CYNTHIA M.

ARTIFICIO RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Foundations of Education Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
6-9 pm, Mondays
Professor: DR. AGONG

REACTION PAPER

1. Historical Foundations of Education

The historical foundation of education is an exploration and analysis when education

began. It tackles previous educational policies, practices, and theories. It also attempts to
explain where philosophical, historical, anthropological, political, legal, and sociological
contexts of education started. In many early civilizations, education was associated with
wealth and the maintenance of authority, or with prevailing philosophies, beliefs, or
religion. Students and practitioners are allowed to begin to reflect upon the structures and
practices of education and provide a foundation from which to continue the learning
process and at the same time instill and discover ways to improve it.

Through the presentations, the group was able explore numerous issues that involve the
past educational system that helped mold our current system. However, more specific
issues, such as previous educational reform should have been discussed. Moreover, the
reporters could also highlight and reinforce the relationship between the theory and
practice of education in relation to the present educational system particularly in the
Philippine setting. Below is an article that I came about which could also give light to the
history of Philippine Education as follows:

“Education from Ancient Early Filipinos

Source: (http://www.etravelpilipinas.com/about_philippines/philippine_education.htm)

The education of pre-Spanish time in the Philippines was informal and unstructured. The
fathers taught their sons how to look for food and other means of livelihood. The mothers
taught their girls to do the household chores. This education basically prepared their
children to become good husband and wives.

Early Filipino ancestors valued education very much. Filipino men and women knows
how to read and write using their own native alphabet called alibata. The alibata was
composed of 17 symbols representing the letters of the alphabet. Among these seventeen
symbols were three vowels and fourteen consonants.

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Educational System During Spanish Period

The educational system of the Philippines during the Spanish times was formal. The
Religious congregations paved the way in establishing schools from the primary level to
the tertiary level of education. The schools focused on the Christian Doctrines. There was
a separate school for boys and girls. The wealthy Filipinos or the Ilustrados were
accommodated in the schools. Colonial education brought more non-beneficial effects to
the Filipinos.

Educational Decree 1863

The first educational system for students in the country was established by virtue of the
Education Decree of 1863. In furtherance, the decree required the government to provide
school institutions for boys and girls in every town. As a consequence, the Spanish
schools started accepting Filipino students. It was during this time when the intellectual
Filipinos emerged. The Normal School was also established which gave men the
opportunity to study a three-year teacher education for the primary level.

Educational System During American Period

Like the Spaniards, the Americans brought many changes in their 45 years of reign in the
country. Until now, these American influences can still be seen in our lifestyle or way of
life.

The Commonwealth provided free education in public schools all over the country, in
accordance with the 1935 constitution. Education also emphasized nationalism so the
students were taught about the life of the Filipino heroes. Vocational education and some
household activities like sewing, cooking, and farming were also given importance. Good
manners and discipline were also taught to the students. The institute of Private
Education was established in order to observe private schools. In 1941, the total number
of students studying in the 400 private schools in the country reached 10,000. There was
also the existence of "Adult Education" in order to give formal education even to adults.

American government gave importance to Education

o Changes in Education During the Japanese Occupation

o The government made some changes in the system of education in February,
1942. These changes were:
o To stop depending on western countries like the U.S., and Great Britain. Promote
and enrich the Filipino culture.
o To recognize that the Philippines is a part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere so that the Philippines and Japan will have good relations.
o To be aware of materialism to raise the morality of the Filipinos.
o To learn and adopt Nippongo and to stop using the English language.
o To spread elementary and vocational education.
o To develop love for work.

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Educational System in the Present Period

Philippine education is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium
of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-
government). The general pattern of formal education follows four stages: Pre-primary
level (nursery, kindergarten and preparatory) offered in most private schools; six years of
primary education, followed by four years of secondary education.

College education usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and
law schools, as long as eight years. Graduate schooling is an additional two or more
years. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Colleges and
universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March.
There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother
country. An overall literacy rate was estimated at 95.9 percent for the total population in
2003, 96 % for males and 95.8 % for females.”

2. The Nature and Development of Philippine Nationalism

The report focused on the development of Philippine nationalism that greatly evolved
throughout the Spanish era and particularly during the Philippine Revolution, which
severed all ties from the Spanish Empire. The presence of the Spaniards in the
Philippines for over 300 years, beginning in the 16th century and also the United States
held shaped the political development in the country. Another influence among Filipinos
is also the contribution of the Chinese which also greatly affected the development of
Filipino nationalism.

The Spaniards envisaged a radical transformation of native Philippine society which was
inspired by their previous experience in Mexico. They launched social reform in the
islands, i.e. religious, political and economic in scope. These changes were implemented
by the Spaniards in order to enforce the union between the Spain and the Philippines.
However, the changes and implications resulted in the development of a ‘Filipina
Patriatismo’ leading to revolts by the native Filipinos.

Filipino people absorbed the imperial system and assumed the colonizer’s ideas and
finally acquired their culture and their religion, hence, Filipino people embraced their
conqueror’s religion which is Catholicism. Religion has been an integral part in the
development of Philippine nationalism because it united the Filipino people under one
faith.

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CYNTHIA M. ARTIFICIO RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Foundations of Education Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
6-9 pm, Mondays
Professor: DR. AGONG

REACTION PAPER

1. Philosophical Foundations of Education

The most remarkable thing about philosophy…is that the questions raised never seem to
get answered.

Idealism - The most significant philosophy…most of the world’s religions are based on
idealism.

Realism - Objects exist regardless of how we perceive them.

Existentialism
- Focuses on the individual
- Not a logical theory, but one that can be felt as an attitude or mood
- Awareness, anxiety, choice take on special meaning
- Revolt against the traditional philosophical stance
- A way of life which involves one’s total self in complete seriousness about the self

Pragmatism
- Pragmatism evolved as a philosophical expression of the westward movement in
America, followed by scientific and technological advances.

Comments/Reaction/Related Article:

During the course of the discussions, great philosopher’s were mentioned and has in one
way or the other piqued my mind whether there are Filipino Philosophy &/or
Philosophers. My questions led me to search in the internet to no avail. However, I was
able to read this article/blog: (http://georgedelapaz.blogspot.com/2007/05/search-for-
filipino-philosophy.html). Excerpts from the article is as follows:

“The Search for Filipino Philosophy

Is there a Filipino Philosophy? I read an essay titled “Doing Philosophy in the

Philippines” by Dr. Afredo P. Co and his answer to this question can be summarized this
way: Since the Philippines is a melting pot of cultures brought about by invasions,
missionaries, trade etc. the Philippines has no distinctive and native philosophy to speak
of. He goes on to say that the Philippines is a Spanish creation and an amalgam of east,

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west, north, south, Christian, pagan, Malayan, Muslim etc. cultures. “Ours is the identity
of the new age—ambivalent, polymorphous, processual, always becoming.” According to
Dr. Co, philosophy as a formal discourse is a Spanish import. Dr. Co is writing with a
postmodern perspective. (His essay is part of an essay collection titled “Two Filipino
Thomasian --from the University of Stro. Thomas and not Aquinas--Philosophers on
Postmodernism.”).”

I would have loved to hear from the reporters their points on what is really the measure of
a thing before it can be called a philosophy? I am not sure if it is a system or formalism.
The class would have been more interested if we can relate and tried to search if there
really is a thing called “Filipino philosophy”.

In my opinion, Filipino’s has no recorded person in the level of the greatest foreign
philosophers like Plato, Confucius etc. This may because there is no such thing as native
Filipino culture because of the foreign intrusions that came in our land. However,
maybe, we can consider our values and practices that is uniquely Filipino Philosophy.

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CYNTHIA M. ARTIFICIO RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Foundations of Education Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
6-9 pm, Mondays
Professor: DR. AGONG

REACTION PAPER

1. Legal Foundations of Education

The education system of the country is both formal and non-formal education. The
Philippines is using a bilingual medium of instruction. Certain subjects are taught in
English and the rest in the national language which is Filipino.

The formal education is a sequential progression of academic schooling at three levels,

namely, elementary, secondary and tertiary or higher education. Today, after several
colonial rules and after major changes implemented in the Philippine educational
system by the passage of several laws, education in the Philippines has improved a great
deal. Several bodies have been created to administer to the needs of elementary,
secondary, non-formal education, including culture and sports, post-secondary and
middle-level manpower training and development.

The structure of the formal system of education is composed of three levels, namely,
elementary, secondary and tertiary or higher education. The Department of Education is
the agency in charged in supervising and monitoring the basic education which is
elementary and high school. Meanwhile, the Commission of Higher Education is in
charge of the higher education or tertiary level.

The policy of the state regarding education is declared in Republic Act No. 9155 where
it says: “It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect and promote the right of all
citizens to quality basic education and to make such education accessible to all by
providing all Filipino children a free and compulsory education in the elementary level
and free education in the high school level. Such education shall also include alternative
learning systems for out-of-school youth and adult learners. It shall be the goal of basic
education to provide them with the skills, knowledge and values they need to become
caring, self- reliant, productive and patriotic citizens.”

It is interesting if the reporters were able to show statistics on the number of schools,
students, teachers, and their ratio versus the standards set by the DepEd and the CHED.
Not only statistics but also achievement rates per region to evaluate the performance of
each schools and its students would be interesting to know.

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CYNTHIA M. ARTIFICIO RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Foundations of Education Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
6-9 pm, Mondays
Professor: DR. AGONG

REACTION PAPER

1. Sociological Foundations

The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual
experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public
schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher,
further, adult, and continuing education. (Source: Wikepedia)

Education is perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique
needs and potential and it is a means of achieving social equality. Sociologists examine
social facts, while students of culture study what makes certain social facts worth
examining.

Sociology of education should include learning a widespread of topics like social class,
teacher and parental expectations, learning and gender, ethnicity, and the relation
between learning and family rearing practices. Sociology in education would be more
interesting if the class could discuss the following topics:

 Research and theories in the areas of sociology of education and multicultural

foundations of education; and
 Review actual teaching practices from different theoretical or research
perspectives.

We have to understand the complex social problems facing education especially in the
Philippine setting like problems facing urban education because of the distractions that
are present in the cities i.e. computer shops, movie houses, social networking, fun houses
etc. Those this mean that students in the rural areas perform better because they do not
have these facilities in the provinces? It would have been more interesting if cases or
situations like these were discussed.

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CYNTHIA M. ARTIFICIO RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Foundations of Education Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
6-9 pm, Mondays
Professor: DR. AGONG

REACTION PAPER

1. Psychological Foundations

Psychology is important as it is concerned with the study of behavior and mental

processes and at the same time, it is also applied to many different things in human life.
Everything we perform is very much related to or with psychology. Psychology,
primarily studies who and what we are, why we are like that, why we act and think like
that and what we could be as a person.

Psychology contributes to a better understanding of the aims of education by defining

them, making them clearer; by limiting them, showing us what can be done and what
cannot; and by suggesting new features that should be made parts of them. (Source: The
Journal of Educational Psychology, 1, 5-12.)

Educational psychologists "study what people think and do as they teach and learn a
particular curriculum in a particular environment where education and training are
intended to take place" (Berliner, p.145). The work of educational psychologists focuses
"on the rich and significant everyday problems of education" (Wittrock, pp. 132 - 133).

Developments in education continued to be closely tied to psychologists in the first half

of the twentieth century. In fact, in 1919, Ellwood Cubberly dubbed educational
psychology a "guiding science of the school" (p. 755). It was not uncommon for
psychologists such as Thorndike, Charles H. Judd, or their students to be both presidents
of the American Psychological Association and authors of materials for teaching school
subjects or measuring achievement in reading, mathematics, or even handwriting. The
work of Thorndike, Alfred Binet, Jean Piaget, and Benjamin Bloom illustrate earlier
connections between psychology and education.