3 Main Methods of Teaching in Pragmatism are described below:
1. Learning by doing:
Pragmatism is not in favour of old and worn- out methods of teaching. It believes in experimenting with new methods. These methods are devised by the teacher in the light of real life situations.
Education is not teaching or imparting knowledge but to encourage learning through self-effort and creative activity. Knowledge is not obtained from books but by actually doing things.
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2. Provision of real life situation:
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Pragmatism thus, “Stresses-action rather than reflection.” The child should be put in real situation so that he may himself solve the problems practically, which arise out of those situations. He must be engaged in purposeful creative activity, and problematic acts.
3. Project Method:
But most important contribution of pragmatism to educational practice is the Project Method, which is “a problematic act carried to completion in its natural setting.” The child is given a real and purposeful task to carry out. While doing so, he experiences the need of certain principles, skills and methods which he acquires, not formally but incidently.
Thus, the child gets knowledge and skills from the experiences gained in the accomplishment of that task. Psychologically also, this method is sound because the child is always interested in doing things with his own hands. In such a method, the school, the curriculum and the subject-matter, are all considered from the child’s points of view.
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There are five stages in the project method. First of all, the teacher provides a real situation. Then the pupil chooses the projects and plans for its execution. The next stage is the actual execution of the plans and lastly the evaluation and judgement of its utility.