Summary:

The article explains descriptive, classical and standard approaches to education, highlighting their philosophy, methods, advantages and limitations.

Educational Approaches: Concepts, Advantages and Disadvantages of Descriptive, Classical and Standard Methods:

1- Descriptive Approach:

This method is concerned with current educational practices and standards that are adopted at a given time. As the name suggests, this method describes how things look and explains what a person knows and observes. This method suggests that people actually need something in life.

For example, paying attention to the style and grammar of the local people to learn a language is an descriptive approach to learning. Similarly, teaching without fixed rules but according to the needs and understanding of students and teachers is also called a descriptive approach. According to real philosophy, it is the teacher who decides what and how to teach an individual. On the other hand, in practical and existential philosophy, students have a central position, that is, how do they want to be educated?

This method is closer to pragmatism and existentialism because it supports all practical things. Thus, the source of knowledge can be any person or thing that is acceptable to the one seeking knowledge, but it must be practical and logical, and in addition, this knowledge must be verified and proven in practical experiments.

Historical and educational evidence shows that every center of learning had its own axis and method. It is a line. The Greek method of teaching was completely different from the Chinese. The Greek method of teaching can be called descriptive. With the passage of time, the descriptive method gave rise to co-axial and subsidiary methods. The descriptive method is never standardized in its origin and it keeps adapting itself according to the actual needs.

 

2- Classical Approach:

(i) Introduction:

The classical education system is the educational policy of the fifth century, when the sciences were considered essential for a person to become a productive member of society and only the rulers and upper liberal classes were considered eligible to study these subjects. In contrast, the common people learnt different forms of skills in for their livelihood. The compulsory subjects were divided into two parts the knowledge of third and fourth standard.

The sciences of sentences, logic and writing were placed in third standard whereas arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy were placed in fourth standard.

The classical method is considered a part of the descriptive method because the process of learning or teaching begins with natural knowledge and experiences and the process of transferring skills from one generation to another takes place in a local way. Knowledge is not final, but is open and depends on the experience and observation of the teacher. In the classical method, the student was not obliged to follow the teacher's point of view, nor was the teacher's way considered the only correct way. This is why Aristotle was a realist while his teacher Plato was an idealist.

The classical method requires the student to memorize all the details of the lesson material word by word. The memorized material becomes logical data for the next stage. For example, in the elementary grades, memorizing the tables verbally is very important and is a basic condition for moving forward in this subject. In the present era, memorizing formulas verbally is necessary to solve algebra problems. In geography, the names and locations of different countries are memorized verbally. In rhetoric, the individual is taught to present reasons and their justification.

(ii) Advantages of Classical Approach:

In the classical method, the learning process is centered in the classroom, while the teacher is experienced, knowledgeable and logical. Students can ask questions in the light of observations of nature and society and the teacher gives answers that the students note for future guidance. The problems, observations, questions and their answers are appropriate to their time. The learning process is open, the teacher and students are not bound by any curriculum. This method of education can be ideal for the third level.

(iii) Disadvantages of Classical Approach:

In modern times, it is very difficult to find a teacher who has enough knowledge to answer all questions at the primary level. At this level, the observations and experiences of the students are also insufficient, so the classical method is limited to teaching the third stage up to the secondary level.

3- Standard or Spiral Approach:

(i) – Introduction:

The standard method is adopted in Western school systems where students read aloud the book so that everyone can hear or the teacher reads it himself. Before reading, the teacher introduces the text of the book and explains it after reading. Students repeat the lesson in groups and command it by teaching it to their classmates. The teacher's role ranges from planning, presenting the lesson material, guiding and evaluating the performance of the students. Most textbooks of the present era are structured in a complex manner. It takes three to four weeks to complete a topic of the book, called a unit, followed by a test. These units are repeated throughout the year until a good level of understanding is achieved.

Lecture 5%

Reading 10%

Listening and Watching 20%

Practical Activities 30%

Group Discussion 50%

Practice by Doing work by self 75%

Immediate use of Learning 90%

 

(ii) Advantages of Standard Approach:

The biggest advantage of the standard method is that it is convenient for the teacher, all the activities, research and explanations included in the textbooks explain themselves, but the role of the teacher is also important and he can add relevant material to it. Students get the opportunity to repeat the topic repeatedly for two to three years in a row.

(iii) Disadvantages of Standard Approach:

When a student returns to the first topic after completing a textbook he has to recall it again because it has been a long time since he studied that topic. The connection of one topic to another during education is ineffective. The standard method is successful when students are interested in studying and repeat it independently.

Where there is a difficulty, the teacher has to make changes in the textbook. To keep the students updated on the past lessons, the teacher needs to review the summaries of these lessons on a weekly basis.