The Philosophy of Education The Problem of Counteraction

The humanistic ideas of cooperative learning, which gained great popularity throughout the twentieth century, have had an enormous influence on the theory and practice of instruction and education. Instruction began to be considered not simply as the transmission and mastery of some particular cultural experience, but as a joint endeavor performed by actual or potential partners (the teachers and the students) directed at fostering the fullest and deepest possible social and personal development of each of the participants. The teacher's task was to help his pupils master, first and foremost, principles of mutual respect, good will, consideration of each other as individuals, how to reconcile differing needs, goals, and means of attaining them, and how to organize mutual aid, collaboration, and creative cooperation. All this was directed at the ultimate goal of instilling and realizing humanistic ideals in diverse areas of human culture.