John Dewey is less than a rock star of modern education.

His ideas and approaching schooling were revolutionary ideas

during his lifetime and remain fundamentally important to
modern schooling today.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

Famous For: for his ideas on pragmatism & educational
progressivism
One of the first men to present the idea of pragmatism as a
philosophical concept, Dewey also espoused Reflective Thinking. He believed in the philosophy of education, in which he
views education as a “social continuity of life.”

John Dewey is one of the most influential thinkers in the history of modern educational theory

John Dewey is nothing less than a rock star of modern education. His ideas and approaches to schooling were
revolutionary ideas during his lifetime and remain fundamentally important to modern schooling today. In this video, we
will take a brief look at the background of John Dewey as well as a more in depth look at his educational philosophies
and ideals. When we're done, you should be able to describe Dewey, but more importantly, you should be able to
identify his philosophy in action.

John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont, on October

20, 1859. He was a bright kid, attending college at the
University of Vermont at only 15 years old! At the University
of Vermont, Dewey focused on the study of philosophy.
Dewey graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1879. He
then began his teaching career. He taught two years of high
school in Oil City, PA, and one year of elementary school in
Charlotte, Vermont.

In 1884, Dewey received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins

University and immediately began his university teaching
career at the University of Michigan. Dewey spent most of his early career there, except for a one-year stint at the
University of Minnesota. In 1894, Dewey left for the University of Chicago, where he would become the head of the
philosophy department. At the University of Chicago, Dewey would work to develop much of his viewpoints that have
lasted far beyond his time. In 1904, Dewey would become a professor at Columbia University, where he would retire in
1930.
 “Instrumentalism” is a “theory of knowledge” which he
created and in which ideas are seen to exist primarily as
instruments for the solution of problems encountered in
the environment.

Dewey thought that people learn the best through

experience. He thought knowledge could be falsified.
Thus, It needed to be consistently challenged and
experimented on.

He emphasized on inquiry based education.

John Dewey is probably most famous for his role in what is

called progressive education. Progressive education is
essentially a view of education that emphasizes the need
to learn by doing. Dewey believed that human beings
learn through a 'hands-on' approach. This places Dewey in
the educational philosophy of pragmatism.

Pragmatists believe that reality must be experienced. From Dewey's educational point of view, this means that students
must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn. Dewey felt the same idea was true for teachers and
that teachers and students must learn together. His view of the classroom was deeply rooted in democratic ideals, which
promoted equal voice among all participants in the learning experience.

Dewey stressed the importance of education in school not only as a

place to gain content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how
to live

He believed that students should be actively involved in real-life

tasks and challenges. (Neill, 2005

that is to say, delivering knowledge while also taking into

account the interests and experiences of the student.

Dewey rejected curriculum-centred view of education and

proposed a student-centered view.

His idea of education consisted in the interaction of students

with the curriculum in order to make them part of their own
knowledge. The teacher’s role should be that of facilitator or
guide.

He wanted to “reinstate into experience” the subject-matter of the curriculum.

He wanted to “psychologize” the curriculum by constructing an environment in which the activities of the child would
include problematic situations
He believed in an interdisciplinary curriculum, or a curriculum that focuses on connecting multiple subjects, where
students are allowed to freely move in and out of classrooms as they pursue their interests and construct their own
paths for acquiring and applying knowledge. The role of the teacher in this setting would be to serve more as a facilitator
than an instructor. In Dewey's view, the teacher should observe the interest of the students, observe the directions they
naturally take, and then

serve as someone who helps develop problem-solving skills.

Teachers are responsible for achieving the goals of the school, but the
specific topics to be studied to meet those goals, cannot be determined
in advance because they should be of the interest of the children
(Brewer, 43).

The learning experience begins with the stimulus that is a coordinated

act involving the sensory and motor actions of the child, and the content
in which the situation occurs

Learner’s past experiences are taken into account in the teaching-

learning process, as well as the environment in which the event takes
place, and the level of engagement or how involved the child is in the
experience.

past experiences influence the present situation and the experience of

the present moment will impact on the experience of future moments.
 “ Democracy is a belief in the ability of human experience to
generate the aims and methods by which further experience shall
grow in ordered richness”.

Dewey's pragmatic and democratic approach to schooling may not

stand out as radical today, but in the early and mid-1900s, his view
of education was in contradiction to much of the then-present
system of schooling. Dewey's approach was truly child-centered.
A child-centered approach to education places the emphasis of
learning on the needs and interests of the child. In Dewey's view,
children should be allowed to explore their environments.

Traditionally, a teacher would stand in front of a group of students

who are all sitting in rows. The teacher is usually the deliverer of
information and the job of the students is usually to receive this
information and regurgitate it in some form of a written test.

In contrast, in a classroom based on the ideas of John Dewey, you may see a teacher deliver background content
information, but you would also likely see students working in groups, with those groups exploring differing concepts
within the content. You would see lots of conversation and lots of collaboration. While you may see a written test, you
may also see student projects,

Pragmatism (Experientialism)
For pragmatists, only those things that are experienced or observed are real. In this late 19th
century American philosophy, the focus is on the reality of experience. Unlike the Realists and
Rationalists, Pragmatists believe that reality is constantly changing and that we learn best through
applying our experiences and thoughts to problems, as they arise. The universe is dynamic and
evolving, a "becoming" view of the world. There is no absolute and unchanging truth, but rather,
truth is what works. Pragmatism is derived from the teaching of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-
1914), who believed that thought must produce action, rather than linger in the mind and lead to
indecisiveness.

John Dewey (1859-1952) applied pragmatist philosophy in his progressive approaches. He believed
that learners must adapt to each other and to their environment. Schools should emphasize the
subject matter of social experience. All learning is dependent on the context of place, time, and
circumstance. Different cultural and ethnic groups learn to work cooperatively and contribute to a
democratic society. The ultimate purpose is the creation of a new social order. Character
development is based on making group decisions in light of consequences.

For Pragmatists, teaching methods focus on hands-on problem solving, experimenting, and
projects, often having students work in groups. Curriculum should bring the disciplines together to
focus on solving problems in an interdisciplinary way. Rather than passing down organized bodies
of knowledge to new learners, Pragmatists believe that learners should apply their knowledge to
real situations through experimental inquiry. This prepares students for citizenship, daily living,
and future careers.