the teachers should give emphasis on thinking and reasoning instead of pure memorization; Fifth, there should be evaluation like teacher made tests and among others to check the knowledge; Sixth, the school, is also the center of educative process; Seventh, guidance should be part in the curriculum.  It also talks about the important of the community in shaping the school to become more effective in achieving its goals and objectives.  It also discusses the different strategies in achieving the new society of the Philippines that focuses more on the total human formation.

Evaluation:

       The book, Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting by Herman C. Gregorio and Cornelia M. Gregorio was published in 1979.  The book is good because the writers tried their best to discuss their points in simple manner to the point that they overstressed them.  There are typographical errors in some of the words.   However, when it comes to the contents of the book, it gives the readers comprehensive discussions on the philosophy, problems and challenges on the Philippine education. It enumerates various steps and solutions on how to resolve these problems and challenges.  It also examines the different partners of school like the community and the different strategies like the academic freedom in achieving the visions of the new society in the Philippine education.  

Personal Reflection:

          Education is life.  I am not an education graduate.  I finished my first course at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.  After my graduation, I worked in corporate companies for three years.  I was not fulfilled as a person while I was in the office because my work was monotonous: programming, brainstorming and among others.  While I was still working in corporate companies, I pursued professional education at Mindanao University of Science and Technology and got 18 units that would qualify me to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers.  In year December 2004, I left my work in the corporate to pursue a teaching job in St. Mary’s Academy (Formerly Cathedral School of Technology).  I taught there for one school year.  In 2006, my siblings asked me if I would be interested to pursue Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Liceo de Cagayan University.  With any doubt, I resigned from my teaching post and pursued the course.  When I graduated in 2009, I decided to return to teaching because it is a fulfilling job for me. And until today, I still enjoyed and loved my work as a teacher. Right now, I am now employed at the Department of Education in Cagayan de Oro as a teacher in grade 6 level in City Central School, Yacapin Velez, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

     Philosophy of Education in Philippine Setting is good.  According to Gregorio, Philosophy can help the educators of this country criticize educational practices, draw inferences, and make a proper evaluation.  It can bridge the gap between theory and practice.  The Philippine educational leaders need philosophy to enable them to identify better, define and evaluate educational outcomes. However, some of the philosophies of the Philippine need more enhancements because our basic curriculum is limited only the official framework of the government as outlined in the New Constitution.  The Philippine school must only not concern with the perpetuation of democratic ideals and ways in the Constitution but also with the general improvements of the individual society.    It can only be accomplished, as the total education program becomes an experience of democratic living, both inside and outside of the classroom.

I agree with Dr. John Dewey’s points.  Some of the points he raised were the following:  First, the child is the made the center of educative process.  In the DepEd, the students are one of the stakeholders.  The department would not exist without these students.  The teachers should addressed the needs of the students based on their abilities, interests and needs.  Second, promoting the total growth of the child.  The total human formation is the goal of the department because the teachers do not only educate the minds but also train the bodies of these students to make them more productive in the future.  And lastly, thinking and reasoning are stressed in classroom activities.  The teachers are trained to be keen in masking HOTS questions to the students.  It invite the students to think and ask questions during the classroom discussion. 

Recommendation:

        I highly recommend this book to all employees of both public and private schools in the Philippines.  It helps the readers enlighten their minds in the reality of the education setting in the Philippines.  This book is also good on the students, parents and stakeholders because they could give them the varied ideas on how education should be implemented in the Philippines.