John Dewey
John Dewey’s Philosophy on Education
Elisia Lucina Lake
University of St. Martin
Abstract
For John Dewey, education and democracy are intimately connected. According to Dewey good education should have both a societal purpose and purpose for the individual student. For Dewey, the long-term matters, but so does the short-term quality of an educational experience. Dewey criticizes traditional education for lacking in holistic understanding of students and designing curricula overly focused on content rather than content and process which is judged by its contribution to the well-being of individuals and society. Dewey 's theory is that experience arises from the interaction of two principles; continuity and interaction. The value of the experience is to be judged by the effect that experience has on the individual 's present, their future, and the extent to which the individual is able to contribute to society. Throughout, there is a strong emphasis on the subjective quality of a student 's experience and the necessity for the teacher of understanding the students ' past experiences in order to effectively design a sequence of liberating educational experiences to allow the person to fulfill their potential as a member of society.
John Dewey’s Philosophy on Education
“Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself” (Dover, 1958). Arguably the most influential thinker on education in the twentieth century, Dewey 's contribution lies along several fronts; His attention to experience and reflection democracy and community and to environments for learning have been seminal.
John Dewey was born October 20, 1859, in Burlington, Vermont. His father, Archibald, left the family tradition of farming, which had been followed for three generations, to become a grocer in the small city of Burlington. Dewey 's mother, Lucina, also came from a farm family. Archibald sold the grocery business when he
Elisia Lucina Lake
University of St. Martin
Abstract
For John Dewey, education and democracy are intimately connected. According to Dewey good education should have both a societal purpose and purpose for the individual student. For Dewey, the long-term matters, but so does the short-term quality of an educational experience. Dewey criticizes traditional education for lacking in holistic understanding of students and designing curricula overly focused on content rather than content and process which is judged by its contribution to the well-being of individuals and society. Dewey 's theory is that experience arises from the interaction of two principles; continuity and interaction. The value of the experience is to be judged by the effect that experience has on the individual 's present, their future, and the extent to which the individual is able to contribute to society. Throughout, there is a strong emphasis on the subjective quality of a student 's experience and the necessity for the teacher of understanding the students ' past experiences in order to effectively design a sequence of liberating educational experiences to allow the person to fulfill their potential as a member of society.
John Dewey’s Philosophy on Education
“Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself” (Dover, 1958). Arguably the most influential thinker on education in the twentieth century, Dewey 's contribution lies along several fronts; His attention to experience and reflection democracy and community and to environments for learning have been seminal.
John Dewey was born October 20, 1859, in Burlington, Vermont. His father, Archibald, left the family tradition of farming, which had been followed for three generations, to become a grocer in the small city of Burlington. Dewey 's mother, Lucina, also came from a farm family. Archibald sold the grocery business when he
References: • Simon & Schuster, (1997). John Dewey, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. • Dover, (1958). John Dewey, Experience and Nature. • Prometheus, (1991). John Dewey, How We Think.