Will Pragmatism Work in Schools?

Will Pragmatism Work in Schools?

Pragmatism is a type of liberal educational philosophy that focuses on preparing children for leadership in the community and the workplace through teaching the practical function of knowledge as is applies to reality.  The role of students is to actively learn and participate in the class.  The teachers aim to convey inductive and deductive reasoning, the scientific method, and the powers of observation and practice.  The main aspects of what goes on in the class are group work, hands on curricula, and experimentation.  The goal of pragmatic teaching is to emphasize citizenship, knowledge and skills that can be applied to daily life, and career or job preparation.  John Dewey believed that people can govern themselves, and that the point of education is to simply enhance the human potential.  Pictured below are graduates from Aviation High School, which is a pragmatic school that teaches technical education.  Along with regular high school classes, their extra time is filled with enrollment in air frame and power shop classes.  They provide a very hands on educational experience for students, and have over 20 planes and equipment on sight, so students can learn hands-on.  It is a successful program in which students who graduate become FAA certified and are ready to obtain jobs as airline mechanics, engineers, or pilots.

I think this idea of a pragmatic education can be very successful.  The students at Aviation High are learning basic education, as well as learning about something they are interested in and want to do in the future.  By attending a high school focused to their interest and future professions, they will have an upper hand in getting a job when they graduate.  Sometimes in high school and college in particular, I feel like I have taken many classes that are irrelevant to my life and what I want to do in the future.  It would be better if students could choose what they want to focus on and take classes that involve them with hands-on activities and class discussions. Instead of teachers just giving out "busy work" I think the idea of focusing education on real life situations and problem solving will be much more beneficial to children in the long run.  I think pragmatism is a realistic approach that aims to help students focus on their interests and obtain good jobs.