John Dewey

Who is John Dewey?

An American philosopher,

psychologist, and educational

reformer whose ideas have

been influential in education

and social reform

What Did Dewey Believe?

• Dewey had huge ideas starting from the turn of the century until his death in 1952.

• He considered two fundamental elements - schools and civil societies - as major topics that needed attention and reconstruction.

• He hoped to encourage experimental intelligence and plurality in schools.

• This is why a lot of his theory is focused on the impact students will have on society as a result of their education.

What was John Dewey Saying?

Here is a quick video summarizing his position:

 

If you had difficultly reading Democracy and Education, you

weren’t alone.

Transmission of Education

Life is a self-renewing process through the action upon the environment.

Through the communication of education human-beings acquire the necessary abilities to survive.

Education reproduces life and allows man to join society.

Community forms in things men have in common through:• ASPIRATIONS• COMMON UNDERSTANDING• BELIEFS• KNOWLEDGE• AIMS

However, schools are only one means of transmission.

To make it simple…

Dewey had some general ideas:

• Good Education = Societal Purpose + Purpose for the Individual

When students receive a good education, it is good for them AND the well-being of society.

The long-term goals are really important but the value of short-term quality in an educational experience should also be appreciated.

To make it simple… (continued)

Educators are responsible for providing students with experiences that are “immediately valuable.” Student experiences are important!!!

While it is the student’s job to acquire the knowledge, teachers have a greater responsibility to make the material relatable instantly.

Mann places a HUGE emphasis on student experiences and how those experiences should impact their learning and how that knowledge will impact society.

To make it simple… (continued)

Schools are ONLY one method of transmission!

According to Dewey “Only as we have grasped the necessity of more fundamental and persistent

modes of tuition can we make sure of placing the scholastic methods in their true context” Basic resources have to be learned first.

Children have to be enabled to share in common life to be part of a social life – “process of living together educates.”

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood,“recommends Stephen Covey (1990). Refer to the first threeparagraphs

Formal education then becomes necessary to transmit all the resources and achievements of society.

Skills Learned at Home

The Four C’s

• Confidence

• Cooperation

• Curiosity

• Communication

Skills Learned at School

• Social: learn to share

• Emotional: self-esteem grows

• Physical: improve motor skills

• Intellectual

• Language

• Imagination

Good So Far? Here’s a video of

Dewey explaining his view on education to a fellow teacher

Dewey’s Pedagogic Creed

This text is quite long but you should at least skim through (or read the first few sentences of each paragraph) to get an idea of how John Dewey believed education should be:

Two Extremes in Education

Traditional Progressivevs.

Dewey argued that there were only two approaches to teaching:

Traditional Education

“Traditional education would just funnel the knowledge

accumulated through history into the student through books and instruction from a teacher without connecting the past to

the reality of the student”- John Dewey

As we all know:

• Traditional education lacks holistic understanding of the student

• Can be too structured

• Tends to be focused on discipline.

• Students memorize the textbook and other information.

• There is little assessment for enduring understanding.

Traditional = Didactic

If all instruction is traditional…

There is little room for creativity or

originality.

All students are the same and are

expected to learn the same.

Progressive = Freedom

According to Dewey,

Progressive education

is:

-Unstructured

-Flexible

-STUDENT DIRECTED

Is this view too

reactionary?

Will it take away from the

power of teachers?

Should we allow students

to question presented material?

This is NOT what Dewey meant…

Education as a Social Function

• Dewey defines education as “the process of leading or bringing up and is thus a fostering, nurturing, and cultivating process.”

• Our environment affects our activities and makes us adapt to our surroundings.

• A person has a social environment by associating their activities with others.

Training vs. Educative Teaching

Immature humans are being trained like animals instead of being educated!

Human beings in sense have the ability to control (train) their environment

Dewey used the example of a burnt child who dreads fire. If a parent controls (train) the condition so that every time a child touched a certain toy he got burned the child would learn to automatically avoid that toy

• We need to focus on content and process.

• In order to do this, teachers must understand the nature of human experience.

In order for students to get a real education…

Dewey wrote, "It is a cardinal precept of the newer school of education that the beginning of instruction shall be made with the experience learners already have; that this experience and the capacities that have been developed during its course provide the starting point for all further learning

Educators should focus their curriculum on their present situation as a basis for lessons

The teacher should set focus on helping a student develop their purpose

As societies become larger and more complex, the need for formal teaching becomes a necessary

"The way out of scholastic systems that made the past an end in itself is to make acquaintance with the past a means of understanding the present" (Dewey)

This past knowledge that is to be brought into the minds of students should only be done if it is actually relevant to the student's present situation.

Communication through education therefore needs to be more directly associated with the experiences a child has already gained

Do Student Experiences Count?

Of course they do! But how, might you ask?

First we need to look at how students have experiences.

“Experience arises from the interaction of two principles- Continuity and Interaction”

But Remember,No Past Experience has a Preordained

Value.

A rewarding experience for one individual might be damaging for another-- this all depends on how

it affects their present future AND how they can use that experience to contribute to society

“The belief that all genuine education comes about

through experiences does not mean that all experiences are

genuinely or equally educative”- John Dewey

Continuity

Each experience a person has

will influence his/her future for

better or for worse

Interaction

Situational influences on

one’s experiences

“One’s present experience is a function of the

interaction between one’s past experiences

and the present situation.”

There should be a subjective quality of student's experiences-

We as teachers should understand students so we can “design a sequence of liberating education experiences” that give individuals an opportunity to fulfill their potential as a productive member of

society