B.Ed. 1st Semester Notes - Philosophical Bases of Education - Unit 1 (a) Education: Meaning, Concept- Indian and Western.

Hello everyone,
I am sharing my B.Ed. 1st semester notes for you all. Because we all know, it takes a lot of time to prepare notes and learn it for exams. You might not have enough time for all this while being busy in other activities, assignments, projects, modals, etc. So for those who are about to give entrance exam for this profession, let's make it easy for you so that you will be able to enjoy your time along with easy learning.

Let's begin with Philosophical Bases of Education  - Unit 1 (a) Education: Meaning, Concept- Indian and Western.

You can be asked long questions from this unit in two different ways:

Q1. Compare and contrast the old and new concepts of Education. (8Marks)

Q2. Discuss Western concept of education bringing out distinct differences or similarities among the ancient, medieval and modern times. (8Marks)

Both questions have the same answer, except the second question have western concept only not Indian.
I am sharing the answer of 1st question, out of which the second half of answer also belongs to 2nd question. So in this way you have both the answers.

Answer:

Meaning of Education

The term education is derived from words 'Educare' and 'Educere'.
Educare is a latin word which means 'to nourish'. 'to bring up', 'to raise'. This means educating a child, nourishing or bringing up the child according to certain aims.
Educere is also a Latin word and it means 'to lead out'or 'to draw out'. This implies drawing out what is ingrained in the child or leading him out of darkness into light.

Definition

Education as per Indian Thinkers:

Education as per Ancient Indian Thinkers

1. In Rigveda, education has been understood as something which 'makes a man self-reliant and selfless'.

2. In Upsnishadas, education has been understood as something the end product of which is salvation.

3. Shankracharya regards education as 'the realization of the self'.

Ancient thinkers took an idealistic or spiritual view of education.

Education as per Modern Indian Thinkers

1. According to Swami Vivekanand, Education is ''the manifestation of divine perfection already existing in a man.''
By education he meant drawing out the divine potential already existing in man.

2. According to Gurudev Tagore, "Education is that what makes one's life in harmony with all existence and thus enables the mind to find the ultimate truth which gives us the wealth of inner light and love and gives significance to life.'

3. According to Mahatma Gandhi, "By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man- body, mind and spirit."
Mahatma Gandhi combined physical, mental and spiritual aspects of an individuals personality when he defined education.

Modern Thinkers have regarded education more from practical point of view than the idealistic one.

Gandhiji's view Analysis:

1. All round: It implies many sides or many dimensions or a harmonious development of the child' personality. A child is not mere intellect or a growing physical self; he is neither heart nor soul. All these aspects must be considered in the educative process.

2. Drawing out: Gandhiji recognized the latent capacities and capabilities in the child. He recognized great potentialities coiled up in the child and these potentialities must be realized and developed to their perfection through the process of education.

3. The best in child and man: Gandhiji believed that education must teach us to discriminate between good and bad. Education must enable the child and the man to discover the best of everything.

4. Drawing out the best in " body, mind and spirit": This is the vision of the whole man. The first emphasis is on the body and the culminating point is the spirit. It is through practical work that one attains intellectual development.


Education as per Western Thinkers

Education as per Ancient Western Thinkers

According to Plato, "Education is the capacity to feel pleasure and pain at the right moment. It develops in the body and in the soul of the pupil all the beauty and all the perfection which he is capable of."

2. According to Aristotle, "Education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body. It develops man's faculty, especially his mind, so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of supreme truth, goodness and beauty of which perfect happiness essentially consists."


Education as per Modern Western Thinkers

1. According to Pestalozzi, "Education is the natural, harmonious and progressive development of man's innate powers."

2. According to John Dewey, "Education is the development of all those capacities in the individual which enable him to control his environment and fulfill his possibilities."

3. According to Redden, "Education is the deliberate and systematic influence exerted by the mature person upon the immature, through instruction, discipline and harmonious development of physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social and spiritual powers of the human being, according to individual and social needs and directed towards the union of the educand with his creator as the final end."

Analysis of Redden's definition:

1. Education is deliberate and systematic: It is a conscious process. It involves care and guidance. It is not a haphazard activity. It is carefully planned, hence, it is systematic.

2. Influence exerted by a mature person upon the immature: Education involves one who knows and the one who does not know. Mature person which includes parents, teachers and other elders influence the young ones - the learners.

3. Education leads to harmonious development: Education is a complex process. Through the process of education all aspects of the child's personality - physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social and spiritual should develop together in perfect harmony.

4. Individual and social needs: The development should be according to individual needs. But the social needs are not to be ignored. Development of individuality must be in conformity with the needs of the society.

5. The union of educand with his creator: Education is a means to the final end. The final end is 'Mukti' or 'Moksha'. It is through education that the individual is to meet his creator and attain salvation.

Conclusion: Education is a continuous, life long process. It is the overall development of an individual. It should not be confused with literacy. Literacy is the ability to read and write in one or two language but education is understanding the aspects of life, attaining wisdom and choosing the right path after proper analysis of the situation.


Thank you! I hope you all will find this useful. I will soon update you with other notes as well. For any queries or notes on any other topic you can comment or e-mail me at meeturout2020@gmail.com. 😊