1
PSE4801
Jan/Feb 2021
SECTION A: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Instructions
The section consists of the following two (2) parts:
Question 1 and 2 COMPULSARY (10X2=20 marks)
Question 3 to 6: CHOICE questions. Answer any two (2) of the four (4) questions (15x2=30)
Subtotal for the section is 50 marks.
Question 1 (page 9-10)
Discuss the contribution of ubuntu in the teaching and learning environment. (10)
Definition, Broodryk (2005:128) considers Ubuntu philosophy as an “ancient African worldview
based on the primary values of intense humanness, caring, sharing, respect, compassion and
associated values, ensuring a happy and qualitative human community life in the spirit of
family”. Ubuntu lies not only in sharing what you have with another person, but respecting fellow
human beings brings about harmony and peace within the community. It becomes easier to
share, cooperate and co-exist if there is mutual respect among community members.
When Ubuntu pedagogy is embraced with the understanding and dignity it deserves, has a
potential not only for reconnecting students with their indigenous values, heritage and cultures,
but it also has an ability to cultivate Ubuntu social values of solidarity, co-existence, respect and
cooperation among Learners.
The practice of ubuntu would be extended form mere participation to engagement. In the school
environment when learners and teachers participate in pedagogical encounters, they will do so
on basis of wanting to act in community, contributing to one another’s understandings.
Ubuntu upholds the willingness of learner and teachers to engage with one another with the
intention altering an undesirable situation. When learners engage deliberately, they state why a
more favorable situation should be sought. When learners and educators become persuaded by
the capacity of deliberation to change their understanding of a particular situation to one
whereby change is worked towards, they became open to and considerate of the possibility of
change. This can only happen if they engage with one another as equals, legitimately speaking
their minds in the pursuit of desirable action.
Enacting ubuntu is a way of realizing a critical understanding of an African philosophy of
education. The practice of post-critical African philosophy of education implies that people’s
deliberative encounters should be extended beyond a desire for tangible societal change. An
education seeking social justice involves educating people about the reason for combating and
alleviating poverty and hunger, but such education cannot be confined to altering these
debilitating conditions.
A post critical notion of education can contribute towards inhibited thinking, where every
challenge to societal advancement could be overcome. Educators and learners should imagine
new, alternative possibilities and offer ways of building more just human relations.
Question 2 (Chapter 8 page 107)
One of the key responsibilities of teachers is to assist learners in developing critical thinking. By
employing critical theory show how teachers can achieve this in his/her classroom interaction
with learners. (10)
Critical thinking involves the elements such as being able to think independently, clearly, and
rationally. It involves the ability to reflect on an idea or problem, apply reason and make
logical connection between ideas, therefore is will help learners to make informed decisions.
, 2
PSE4801
Jan/Feb 2021
The Critical thinking helps students to reflect and understand their point of view. This skill
helps learners to figure out how to make sense of the world, based on personal observation
and understanding.
Critical thinking helps learners to distinguish reliable information from fake information e.g. a
learner sees the information on social media post spreading rumors about something they
know, they can use critical thinking skills to evaluate the accuracy of that information before
believing it.
Teachers need to encourage their learners to assess and evaluate what they see and read
before making judgements. If learners use this skill, they will be able to see beyond, not
judge, cultural norms and learn how to understand other factors that can influence decision
making. It will make learners to be active learners than passive learners.
Employees seek people who are critical thinkers who are able to solve problems, make
decisions and take appropriate action, so learners who are critical thinkers are valuable to
employees; they can sure employment for themselves.
Question 3 (page 2-3)
Critically reflect on your understanding African identity and decolonized classroom in an African
context.
African identity is not racialized in terms of blackness and whiteness, as if exclusion and
marginalization involve only black people on the African continent. African identity transcends
the notion of race because exclusion and alienation are human suffering that are not dictated by
the color of skin.
The understanding of African philosophy of education that have contended can be achieved
only if the human encounters among all South Africans can be enacted along the lines of
democratic and just action. The understanding of African philosophy of education invokes the
following meanings actions,
Human recognize major problems in their societies.
Respond to such problems before examining the educational implications thereof.
The negative consequences of apartheid are that South African universities remain segregated
institutions and knowledge production is still dominated by a privileged view. Knowledge interest
continue to be subjected to control by more powerful people. The educational space has been
unjustly guided by manipulation, control and exclusion of the others. To respond to this African
Philosophy of education has been considered as being committed to cultivation of critical action,
and as pursuing unimagined and unexpected human encounters that could enhance democratic
for all. (15)
Question 4 (page 22-24)
Critically discuss Dewey’s view on the educational implications of pragmatism. Provide
examples to substantiate your discussion. (15)
To illustrate the basic pragmatist concept of education Dewey (1938) appeals to the concept of
experience. Experience in Dewey’s vision as we have seen, deals with fixation of situation
through enquiry. Dewey (1938: 105f) defines enquiry as the controlled or directed
transformation of an indeterminate situation into one which is determinate in its constituent and
relations as to convert the elements of the original situation into a complete whole.
Dewey (1916: 49-62) regards education as reconstruction of experience, which he calls growth.
In his view education has no criteria other than experiment and problem-solving. Growth is
achieved when we can solve problems through enquiry and the result of enquiry can feed future
enquiries. The process and methods of enquiry are thus more important for Dewey (1916) than
the product or contents to be learned. Knowledge for its own sake is at odds with view, the
school curriculum and contents should address the problems learners face rather than being
PSE4801
Jan/Feb 2021
SECTION A: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Instructions
The section consists of the following two (2) parts:
Question 1 and 2 COMPULSARY (10X2=20 marks)
Question 3 to 6: CHOICE questions. Answer any two (2) of the four (4) questions (15x2=30)
Subtotal for the section is 50 marks.
Question 1 (page 9-10)
Discuss the contribution of ubuntu in the teaching and learning environment. (10)
Definition, Broodryk (2005:128) considers Ubuntu philosophy as an “ancient African worldview
based on the primary values of intense humanness, caring, sharing, respect, compassion and
associated values, ensuring a happy and qualitative human community life in the spirit of
family”. Ubuntu lies not only in sharing what you have with another person, but respecting fellow
human beings brings about harmony and peace within the community. It becomes easier to
share, cooperate and co-exist if there is mutual respect among community members.
When Ubuntu pedagogy is embraced with the understanding and dignity it deserves, has a
potential not only for reconnecting students with their indigenous values, heritage and cultures,
but it also has an ability to cultivate Ubuntu social values of solidarity, co-existence, respect and
cooperation among Learners.
The practice of ubuntu would be extended form mere participation to engagement. In the school
environment when learners and teachers participate in pedagogical encounters, they will do so
on basis of wanting to act in community, contributing to one another’s understandings.
Ubuntu upholds the willingness of learner and teachers to engage with one another with the
intention altering an undesirable situation. When learners engage deliberately, they state why a
more favorable situation should be sought. When learners and educators become persuaded by
the capacity of deliberation to change their understanding of a particular situation to one
whereby change is worked towards, they became open to and considerate of the possibility of
change. This can only happen if they engage with one another as equals, legitimately speaking
their minds in the pursuit of desirable action.
Enacting ubuntu is a way of realizing a critical understanding of an African philosophy of
education. The practice of post-critical African philosophy of education implies that people’s
deliberative encounters should be extended beyond a desire for tangible societal change. An
education seeking social justice involves educating people about the reason for combating and
alleviating poverty and hunger, but such education cannot be confined to altering these
debilitating conditions.
A post critical notion of education can contribute towards inhibited thinking, where every
challenge to societal advancement could be overcome. Educators and learners should imagine
new, alternative possibilities and offer ways of building more just human relations.
Question 2 (Chapter 8 page 107)
One of the key responsibilities of teachers is to assist learners in developing critical thinking. By
employing critical theory show how teachers can achieve this in his/her classroom interaction
with learners. (10)
Critical thinking involves the elements such as being able to think independently, clearly, and
rationally. It involves the ability to reflect on an idea or problem, apply reason and make
logical connection between ideas, therefore is will help learners to make informed decisions.
, 2
PSE4801
Jan/Feb 2021
The Critical thinking helps students to reflect and understand their point of view. This skill
helps learners to figure out how to make sense of the world, based on personal observation
and understanding.
Critical thinking helps learners to distinguish reliable information from fake information e.g. a
learner sees the information on social media post spreading rumors about something they
know, they can use critical thinking skills to evaluate the accuracy of that information before
believing it.
Teachers need to encourage their learners to assess and evaluate what they see and read
before making judgements. If learners use this skill, they will be able to see beyond, not
judge, cultural norms and learn how to understand other factors that can influence decision
making. It will make learners to be active learners than passive learners.
Employees seek people who are critical thinkers who are able to solve problems, make
decisions and take appropriate action, so learners who are critical thinkers are valuable to
employees; they can sure employment for themselves.
Question 3 (page 2-3)
Critically reflect on your understanding African identity and decolonized classroom in an African
context.
African identity is not racialized in terms of blackness and whiteness, as if exclusion and
marginalization involve only black people on the African continent. African identity transcends
the notion of race because exclusion and alienation are human suffering that are not dictated by
the color of skin.
The understanding of African philosophy of education that have contended can be achieved
only if the human encounters among all South Africans can be enacted along the lines of
democratic and just action. The understanding of African philosophy of education invokes the
following meanings actions,
Human recognize major problems in their societies.
Respond to such problems before examining the educational implications thereof.
The negative consequences of apartheid are that South African universities remain segregated
institutions and knowledge production is still dominated by a privileged view. Knowledge interest
continue to be subjected to control by more powerful people. The educational space has been
unjustly guided by manipulation, control and exclusion of the others. To respond to this African
Philosophy of education has been considered as being committed to cultivation of critical action,
and as pursuing unimagined and unexpected human encounters that could enhance democratic
for all. (15)
Question 4 (page 22-24)
Critically discuss Dewey’s view on the educational implications of pragmatism. Provide
examples to substantiate your discussion. (15)
To illustrate the basic pragmatist concept of education Dewey (1938) appeals to the concept of
experience. Experience in Dewey’s vision as we have seen, deals with fixation of situation
through enquiry. Dewey (1938: 105f) defines enquiry as the controlled or directed
transformation of an indeterminate situation into one which is determinate in its constituent and
relations as to convert the elements of the original situation into a complete whole.
Dewey (1916: 49-62) regards education as reconstruction of experience, which he calls growth.
In his view education has no criteria other than experiment and problem-solving. Growth is
achieved when we can solve problems through enquiry and the result of enquiry can feed future
enquiries. The process and methods of enquiry are thus more important for Dewey (1916) than
the product or contents to be learned. Knowledge for its own sake is at odds with view, the
school curriculum and contents should address the problems learners face rather than being
