{"id":5390,"date":"2024-05-30T20:54:37","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T20:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/?p=5390"},"modified":"2024-05-30T20:54:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T20:54:39","slug":"pragmatism-in-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/pragmatism-in-education\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 Principles of Pragmatism in Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a1\ufe0f Study Card<\/summary>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pragmatism-in-education-1024x724.jpg\" alt=\"pragmatism in education\" class=\"wp-image-38541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pragmatism-in-education-1024x724.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pragmatism-in-education-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pragmatism-in-education-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pragmatism-in-education.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a1\ufe0f Introduction<\/summary>\n<p>In education, pragmatism is an approach to learning and teaching that focuses on keeping things practical. Its key theorist is John Dewey. It has four principles: Unity, Interest, Experience, and Integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatic teachers use active project-based learning strategies in the classroom and focus on topics relevant to students\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Points to Remember:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pragmatism is about doing practical things that get results<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pragmatism in education involves practical lessons that have value to the lives of learners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Key pragmatist theorists include John Dewey and Charles S. Pierce<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A pragmatic classroom involves project-based learning, <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/play-based-learning\/\">play-based learning<\/a>, experimentation, and experiential learning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The opposite of pragmatic education would be what we call \u2018idealist education\u2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/idealism-examples\/\">Idealist educators<\/a> teach abstract ideas that aren\u2019t useful in real life. If you only like to learn things that are relevant to your life, you might be a pragmatist.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The origins of the term pragmatism are the Greek phrases \u201cpractice\u201d and \u201caction\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 4 Principles of Pragmatism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Sharma, Devi and Kumari (2018), there are four principles of pragmatism for teachers to know about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Principle of Utility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything that students learn should have \u2018utility\u2019. This means that everything should be useful to the student. A student doesn\u2019t care for learning abstract theoretical ideas that they will never apply to their lives outside of school. Instead, a student want to learn things that are <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/relevance-examples\/\">relevant to their lives<\/a>. By making things relevant and useful, students will be more engaged and eager to learn.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Principle of Interest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Curriculum content should also include the students\u2019 interests. Dewey (a key pragmatist theorist) argues that students have four interests: conversation, investigation, construction and creative expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, teachers should focus on creating lessons that involve talking with one another, investigating things through experimentation, making things, and being creative.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Principle of Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists value experience over all else. Students can learn abstract things all day, but unless they <i>experience<\/i> those things, they may never truly learn. Teachers should therefore create a lot of project-based, experimental and experiential lessons that help children \u2018learn by doing\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Principle of Integration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Curriculum content is not separate. Mathematics, science and creative arts are not three different lessons. Instead, the pragmatic teacher links the curriculum content together through a process we call \u2018integration\u2019. The teacher will show students how concepts from different subjects are related to each other and encourage a holistic understanding of the topics they are learning.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Alternative Theory: <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/existentialism-in-education\/\">Existentialism in Education<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Ideas in Pragmatic Education Theory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the deeper information about the theory of pragmatism for education. Use this information in your essay to show your depth of knowledge about pragmatism and grow your grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. The Facts can Change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people (like Idealists and Absolutists) believe that the facts never change. The truth is the truth, they say! However, pragmatists believe that the truth can change. What is \u2018true fact\u2019 is whatever works and gets results at any point in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists are always willing to change their minds when new information or circumstances come about. The thing they care most about is taking action and achieving results. If they try something out and it doesn\u2019t work, they\u2019ll try something new. They\u2019re always experimenting and changing their minds about things! This has led to the pragmatic saying: \u201ctruth is formed by its results\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ast-global-color-4-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-80fb368b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/pragmatism-examples\/\"><b>An Example<\/b> of Pragmatism<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In education, pragmatists won\u2019t ask students to find the \u2018true\u2019 answer. There won\u2019t be a true answer at the outset that they need to arrive at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, they teacher will ask students to experiment and come back with an explanation of whatever worked in their experiment. It\u2019s up to the students to find out what is the most useful set of facts that got them the results they needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two different students might have come up with different procedures for their experiment. If both procedures worked, both are valid! That\u2019s because pragmatists aren\u2019t stuck believing only one way of doing things is correct. Any method that got the results is correct!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Pragmatists are \u201cUtilitarian\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/utilitarianism-examples\/\">utilitarian<\/a> is someone who values things that are useful. If knowledge is not useful in real life, then it isn\u2019t really all that interesting to a pragmatic person. However, if knowledge has real-life practical value, pragmatists are very interested in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>An Example<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatic teachers are more interested in showing students things that will have value and relevance to their lives. When teaching mathematics, they might focus on teaching addition and subtraction by linking it to real-life situations such as shopping at the supermarket or scoring a game of football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Experience is King<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything a pragmatist knows and believes is based on their experiences. A pragmatist is always taking action and trying things out. It is only through experience that a pragmatist understands their world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a pragmatist has a new experience, they will learn something new. This will inform how they understand the world. If you don\u2019t experiment and experience things, you\u2019ll never know for sure if something is true or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>An Example<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A pragmatic teacher is always focusing on getting students to get active. They won\u2019t be learning theory too much. They\u2019ll learn the theory then spend the rest of the lesson applying the theory in a practical situation. You\u2019ll see lots of experiments, hands-on and project-based activities in a pragmatic classroom. The pragmatic teacher\u2019s motto is \u201clearning by doing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Thought and Action are Interconnected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you sat around and thought about something your whole life, but did nothing about it, then your thoughts are meaningless. The only thoughts that matter are the ones that are applied in real-life practical circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, your actions should inform your thoughts. You might think about something, try it out in an experiment, then re-think it and try a new experiment. By taking action, you are changing your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Something is Better than Nothing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists reward results. They don\u2019t care if something is perfect, they care more that something works. If an idea has practical relevance to real life, they\u2019re happy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In education, that means a pragmatic teacher won\u2019t expect a student\u2019s spelling and grammar to be perfect. They won\u2019t expect perfection in any area of life. Instead, they\u2019ll be happy if the student can show their knowledge and how they can apply it to real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Often when I have to decide whether I should pass a student in my college classes, I think to myself \u201cwell, does the student have a working knowledge of the course content?\u201d I won\u2019t hold them back if their spelling sucks or they missed one too many classes. These are not the most important practical concerns. Here, I\u2019m being practical: does the student have the knowledge? If yes, go ahead and pass the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>An Example<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In real life, pragmatists are often found in politics. Let\u2019s say the president of the United States want to build a highway from Seattle to Los Angeles. That\u2019s what he wants. But the Senate says \u201cNo! We\u2019ll only fund a highway from Seattle to Portland!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An idealist might say \u201cThat\u2019s not what I wanted, so I won\u2019t build the highway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A pragmatist might say \u201cWell that\u2019s better than nothing. Let\u2019s get it done.\u201d At least residents of Portland and Seattle will get something!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Humans are Social Beings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Because pragmatists believe \u2018experience is king\u2019, they also believe that social interactions are important. Social interactions are, after all, one of the primary experiences that everyone has in their everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The theorist John Dewey, who applied pragmatism to education in his writings, believed that education should help young people learn to be better at social interactions. Dewey\u2019s ideas stated that social interactions help us to learn how to cooperate, negotiate and get along. These skills are vital to pragmatists who value <i>getting things done<\/i>. Sometimes, it requires social interaction and compromise to achieve results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of Pragmatism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Experiential, Experimental and Project-Based Learning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to pragmatists, students learn best through experience. A pragmatic teacher, therefore, would not be the sort of teacher who does <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/rote-learning\/\">rote learning<\/a> (learning things by heart). Instead, the teacher would ask students to go off and experience things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The student can go off and experiment with materials to learn how they work. There will be a lot of scientific projects, writing tasks that involve topics that are relevant to the student\u2019s life, and mathematical tasks that can be used by the student when they go home at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Play-Based Learning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways of experiencing the world (and therefore learning!) is through play. This is particularly true for early childhood classrooms. Therefore, pragmatists believe that children should spend a lot of time playing. Through <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/unstructured-play-based-learning\/\">play-based learning<\/a>, children experiment and therefore learn more and more about themselves and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3 Group Work and Negotiation.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/classroom-layout-table-groups-e1556800044441.jpg\" alt=\"table group layouts are ideal in pragmatist classrooms\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists are not idealist or purists. This means that they\u2019re more interested in getting things done than achieving perfect results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the classroom, this means that students need to learn how to get along with each other and compromise in order to achieve results. A pragmatic classroom will therefore involve a lot of group work, where students have to come to mutual agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatic teachers should explicitly <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/class-group-names\/\">teach students group work<\/a>, cooperation and negotiation skills. They should then encourage children to practice those skills throughout their daily tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A pragmatic teacher might also arrange the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/classroom-layouts\/\">classroom layout<\/a> into table groups (see image). This will encourage students to work together to get things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Role of the Pragmatic Teacher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatic teachers are focused on helping children take action. They should create resource-rich classrooms with project-based lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pragmatic teacher does not directly teach content but facilitates active learning. While a traditional educator might teach via <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/behaviorism\/\">behaviorist teaching methods<\/a> like rote learning and be seen as the \u2018sage on the stage\u2019, the pragmatic educator is the \u2018guide on the side\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You would expect to see a pragmatic teacher setting out tasks and sending students off to find ways to complete the tasks in practical and <i>pragmatic<\/i> ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This child-centered approach is similar to the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/forest-schools\/\">Forest Schools approach<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/humanist-theory-in-education\/\">humanism in education<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/sociocultural-theory-education\/\">Sociocultural theory of education<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Pragmatists view Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because pragmatism is all about taking action and achieving results, pragmatists must view children as active, competent and capable. The child is capable of seeking out and finding solutions to the problems that trouble them in their lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We often call the active and capable view of the child the \u2018agentic view of childhood\u2019. You can read more about the agentic child in my post on <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/social-constructions-of-childhood-examples\/\">social constructions of childhood<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Pragmatic Education Theorists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. John Dewey (1859 &#8211; 1952)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/how-to-write-an-essay-plan\/\">writing an essay<\/a> on pragmatism in education, you <i>must<\/i> mention John Dewey. His name is almost synonomous with pragmatic education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While today we see Dewey as a pragmatist, he used the term \u2018instrumentalism\u2019 which is just about interchangeable with the term \u2018pragmatism\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Utilitarianism: <\/b>Dewey is the person who promoted the idea that knowledge (and theory) are only worthwhile if they have clear utility to human beings. If a theory is not connected to action, then what is its point? He was very unimpressed by philosophers who scratched their chins all day, wrote some things, but did nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Learning by Doing: <\/b>Dewey was also the person who brought pragmatism to education. In his writings, Dewey spoke a lot about how students need to learn by doing, and then reflect upon what they did. Through inquiry, <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/inductive-reasoning-examples\/\">inductive learning<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/active-learning-pros-cons\/\">active learning<\/a>, the student will become a capable and confident adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Critique of Traditional Education: <\/b>Lastly, one of the biggest contributions of Dewey to pragmatic education was his critique of traditional education. Dewey thought schools treated children as dumb and passive learners. Instead, he proposed students should be taught to be problem solvers. The child shouldn\u2019t be given \u2018a set of notes\u2019 but taught to problem solve and develop their own knowledge that is relevant to their lives right now, not just ti their lives as future adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Charles S. Pierce (1839 &#8211; 1914)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It might also be a good idea to mention Charles Pierce in your essay. Charles Pierce was a pragmatist even before Dewey. Pierce was a mathematician who thought that our actions are based on our beliefs or \u2018hypotheses\u2019. By experiencing new things and creating new ideas based on our hypotheses, we can improve our thoughts and therefore our actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. William James (1842 &#8211; 1910)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>James is also a very famous pragmatist, although he did not talk much about education. His eight lectures on the philosophy of pragmatism are famous for setting the groundwork for what pragmatism is. They are very complex indeed, but in essence, he argued that pragmatism is all about being <i>practical<\/i>. He values ideas that are common sense and usable in real life. He does not care for abstract ideas, but only for thinking about things that are relevant and useful to the lives of human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scholarly Quotes on Pragmatism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAny human activity is evaluated in terms of its consequences or results. If the activity results in utility, then it is true.\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 2) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cPragmatists hold that whatever was true yesterday; need not to be the same today.\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 2) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIt may be noted that the fundamental start of pragmatism is \u201cchange\u201d. In this sense no truth is absolute and permanent. It is always changing from time to time, from place to place and from circumstance to circumstance.\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 2) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c[Pragmatism] can be summarized by the phrase whatever works, is likely true.\u201d (Sharma, Devi &amp; Kumari, 2018, p. 1549) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ijetsr.com\/images\/short_pdf\/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cPragmatists firmly believe that old and traditional education is dead and lifeless.\u201d (Sharma, Devi &amp; Kumari, 2018, p. 1551) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ijetsr.com\/images\/short_pdf\/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cTo pragmatism, man is a social being. He gains more and more knowledge through personal experiences than he gets from books.\u201d (Sharma, Devi &amp; Kumari, 2018, p. 1551) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ijetsr.com\/images\/short_pdf\/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cPragmatism regards teacher as a helper, guide and philosopher. The chief function of pragmatic teacher is to suggest problems to his pupils and to stimulate them to find by themselves, the solutions, which will work.\u201d (Sharma, Devi &amp; Kumari, 2018, p. 1552) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ijetsr.com\/images\/short_pdf\/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cPragmatism holds that man is a social being. He is born into society and all his development takes place in and through society. Hence, pragmatists uphold democratic social attitudes and values.\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 3) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThe greatest contribution of pragmatism to education is this principle of learning by doing.\u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 3) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIt is established by the pragmatists that truth is not constant [&#8230;] Therefore, a teacher must be ready to change in his act of teaching, knowing the appropriate method of teaching because the situation may change and students may also change. \u201d (Adeleye, 2017, p. 4) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><b>&gt;&gt;&gt;RELATED POST: <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/quotes\/\">HOW TO USE QUOTES IN ESSAYS<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limitations and Critiques of Pragmatism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Pragmatism lacks moral basis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If pragmatism advocates that truth and facts change with time, then there is a risk of moral absolutism. This is a concept that refers to the fact that if there is no one truth, then anything may be true. This could lead to moral decline in society, where people justify all sorts of bad things based on the fact that it\u2019s \u201ctheir\u201d truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Just because something works, it isn\u2019t necessarily true<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists think things are true if they work and are worthwhile. This led to a famous conversation between William James and Bertrand Russell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf a hypothesis works satisfactorily, it is true,\u201d said James, the pragmatist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bertrand Russell responded: \u201cThe hypothesis of Santa Claus works satisfactorily \u2014 it brings goodwill world over. So, to James, \u2018Santa Claus exists\u2019 is true. To me, it is false!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fair criticism, Mr. Russell!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Thought without action is important in education, too<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pragmatists think that thought without action (e.g. learning about things that don\u2019t have practical purpose) is pointless. However, many would argue this is not correct. Many times, things we think about have value in and of themselves. They have what we call \u2018intrinsic value\u2019. Sometimes reading, thinking and even relaxing have intrinsic value but no utility value. Perhaps we should still teach about Shakespeare and sextants in schools, even if they are old fashioned and have no utility value any more. They might still be interesting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scholarly Sources for your Essay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget that you need to cite <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/best-sources\/\">scholarly sources<\/a> in essays. Here are a few you can use and cite. These citations are in APA Style. If you need to use another referencing format, check our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/referencing\/\">how to reference in an essay<\/a> to change the citation to the correct format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adeleye, J. O. (2017). Pragmatism and its implications on teaching and learning in Nigerian schools. <i>Research Highlights in Education and Science. 1<\/i>(1): 1 &#8211; 6. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.isres.org\/books\/chapters\/Research_Highlights_in_Education_and_Science_2017_1_18-12-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dewey, J. (1948). <i>Education and the Philosophic Mind. <\/i>New York: The Macmillian Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharma, S., Devi, R., &amp; Kumari, J. (2018). Pragmatism in education. <i>International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research 5<\/i>(1): 1549 &#8211; 1554. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ijetsr.com\/images\/short_pdf\/1517753191_1549-1554-oitm828-ijetsr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free access here<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pragmatism is about doing practical things that get results. Pragmatism in education involves practical lessons that have value to the lives of learners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-education-101-course-module-2"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Chris Drew (PhD)","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",350,350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",350,350,false],"large":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",350,350,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",350,350,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",350,350,false],"authorship-box-avatar":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",150,150,false],"authorship-box-related":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",70,70,false],"authorship-post-flat":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",70,70,false],"authorship-post-cards":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",189,189,false],"authorship-post-thumbs":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pragmatism-in-Education.jpg",100,100,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Chris Drew (PhD)","author_link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/author\/chris-drew-phd\/"},"uagb_comment_info":75,"uagb_excerpt":"Pragmatism is about doing practical things that get results. Pragmatism in education involves practical lessons that have value to the lives of learners.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5390"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38542,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5390\/revisions\/38542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}