Man is a purposive animal the only animal that acts
with an aim because it has value Okafor (1984) saw educational aims as child
and need oriented. Aims are broad ways of stating educational outcomes.
According to Tyler (1973), they are broad and very abstract in nature, as seen
in the five national aims of Nigeria in the National policy on Education (FGN,
2004:6).
·
A free and
democratic society;
·
A just and
egalitarian society;
·
A united, strong
and self-reliant nation;
·
A great and
dynamic economy;
·
A land full of
bright opportunities for all citizens
These aims are derived from the national philosophy
(N.P.E) and formulated by policy markers, with the help of the Federal agencies
and exam bodies like National Education Research and Development Council
(NERDC), West African Examination Council (WAEC) etc.
From the nature of aims, the following are obvious
(a)
They are very
broad and ambiguous
(b)
They are cannot
be achieved through a single course of study
(c)
They are not
formulated by classroom teachers,
(d)
They are somewhat
problematic for curriculum implementers to work on.
Summarily, Onwuka (1985), views educational aims as an
orientation to the main emphasis in educational programmes, and are only steps
toward translating the needs and values of society and that of individuals into
an educational programme.
For aims of education, Aristotle resumes the formal
argument by saying that to speak of flourishing or happiness as the chief good
seems a platitude, but a proper account might be given if we could ascertain
the function of man.
In the chapter of Democracy and Education specifically
entitled “Aims in Education”, Dewey is remarkably unspecific about such aims.
He does begin the chapter with the following passage that mentions most of the
points he develops later, those that are familiar with Dewey’s writings will
recognize familiar themes.
Dewey is on firmer ground when he simply assumes that
an aim is present and discusses some of its feature. He points one that the
activity in at least three ways. First, it calls for observation of the given
conditions to see what means are available for reaching the end, second,
consideration of the aim of the activity suggests that proper in which means
should be arranged in order to reach the end. Third, knowledge of the aim guides
the choice of alternative courses of action available. Although the language is
slightly different, this analysis is very similar to that given of a problem
situation many years later in Dewey’s logic (1938). It is also close to
Aristotle’s view. Dewey ends this particular: “The net conclusion is that
acting with an aims is all one with acting intelligently” (p.103).
Dewey next turns to the analysis of the criteria of
good aims. He focuses on three characteristics. First, closely related to what
has already been said about, an aim should be a natural out growth of existing
condition educational and moral theories, Dewey says, often violate this
principle because they assume ends that lie outside their spheres of
activities. second, and again closely related to the first characteristics, is
the requirement that aims be formed in the process of realizing them. We begin
with a tentative sketch of aims and, as the situation develops, the aims
directing it become more definite and dear. Again, this is in the spirit of not
imposing aims from outside the activity. Third, “The aims must always represent
a freeing of activities.” The notion of freeing an activity is not a clear one.
As Dewey explains the phrase, he seems to means the review of the different
functions that follow one another as part of the activity. He gives an example
of hunting rabbit and indicate that it is not simply shooting but also wanting
to eat the rabbit or to provide evidence of marksmanship. It is apparently this
complex set of activities, one following another, that is to be thought of as
“feeling of activities” put another way, an aim should have the characteristic,
apparently, of setting in motion- freeing – a series of acts or decisions. It
is this dynamic quality of freeing, again, that Dewey is contrasting with the
overly static character of ends as sometimes discussed. He is objecting to the
idea of a fixed end as something to be “attained and possessed.