Unit 2 Idealism, Realism and Pragmatism in Education By the end of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Explain major world views of philosophies: idealism, realism, and pragmatism; and 2. Identify the contributions of the world

This topic will provide readers with some general knowledge of philosophies. Basically, there are three general or world philosophies that are idealism, realism, and pragmatism. Educators confront philosophical issues on a daily basis, often not recognizing them as such. In fact, in the daily practice of educators, they formulate goals, discuss values, and set priorities. Hence, educators who gets involved in dealing with goals, values and priorities soon realizes that in a modern society such as ours there are many competing choices. Some are incompatible with others. Hard decisions have to be made on some everyday dilemmas that educators confront, such as: how do we treat a specific students needs, yet deal fairly with a class of students as a whole? When, if ever, should we bend the rules? and should a teacher ever emphasize good behavior over subject skills? In trying to resolve such questions, the discussion may become philosophical, even though it may not be recognized by educators as such. With philosophy it can help educators to make better choices among goals, values and priorities.