Characteristics of Pedagogical Knowledge

Characteristics of Pedagogical Knowledge A. Pedagogical Functions/Tasks Like science in general, pedagogics has certain functions. Pedagogics has five functions, the five pedagogical functions are as follows: 1) Unifying the findings of studies on certain objects. 2) Explaining and Providing Guidance (Descriptive and Prescriptive). 3) Predict. 4) Controlling. 5) Develop. 1. Function of Unifying the findings of the study. A science is an organized system of knowledge. A group of knowledge that is not arranged systematically and is not organized in explaining an object cannot be said to be a science. Therefore, as a science, one of the functions or tasks of pedagogics is to integrate the findings of studies on educational phenomena, so that it is an organized system of knowledge about child education. 2. Descriptive and Prescriptive Functions. This implies that pedagogics, in addition to functioning to describe or explain what, why, and how children's education actually is (descriptive), also functions to provide guidance on what education should be about. For example: about who should be educators, how educators should act in order to educate children, where education should be directed, etc. (prescriptive). 3. Predictive Function. The description or explanation of child education as a result of study in pedagogics implies that pedagogics will be able to provide certain predictions about what might happen in the context of child education. 4. Controlling Function. Based on the predictions as described above, then with pedagogics we will be able to control (control) so that something good or expected with regard to child education can occur, while something that is not good or not expected with regard to child education does not occur. 5. The function of developing. This means that pedagogics has a function to continue the results of past discoveries and strive to produce new findings. As explained, when compared to sciences based on Positivism or the Newtonian paradigm that uses quantitative research methods, Pedagogics has its own characteristics, namely having a prescriptive function. B. Pedagogics as Empirical Science, Humanities Science, Normative Science, Practical Science, and Normative Practical Anthropology. Pedagogics as an Empirical Science. As we already know, the formal object of pedagogics is the phenomenon of education (educational situation). The educational phenomenon (educational situation) is in the interaction between adults and children that takes place in various environments, namely in the family environment, school environment, and/or in the community environment. The phenomenon of education is clearly found in the world of empirical experience. It is from the phenomena within empirical experience that concepts and pedagogies are built. Therefore, pedagogics is classified as an empirical science. Pedagogics as a Human Science. The material object of pedagogics is humans, while the formal object is the phenomenon of education or educational situations. The educational situation is in the association between people, namely in the association of adults with children. As has been stated and we also believe, that humans are not objects, not plants, nor animals. As a bodily-spiritual unity, humans transcend objects, plants and animals. Although man is a social being, he is also a person who has his own self and is free to make choices. Humans are not passive creatures, but active and creative. Interaction between humans is not a mechanistic technical interaction that is subject to the technical laws that apply to objects. Because the educational situation is based on an understanding of man as a whole unit that transcends material objects, and because the purpose of child education is to mature children, which in essence is to humanize humans, pedagogics belongs to the human sciences (geisteswissenschaften or human sciences). Pedagogics as a Normative or Prescriptive Science. Pedagogics functions to study educational phenomena (educational situations) with the intention of understanding these educational situations (educational phenomena) as the object of study. In addition, pedagogics also serves to learn about how educators should act in order to educate children. Therefore, pedagogics not only contains a description of the understanding of the educational situation as it is, but also contains how it should be (preferably) about education, how educators should be and how educators should act in order to educate children. In this case it can be understood that pedagogics is not free from certain values. Pedagogics is based on a selection that distinguishes between what is good and what is not good in order to educate children. Pedagogics is different from sciences that adhere to value-free assumptions, which only describe objects as they are. Therefore, pedagogics is a normative or prescriptive science. Pedagogics as a Practical science. If we examine the statement of pedagogics as a normative or prescriptive science, it means that pedagogics is not a science for science, nor is pedagogics a value-free science. On the contrary, pedagogics is - a - science to be practiced, a science that provides understanding and direction for action or to be practiced, therefore, pedagogics is classified as a practical science or practical science. Pedagogics as Normative Practical Anthropology. Pedagogics includes theoretical and practical dimensions in an effort to develop humans in accordance with certain values and norms. Therefore, pedagogics is also known as Normative Practical Anthropology. Regarding this, Kartono (1992:100) states that: "Normative Practical Anthropology is a teaching about humans that rationally and systematically provides insight into the behavior of educators and students in the educational process; and how education should be carried out, following certain norms". C. Relationship between Pedagogics and Other Disciplines. Pedagogics adopts concepts or theories from other sciences in studying educational phenomena. For example: Pedagogics adopts child development theory and learning theory from psychology: Pedagogics adopts the philosophy of man (anthropology), etc. However, as an autonomous science, pedagogics acts as the "host", while other sciences act as its "guests". Thus, not all theories from other disciplines or from philosophy can be adopted/accepted. Pedagogics (pedagogical scientists) have a role to sort and choose which theories from other sciences or from philosophy are suitable or appropriate in accordance with the scientific characteristics of pedagogics. D. Structure/Systematics of Pedagogics In general, pedagogics can be grouped into two main branches, namely: 1) Theoretical Pedagogics. 2) Practical Pedagogics. Theoretical Pedagogics is a branch of pedagogics that is tasked with compiling a theoretical knowledge system regarding child education. While Practical Pedagogics is a branch of pedagogics that is tasked with compiling a system of knowledge about ways of acting in the practice of educating children. Practical pedagogics deals with ways of acting in educational situations, which are based on theoretical pedagogics and at the same time aim to realize the ideal concepts (theories) arranged in theoretical pedagogics. Referring to Langeveld's pedagogical systematics, Madjid Noor and J.M. Daniel (1987:27) further describe the structure or systematics of pedagogics as follows: a) Theoretical Pedagogics. Theoretical Pedagogics consists of: Systematic Pedagogics and 2) Historical Pedagogics. Furthermore, Historical Pedagogics consists of: 1) History of Education and 2) Comparative Pedagogics. The History of Education can be divided into: 1) History of Educational Theory, and 2) History of Educational Practice. b) Practical Pedagogics. Practical Pedagogics consists of: 1) Pedagogics in the Family, 2) Pedagogics at School, and 3) Pedagogics in the Community. Pedagogics at school consists of: 1) School administration, 2) Didactics/Methodics, and 3) Curriculum.