Abstract: The problem surrounding what to teach and how to teach in our schools has been a lot of concern to the philosophers of education, school administrators, policy formulators, parents, teachers and the students as well. Plato, an Idealist, believes that teacher should be at the centre of teaching activity in the school while Rousseau an advocate of child centred education is of the view that student should be given consideration and allowed to contribute his ideas during classroom activities. Pragmatists strike a balance between the two positions. They believe that teaching should pave way for both the teachers and the students to take active participation in the teaching and learning processes. Based on these assumptions, this paper examines principles of pragmatism and its influence on teaching and learning.