Philosophy and Aims of Education - Essay Example

Philosophy and Aims of Education of 24th February Philosophy and Aims of Education Oliva and Gordon stated that aims of education are the broad purposes of education that are national and on occasion, international in scope. A holistic approach to curriculum development begins with an examination of the aims of education in the society. The aims of education are derived using the proposed model for the process of curriculum development. The model flows from the most general aims of education to the most specific evaluation of techniques.

Teachers and administrators look at the curriculum from the aims of education to the evaluation of the curriculum periodically because of the many demands on the time. The curriculum committee of an individual school divides the responsibilities involved in different parts of the model, for instance, the school’s curriculum council may work on the aims of education, and other subgroups conduct a needs assessment and study sources of curricular needs. The aim of education is to inspire every student to think, to learn, and to care.

There are four philosophies of education; reconstructionism, progressivism, essentialism, and perennialism. Essentialism and progressivism are significant for schools. Progressivism emphasizes the child’s needs and interests and has profound impact on educational programs and practices. Curriculum workers are urged to clarify their own philosophies and to draw up a statement of their school’s philosophy that can be communicated to other professionals and to the public. Oliva and Gordon (2012) stated that the development of a statement of aims of education and a school philosophy is seen as the first phase of a comprehensive model for curriculum development.

ReferenceOliva, F., and Gordon, R. (2012). Developing the Curriculum + Myedleadershiplab With Pearson Etext. Pearson College Div.