PDU3701/101/0/2022

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2022

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

PDU3701

YEAR MODULE

DEPARTMENT EDUCATIONAL
FOUNDATIONS

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 3
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 4
4 CONTACT DETAILS .................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 University .................................................................................................................................... 6
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 7
5.1 Prescribed book ............................................................................................................................ 7
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 7
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 7
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES .............................................................................................. 10
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme @ Unisa ............................................................................... 10
7 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 11
8 PRACTICAL WORK ................................................................................................................... 12
9 ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 12
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 12
9.2 Submission of assignments ........................................................................................................ 13
9.3 Assessment plan......................................................................................................................... 13
9.4 Assignment due dates................................................................................................................. 13
9.5 myUnisa virtual campus .............................................................................................................. 14
9.6 Your assignments ....................................................................................................................... 14
9.6.1 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 15
9.7 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 15
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 15
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 15
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 15
11 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES............................................................................................... 16
12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 16
13 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 16
14 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 16

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Dear Student

1 INTRODUCTION

The mode of delivery for this module is blended. This means you will have printed material as
well as material and activities that are uploaded on the module site. Unisa is an ODeL institution,
and you are expected to have internet access in order to participate in the online activities.
We would like to welcome you to this module.

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

2.1 Purpose

This module deals with various philosophies of education and sets out to help you determine the
following:

1 the relevance of each of these philosophies of education for education, teaching and
learning
2 a philosophy of education which you find personally to be most meaningful for your
involvement in education, be it in South Africa or elsewhere in the world

To achieve these objectives, you will need to be thoroughly familiar with the main ideas of the
various philosophies discussed in the prescribed book, and what the implications of these main
ideas are for philosophy of education.

Do remember - A philosophical perspective provides the underlying theoretical framework

to view and construct our world, and determines the way we think and act, including the
way we think and act in education. A theoretical framework is the structure that can hold
or support a theory that undergirds a research study.

2.2 Outcomes
It is important for us to indicate what we want to achieve in this module, because our expectations
determine the very nature of the module.

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In this module we intend to:

• provide you with the concepts and vocabulary you need to critically assess the claims
that are made about the nature and aims of education, teaching and learning
• help you identify the theoretical frameworks that are derived from different philosophies
of education
• provide you with the conceptual tools and experience you need for creative and
independent thought in education
• help you develop an understanding of the relationship between education and the context
in which knowledge is created
• expose you to a pluralistic problem-centred approach to philosophy of education
• encourage you to interact critically with contemporary issues and problems in education

As a learner, your role is the following:

Carefully read through and interact with the content of your prescribed book by:
• committing the main ideas of a range of philosophies to memory by acquiring an
overview of their main ideas and the names of some of their proponents.
• reflecting on the nature of the philosophy of education derived from each of these different
philosophies.
• working through the portfolio activities listed in each of the chapters in your prescribed
book.
• working through the list of questions and relevant feedback in the wrap-around.
• working through the list of self-study questions included in this tutorial letter.
We hope that you, as a learner, in completing this module, will be able to develop your own
philosophy of education to help you reflect critically on:
• the philosophy of education which directs the education system in your country.
• the effectiveness of your own classroom practice in the education of your learners in
preparing them to live meaningfully in their communities, society and the world.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION

Unisa has implemented a transformation charter based on five pillars and eight dimensions. In response
to this charter, we have placed curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda.
Curriculum transformation includes the following pillars: student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical
renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion
of African epistemologies and philosophies. These pillars and their principles will be integrated at both
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programme and module levels as a phased-in approach. You will notice a marked change in the teaching
and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with how the content is conceptualised in your
modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.

4 CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

Prof L G Higgs
Department of Educational Foundations
E-mail: higgslg@unisa.ac.za

Dr B M Moloto
Department of Educational Foundations
Simon Radipere Building Room 6-90
Tel nr: 012 429 3429
E-mail: masehbm@unisa.ac.za

4.2 Department
Educational Foundations
Departmental Secretary: Ms D Tjikana
Simon Radipere Building Room 6-82
Tel: 012 429 6009
E-mail: ndaladn1@unisa.ac.za

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4.3 University

To contact the University, follow the instructions in the brochure Study

@ Unisa. Remember, you must have your student number available
whenever you contact the University. The table below provides the most
important University contact details.

Administrative queries

Enquiries in connection with administrative matters must be addressed

to the relevant administration departments to which the problem
applies, and NOT to the lecturers. General administrative enquiries may
be directed to the CEDU student information hub.

For your convenience, we have included some of the methods to contact

the University.
Website: http://www.unisa.ac.za or Mobi: http://mobi.unisa.ac.za
Other administrative enquiries may also be directed to the following:

E-mail addresses SMS numbers

educare@unisa.ac.za General college (CEDU) enquiries
study-info@unisa.ac.za 43578 Applications and registrations
assign@unisa.ac.za 43584 Assignments (not for submission purposes)
exams@unisa.ac.za 43584 Examinations
despatch@unisa.ac.za 43579 Study material
finan@unisa.ac.za 31954 Student accounts
gaudeamus@unisa.ac.za n/a Graduation ceremonies
myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za 43582 myUnisa
myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za 43582 myLife e-mail accounts

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For other important enquiries, you may use the following contact details:

aegrotats@unisa.ac.za aegrotat exams

remark@unisa.ac.za remarking of papers
recheck@unisa.ac.za rechecking of papers
condiscipuli@unisa.ac.za names of fellow students
counselling@unisa.ac.za student counselling and career development
vospresc@unisa.ac.za enquiries about prescribed books

5 RESOURCES

5.1 Prescribed book

Higgs, P & Smith, J. 2017. Philosophy of education today: an introduction. 2nd edition.
Cape Town: Juta. (to be bought)
• Wrap-around
• Tutorial letters

Items not available at the time of registration will be posted to you as soon as possible but are
also available on myUnisa.

Please consult the list of official booksellers and their addresses listed in Study @ Unisa. If you have any
difficulty obtaining books from these bookshops, please contact the Prescribed Books Section at telephone
012 429 4152 or by e-mail: Vospresc@unisa.ac.za.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended books for this module

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

E-reserves can be downloaded from the Library catalogue. More information is available at:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request
African philosophy and education
Higgs, P. 2012. The decolonization of education in Africa: some critical reflections. Education
Philosophy and Theory, 44(2):37–55.
Ramose, M. 2004. In search of an African philosophy of education. South African Journal of
Higher Education, 18(3):138–152.
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Empiricism and education
Sabol, TJ. 2012. Recent trends in research on teacher-child relationships. Journal of Attachment
and Human Development, 14(3):213–231.

Critical rationalism and education

Stables, A. 2014. Peirce and rationalism: is Peirce a fully semiotic philosopher? Journal of
Philosophy of Education, 48(4):591–603.

Phenomenology and education

Hultgren, FE. 1995. The phenomenology of doing ‘phenomenology’: the experience of teaching
and learning together. Human Studies, 18, 372–388.

Hermeneutics and education

Higgins, C. 2010. Teaching experience: toward a hermeneutic of teaching and teacher. Journal
of Philosophy of Education, 44(2/3):435–478.

Constructivism and education

Jia, Q. 2010. A brief study on the implications of constructivism teaching theory on classroom
teaching reforms in basic education. International Education Studies, 3(2):197–199.

Systems theory and education

Neal, JW & Neal, ZP. 2014. Nested or network? Future directions for ecological systems theory.
Social Development, 22(4):722–737.

Feminism, queer theory and education

Thomas, P & Rothing, A. 2017. Exploring feminism in a multicultural classroom. Journal of Inter-
Cultural Education, 28(3):250–268.

Critical theory and education

Steyn, DM. You had me Foucault: living pedagogically in the digital age. Journal of Text and
Performance Quarterly, 31(3):249–266.

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Postmodernism and education

Burbules, NC. 2009. Postmodernism and education. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of
Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rata, E. 2012. The politics of knowledge in education. British Educational Research Journal,
38(1):103–124.

5.4 Library services and resources information

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources:

• For detailed Library information, go to https://unisa.ac.za/library
• For research support and services (e.g. personal librarians and literature search services),
go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support
• The Library has created numerous Library guides: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:
• Request and download recommended material:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request
• Postgraduate information services:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad
• Finding and using Library resources and tools:
• https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/research-support
• Frequently asked questions about the Library:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
• Services to students living with disabilities:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/disability
• Assistance with technical problems accessing the Unisa Library or resources:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport

You may also send an e-mail to Lib-help@unisa.ac.za (please add your student number in the
subject line).

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6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

For information on the various student support systems and services available at Unisa (e.g.
student counselling, tutorial classes, language support), please consult the Study @ Unisa
brochure which is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies
This brochure has all the tips and information you need to succeed at Unisa.

Free computer and internet access

Unisa has entered into partnerships with establishments (referred to as telecentres) in

various locations across South Africa to give you as a Unisa student free access to
computers and the internet. This access enables you to conduct the following academic-
related activities: registration; online submission of assignments; engaging in e-tutoring
activities and signature courses; and so forth. Please note that any activities other than
these – such as printing, photocopying and so on – are at your own expense. For more
information on the telecentre nearest to you, please visit www.unisa.ac.za/telecentres.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme @ Unisa

For many students, the transition from school education to tertiary education is beset with anxiety.
This is also true for first-time students to Unisa. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-learning
institution. Unisa is unlike face-to-face or contact institutions. It is a mega university, and all our
programmes are offered through a blended learning mode or fully online learning mode. It is for
this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional or extended support
so that you can navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty and few
barriers. In this regard, we offer a specialised student support programme to students entering
Unisa for the first time. We refer to this programme as Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE)
Programme. The FYE is designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information about
services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following FYE
programmes are currently offered:

• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need to navigate through your first year at
Unisa can be accessed using the following link: www.unisa.ac.za/FYE

• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and motivated.

• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various topics related to
your first-year studies (e.g., videos on how to submit assignments online).
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• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study, send an e-mail to
fye@unisa.ac.za

7 STUDY PLAN

Use your Study @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills. Study @ Unisa
contains valuable information on where to begin with your studies.

We suggest that you note the closing dates for all assignments you must submit this year and plan your
submissions accordingly. <<AUTHOR: Do you agree.>>

Period Activity
January to March • Familiarise yourself with the study material by scanning
2022 through the prescribed text and wrap-around.
• Start with Assignment 01.
• Introduce yourself to us and your fellow students on the
Discussion Forum on myUnisa.

April to June 2022 • Study the prescribed reading for Assignment 01.
• Remember to participate in the Discussion Forum on
myUnisa at least once.
• The due date for Assignment 01 will be announced on
myUnisa. Prepare for the submission of Assignment 01.
June and July 2022 • The due date for Assignment 02 will be announced on
myUnisa. Prepare for the submission of Assignment 02.
• Remember to participate in the Discussion Forum on
myUnisa at least once.
July 2022 • The due date for Assignment 03 will be announced on
myUnisa. Prepare for the submission of Assignment 03.
• Remember to participate in the Discussion Forum on
myUnisa at least once.

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 August 2022 • Complete the portfolio activities in the prescribed text as well
as the questions in the wrap-around and Tutorial Letter
101/2021, but do not submit the answers.
• Remember to participate in the Discussion Forum on
myUnisa at least once.
• Prepare for the examination.
September and • Preparing for the examination.
October 2022

8 PRACTICAL WORK

None

9 ASSESSMENT

9.1 Assessment criteria

It is important to acquire knowledge to be able to reflect critically on contemporary issues and
problems in education, and on your own teaching practice in the classroom.

In the light of the above statement, the assessment in this module will focus on your ability to:

• acquire a reasonable knowledge based on the main ideas of various philosophies, and the
implication of these main ideas for philosophy of education and the theoretical
framework(s) they employ.
• commit information to memory.
• identify the different ideas that various philosophies of education have on the nature of
education, schooling, teaching and learning, human development and the role of education
policy in society.

These learning objectives will be assessed by the following assessment plan.

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9.2 Submission of assignments

Assignments must be submitted electronically via myUnisa.

Assignments may not be submitted by post, fax or e-mail.

9.3 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit three (3) assignments.

• All information on when and where to submit your assignments will be made available to you
via the myUnisa site for your module.

• Due dates for assignments as well as the actual assignments are available on the myUnisa
site for this module.

• To gain admission to the examination, you will be required to submit Assignment 01.

• Your assignments will comprise a combination of MCQs, paragraph and essay questions.

• You need to obtain a year mark average of 20% for the assignment/s to gain admission to the
examination.

• The assignment weighting for the module is 20%.

• The examination will be take-home examination.

• The examination will count 80% towards the final module mark.

9.4 Assignment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the landing page of myUnisa for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assignments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates for the
submission of the assignments.

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9.5 myUnisa virtual campus

• Modules offered by Unisa are either blended (meaning that we use a combination of printed
and online material to engage with you) or online (all information is available via the internet).
In all cases of online engagement, we use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• From 2022, the myUnisa virtual campus will be offered via a new learning management
system. This is an online system that is used to administer, document and deliver educational
material to you and support engagement with you.

• Look out for information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how
to access the virtual myUnisa module site.

• Information on the tools that will be available to engage with the lecturer and fellow students
to support your learning will also be communicated via various platforms.

• The University undertakes to communicate as clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure optimum advantage in the use of the new learning management system.

• Additional information on the use of the myUnisa site for the module, as well as features to
engage and communicate with your lecturer and other students, will also be made available
via the online site for the module.

• Therefore, log on to the myUnisa site for your module to gain more information on where to
complete and/or upload your assignments and how to communicate with your lecturer.

9.6 Your assignments

You need to complete THREE (3) assignments for this module. Details on the assignments will
be provided in Tutorial Letter 102. This tutorial letter will be uploaded on the module site.

Assignment 01 is a multiple-choice assignment.

Assignment 02 is an essay.

Assignment 03 contains paragraph questions.

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9.6.1 Other assessment methods

None

9.7 The examination

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made available to
you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your
lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from the University.

10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10.1 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft which involves several dishonest academic activities, such as the
following:

• Cutting and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or using incorrect references.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.

10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying from another student

during an assessment or allowing a student to copy from you.
• Using social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files.
• Buying completed answers from “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).

More information about plagiarism can be downloaded on the link below

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

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11 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with new and returning students with disabilities.

• If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional
time for assessments, you are invited to contact Prof L G Higgs higgslg@unisa.ac.za and
Dr B M Moloto masehbm@unisa.ac.za so that you can be assisted.

12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Study @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide
of the most relevant study information.

13 SOURCES CONSULTED

Please note that all resources that are consulted in the content are provided in the study content.

14 IN CLOSING

If you have difficulties with your studies, please contact us as soon as possible via e-mail or telephonically.

We wish you all the best in your studies!

Prof LG Higgs & Dr BM Moloto

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