[Session 11] Two Major Trends of Pedagogy
(1) Disciplinistic Principle and Empirical Principle
- Introduction -

It is said that an approach toward education oscillates in its basis between disciplinism and empiricism. Sometimes teaching subjects is regarded as important with an emphasis being placed on disciplinism, as it has been the case in traditional education, and other times children's experience is valued with empiricism being praised, as in progressive education. Disciplinistic principle is a basis for the assertion that children's academic achievements are declining and that Education Ministry guidelines have been downgraded to a minimum standard. The diciplinists advocate more learning time in structured way, based on "disciplines" that have been formed as subject matters in school curriculum. On the other hand, empiricistism value students' experiences in everyday life. Empiricism theoretically supports the current schools' curriculum featuring Hours of Comprehensive Studies, or inter-disciplinary activities, also known as integrated curriculum, which have drawn criticism and new perspectives on students' academic achievements.

Such oscillation arises from the nature of education. In Japanese language, education is translated as "Kyo-iku," where "Kyo" means to teach, and "Iku" means to grow. In other words, education has two aspects: teaching and nurturing; teachers both instruct students and help students grow. A "molding approach," where inputting from outside is valued, is based on an idea "Breeding is more important than birth." As a supporting theory, philosopher John Locke's "tabula rasa (blank slate)" is famous, and states that the mind at birth is a blank slate and gets filled later through experience and perceptions of the outside world. Conversely, nurturing children from the inside is called a "developing approach," which values the development of natural-born (innate, genetic) abilities.

Try to determine on which of the approaches the following phrases are based.

Ancient Greek philosopher, Plato said that "the aim of education is to lead children to opinions which are regarded rational."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the author of "Emile, ou l'education" said in his book, "Everything is good as it leaves the hands of the creator of things, everything degenerates in the hands of man. (omitted) He turns everything upside down, he disfigures everything, he loves deformities, monsters."

In the 1920s, an American behaviorist J. B. Watson, said, "Give me a dozen healthy infants, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select--doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and, yes, even beggar and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."

(When you point on each text, you'll see the answer．)

Table 1 shows merits and demerits of a disciplinism-based curriculum and an empiricism-based one respectively. Which approach has more influence on the education that you have received and the education that you provide now? Even if you are unconscious of these two approaches, consider which factor influences you more.