Admittedly, education is always affected by the contemporary philosophy. For example, any teacher plans the curriculum in accordance with his/her opinion as for the main points and less important issues. Since teachers are brought up in a certain culture based on a particular philosophy they form their curricula in terms of this large context.
Moreover, teachers tend to develop not only their students’ mental activity, but they strive to foster people characterized by the major values of the culture they pertain to. Of course, it is not the most important for teacher to teach students to do sums or know where human’s heart is.
Teachers develop learners’ ethical qualities so that students become worthy members of the society. Thus, teachers try to shape their curricula so that not only student’s mind and brain but student’s soul and heart could be developed (Brummelen 2). Many educators pay much attention to the correlation between philosophy and curriculum.
For instance, Brummelen provides many effective approaches to plan the curriculum in accordance with contemporary philosophy. To my mind, he helps not only teachers but students as well since he articulates many useful points which teachers can implement. As far as students are concerned they also benefit from reading such books since they start understanding the importance of this approach. Moreover, the book enables learners to focus on what is really important.
What impressed me most was the attitude towards religion and its place in the curriculum. For instance, it is suggested that all disciplines can and should be integrated with major principles of religion (Brummelen 229).
Of course, it is not surprising when religious issues are considered during History or Literature classes. However, I was a bit startled while reading about using such principles during Biology or Physics, for example. I used to think that science and religion are in different camps since sciences always tried to debunk certain points promulgated by religion.
In its turn religious people often denied some major findings of scientists or condemned them for interfering in some divine activities. Besides, I often disliked when teachers started moralizing, so I thought that any deviations from curriculum was useless waste of time. I thought that school should provide students with pure science. However, the book impressed me greatly and made me change my mind.
I used to think that philosophical, religious and cultural principles should be learned at home, but I think that teachers can do it better since they know how to educate young people. Moreover, to my mind some ethical norms are acquired better when they come within some particular discipline.
Thus, now I admit that such integration is possible and even preferable. Whereas, nowadays teachers explain that people’s longing to knowledge and, in fact, ability to learn and perceive is given by our God. It goes without saying that contemporary students can benefit from knowledge which is accompanied by “guiding principle for life” (Anthony and Benson 375). To my mind, curriculum is only strengthened by philosophical (religious) principles.
It is very important to make young people see what is right and what is wrong since they are exposed to so much information at present that they can easily get lost and make many mistakes. Thus, I gather that curriculum is, in any case, influenced by curriculum, so it is better if teachers know how to make students benefit from it.
Works Cited
Anthony, Michael J. and Warren S. Benson. Exploring the History and Philosophy of Christian Education: Principles for the Twenty-First Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2003.
Van Brummelen, Harro. Steppingstones to Curriculum: A Biblical Path. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications, 2002.