Written by Nethra Singhi
The Philosophy of Education is a reflection on the nature, aims and problems of education. It is a branch of applied philosophy that borrows from epistemology, metaphysics, language etc. It looks at both the theoretical and practical aspects of education from a philosophical angle. Now, because educational practice is so vast and varied around the world, there are, of course, variations in the philosophy of education as well.
This series of articles aims at analysing the different theories on education famous philosophers across history had and their application in the current education system. In this essay, we look towards Confucius, a teacher and philosopher whose educational theories are the basis of many East-Asian countries’ educational practices in the modern era.
Confucian Philosophy
Most of Confucius’s thoughts come to us from the Lunyu (Analects), where his life is recorded. Another text from the Confucian canon referred to here is the Xueji (Record of Learning), where his educational philosophy is recorded.
The basis of Confucianism is the belief in earning de (virtue) by inculcating ren (humanness) in accordance with ith li (ritual norms), zhong (loyalty to one’s true nature), shu (reciprocity), and xiao (filial piety). The de leads you to dao (the way of heaven).
The Aim of Education as per Confucius
The aim of education is thus to “transform the people and perfect their customs”, to realise and broaden dao ultimately. To achieve such a lofty aim, one has to focus not only on skills and training but also on radically shifting thinking and building character. One has to attain ren-centred li.
What does broadening dao mean? It means “to share in, contribute to, and advance the best of the spiritual, social, political, intellectual, and moral capital and practices derived from one’s cultural tradition”. When students start doing the above, they have completed their learning. They will be the productive members who will uphold culture and tradition and contribute to the growth and development of society.
Approach to Educational Practice as Students
How does one go about achieving the above goal? The curriculum Confucius developed includes all the material and activities for students to help them realise dao. It focuses on cognitive, affective and behavioural development, practical application of dao, mastering content (the ancient six arts of rituals, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy or writing, and mathematics), and adding to one’s knowledge by immersing oneself in culture.
The six arts are not treated as separate subjects but as interconnected disciplines that complement and mutually reinforce each other. They are very much practice-oriented, focusing beyond theoretical knowledge towards real-life application. Ren-centred li is infused into the entire curriculum.
A nine-year program is outlined in Xueji, dedicated to systematically providing this comprehensive synthesised education. It is structured to allow students to learn by consolidating existing knowledge and adding to it. Students first form aspirations to understand and analyse texts, then work towards achieving these aspirations through committed studying and learning collaboratively (through both peers and teachers). There is an importance placed on learning with peers, as learning solitarily, according to Confucius, meant the knowledge gained was incomplete. The final stage of this program consists of mastering the different arts or categories of knowledge.
Confucius placed great emphasis on learning for oneself to achieve dao instead of learning for others, which he thought was unproductive as then the aim was to please society, not realise dao.
Approach to Educational Practice as Teachers
Confucius heavily discouraged teaching that placed teachers at the centre of learning rather than the students. He believed in a learner-centred education that helped learners obtain a ren-centred li.
Thus didacticism was a practice he did not like, as it merely focused on teachers “chanting rapidly” without regard for whether it was accomplishing the goal of actually teaching students. He considered such teachers “insincere” without any desire to help students learn.
Instead, he preached and practised to be sensitive to the students’ individual needs and teach accordingly. When a teacher knows where a student is finding it difficult and their good and bad qualities, they can help the student overcome their deficiencies and learn better.
He called this knowing the “heart-mind” of each student. Note that calling it such focuses on both the mental and physical well-being of students. He believed that both these aspects affected the learning and thus should be considered equally.
Moreover, Confucius advised that teachers don’t evaluate their students too much too early in the process of learning. This would create anxiety and distract students from achieving their personal learning goals. Instead of formal evaluation, he believed that teachers should merely monitor growth through tracking the students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioural development.
Rather than spoon-feeding or mere instruction, the Confucian teaching method focuses on encouraging and guiding students. While direct instruction is necessary to master the arts, it should be done in a way that helps students go “beyond learning the contents to developing the dispositions for learning.” To put it simply, teachers should teach students how to learn more than what to learn.
The other teaching method Confucius encouraged is peer teaching. He believed teachers should encourage students to learn amongst themselves, encouraging them to express individual beliefs and listen to and respect others for doing the same. This would also help students question. Although, he believed this method should be employed in an advanced stage, as asking too many questions would distract a novice from learning the foundations, and they will try to learn beyond their stage without imbibing the basics.
In summary, a teacher should strike a balance between imparting knowledge and encouraging independent thought. Their role is to guide the individual student’s path to achieving dao rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach for the sake of achieving their goal of teaching.
How is Confucius’s Educational Philosophy Relevant in Contemporary Education?
By now, the parallels to modern education in Confucian educational philosophy should have become apparent. The emphasis on student-centred education, on a well-rounded, holistic approach that results in not only a skilled individual but a moral and upstanding citizen. The focus is on both mental and physical well-being and providing a safe space for learning.
These are the philosophies educational institutions in current-day India should be trying to achieve, moving away from the practice of rote-learning and education for merely skill development.
References
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Confucius summary”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Confucius.
Accessed 19 February 2022.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Confucianism summary”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Confucianism. Accessed 19 February 2022.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mark, “Confucius”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/confucius/>
Juanjuan, Z. H. A. O. “Confucius as a critical educator: Towards educational thoughts of Confucius.” Frontiers of Education in China 8.1 (2013): 9–27.
Tan, Charlene. “Beyond rote-memorisation: Confucius’ concept of thinking.” Educational Philosophy and Theory 47.5 (2015): 428–439.
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