Educational & Social Psy 2
- Pragmatism advocates that the curriculum should be changed and made to be in such a way that students will like it. This is somehow an advantage to curriculum, since students are attracted to the things which they like. If the curriculum was therefore included with the activities which students enjoy, then it would excite them, hence making them to work hard. In addition, the curriculum should be made to be in such a way that it seeks to be more interactive and engages students in the participation (Bacon, 2012). This would therefore help in motivating students thus making them to further understand whatever they are learning rather than strictly following rules without knowing the reason as to why. Teachers should also maintain a close relationship with students and allow them to do things according to their capability. By so doing, students will be able to fully understand and gain knowledge responsible for making them to be able to achieve their goals.
In as much as pragmatisms point of view is advantageous to the curriculum, it is also has its disadvantages. Pragmatism advocates that some subjects should not be included in the curriculum. This is because students may not need them in their future. For example some students only need physics and mathematics in their lives, thus they should only do those subjects and not any other subjects. The activities which are not of importance to some students should not be included in the curriculum (Bacon, 2012). Thus the curriculum should only have the subjects and activities which a student is interested in only. This statement is very misleading, since most students will not be able to understand and gain basic knowledge of how some things operate in real life situation.
- Neo pragmatism basically concentrates on the significance of language on education. Neo pragmatism therefore has positive impacts on education, since it seeks to explain the importance that a language has on education. The language used in education therefore determines the type of learning (Swartz, Campbell & Pestana, 2009). A language should therefore be used properly in order for the learners to be able to understand whatever they are being taught. Languages create an understanding of different concepts in learning hence making it easier for students to understand different subjects that they undertake in school. Neo pragmatism therefore influences the educational theory to focus on languages which can be easily understood by all students thus being able to teach effectively. In addition, language is the backbone of education and it should therefore be looked at carefully particularly when dealing with issues concerning education.
- Hate speech and propaganda against the minorities should also be criticised by pragmatism, since all people are equal and no one is better than the other. When it comes to education, schools should incorporate into the curriculum, subjects which seek to advice and explain to students the importance of treating others equally. This will not only help in reducing the issues of hate speech and propaganda, but it will also help in changing the mentality of students regarding some people, thus making them to appreciate the minority as they are. In addition, students should be encouraged to only look at the positive side of other people and not to focus on the negative sides of other people, hence making them to relate with other people very well (Bacon, 2012).
Reference
Bacon, M. (2012). Pragmatism: An introduction. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Swartz, O., Campbell, K., & Pestana, C. (2009). Neo-pragmatism, communication, and the culture of creative democracy. New York: Peter Lang.
