7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

Impact Of John Dewey On Western

Education
Topics: John Dewey (https://edubirdie.com/examples/john-dewey/)

Words: 1889
|
Pages: 4

Cite This Essay

Download

The Purpose of Education: John Dewey’s

Perspective
For John Dewey, a philosopher that contributed a large portion of his works to
education, the purpose of education was essentially social reform whereby a
democratic education would ensure that children became citizens who were
culturally aware, open-minded people who positively contributed to society. Dewey
believed that the traditional system of boring, rote learning was not productive or
conducive to the children’s learning and that the sharing of information and
knowledge through experiential learning, in a child-focused manner, was a more
effective method of gaining knowledge.

“According to Dewey, the purpose of education is not the communication of

knowledge but the sharing of social experience so that children become integrated
into the democratic community”. (Piedra, 2018)

Dewey felt that the education system at the time did not help the children realize
their full potential. Dewey (1897; as cited in Talebi, 2005) states that “…to prepare
him for the future life means to give him command of himself; it means so to train
him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capacities”. Dewey regards
school as a place where children need to learn about life as a whole and not just a
place where they are taught content subjects. (Talebi, 2005) Notably, Dewey did not
throw out any previous or current theories on learning but rather pointed out that
they were incomplete and did not cater to the child from a holistic perspective, he
believed:

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 1/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

the right kind of education, a democratic education, will be guided by nature,

students’ interests, and an understanding of natural development; it will allow
individuals to flourish, utilizing their skills and interests to secure social efficiency;
and it will lead to an enlightened citizen, a genuinely cultured one. (Mintz, 2018.)

Dewey’s ideas of education were deeply rooted in his moral belief system and
democracy. I see a correlation between Dewey’s desire for democratic education and
Mann’s desire to change society through education. “Mann claimed that education
was a better means than law to change society” (Jeynes, 2012).

The Principles of Dewey’s Philosophy and

Their Influence on Education
At the heart of Dewey’s philosophies’ we see some guiding principles on how the
education system is a process, “Education is a social process. Education is growth.
Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” (Dewey)

1. The Principle of Democracy

“With the principles of democracy as a basis, Dewey developed a new concept of
education emphasizing experience and growth” (Sullivan, 1966). Democracy itself
emphasized a person’s right to freedom of choice. Dewey believed that the children
were the most vulnerable people in the quest for democracy, with the traditional
system teaching children to sit quietly and listen to instructions. “Dewey was
specifically concerned about the rights of the child as an individual, his right to
exercise his decisions, choices in learning and education, and his participation in a
democratic learning process.” (Sikaya, 2015)

He theorized that the growth of the children in developing critical thinking skills
allowed them to grow into adults that could make decisions based on the
information that they provided. When thinking about democratic education, “His
preoccupation with this issue is a constant theme in his works, which are infused with
ideas about the role that education and, most specifically, our school system have in
the transformation of society.” (Pérez-Ibáñez, 2018)

This argument is still relevant today and not enough has been done to include the
freedom of thought in the global education system. In many countries, the idea of
creating free thinkers would not suit political agendas. Dewey’s writings on
democracy and education may even be a cause for concern and a reason for

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 2/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

politicians to hold such control over the education system in countries where
authoritarian rule is still in place. Despite the guise of democracy and the lip service
to the voting system, countries, like Zimbabwe, still have control of their citizens. The
introduction of such a philosophy to their education system would not be tolerated.
Berding (1997; as cited by Sikanda, 2015) comments about Dewey, saying:

His writings on democracy and education express his philosophy of education as a

way of social reform. He saw education as a means of serving the democratic
process through making corrections in the economic evils and by obtaining political
ends that would lead to the progression of society. Hence, education for Dewey is
the culmination of his political ideas. The shaping of a society in which the common
goods, among which are the knowledge and social intelligence, are distributed fairly
among all who participate in that society.

2. The Principle of Experience

John Dewey valued experience in an educational setting. He believed that by
performing an act and then experiencing its consequence that children would learn
from such an experience. Dewey did elaborate on this and say that the context in
which the experience happened is important as is the child’s direct involvement with
the consequence.

Save your time!

We can take care of

your essay
Proper editing and formatting

Free revision, title page, and bibliography

Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

PLACE ORDER (HTTPS://EDUBIRDIE.COM/CHATBOT?UTM_CAMPAIGN=IN-

TEXT-SAMPLE_ORDER&UTM_SOURCE=EB_EXAMPLES)

Experience as mentioned in Dewey’s definition of education is a social process that

involves the interaction of an individual with his environment. An experience includes
initial confusion, tentative hypothesis, investigation, elaboration of hypothesis, and

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 3/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

action to bring about results. (Sullivan, 1966)

Dewey believed that if the child was to enjoy the experience or have a positive
reaction to that experience, then it would encourage the child to want to know more.
Along the lines of the principle of experience is the theory of interaction and
continuity. “Seemingly the most significant principle Dewey employed was what
became known later as interaction or transaction” (Morgan, J., & Shermis, S. 1970)

An experience can be either positive or negative, depending on the outcome of said

experience. “One’s present experiences are a direct result of how their previous
experiences interact with and influence their present situation” (Dewey). In Dewey’s
philosophy of education, the ‘interaction’ of a student will depend on the current
situation, and how the child feels about the experience. ‘Continuity’ will depend on
whether or not the experience was positive as to whether or not the child will choose
to partake in the experience again.

The principles of interaction and continuity (intersection between experience and

education) form a major part of John Dewey’s philosophical discourse. According to
Dewey, these principles determine the quality of educative experience for meaningful
life‐long learning. (Bassy, 2010)

The principle of experience as a tool in education could provide a child with the
intrinsic desire to learn more. Positive experiences would encourage the child’s’
innate desire for knowledge. “These experiences are given value and direction by the
teachers; therefore, there should be order and direction of a child’s experiences,
which will give him a composed and integrated personality” (Sikander, 2015) It would
be essential that a teacher can harness the individual child’s willingness to explore a
topic further. Understandably, a teacher cannot possibly know or understand the
experience that a child has had outside of their care and therefore communication
regarding a subject matter between the child and the teacher is important.

Dewey believed that progressive educators could craft learning experiences that
invited equally absorbing forms of exploration and promised equally exciting
experiences of mastery by harnessing the natural drives of children in the service of
socializing them to valued cultural activities and norms. (Meyer, 2015)

Experience-based learning has been implemented in many schools around the world.
We can see this through the field trips organized by schools, school gardens,
museums (Winstanley, 2018), and science studios. Dewey has influenced teachers to
https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 4/9
7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

believe in the benefits of experience-based learning, but policies still demand a high
turnout of graded papers, and therefore not enough time is given to this valuable
method of teaching.

3. The Principle of Curriculum

As Dewey’s principle of teaching was based on experience and learning by doing, it
figures that the curriculum would be based around the child, their experiences, and
their willingness to partake in a particular activity. As Sikander (2015) references
Berding (1992) who wrote:

Curriculum, Dewey demanded was not imposed upon the students, rather it could
allow individual differences among the students and value their experiences. Dewey’s
curriculum theory is based on anthropological, psychological, and social-
philosophical (political) perspectives that hold a child to be like an organism and this
organism is searching for stimuli to grow. (Berding, 1992).

Dewey believed in a child-centered curriculum where the teachers taught to the

individual child’s needs. These demanded the teachers know each child and their
needs on an intimate level. In education today we can see this being observed in
Individualised Education Plans and schools like Montessori schools, however, it
requires a need for a low teacher to student ratio, which is not often found in public
schools.

The Alignment of John Dewey’s Principles

with IB Education
According to their website The International, Baccalaureate® aims to develop
inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and
more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. John Dewey
was one of their key influential educationalists and this can be seen in their aim to
create a more peaceful world, this notion aligns with John Dewey’s principle of
democracy. Their key insight from the work of John Dewey was the importance of
tapping into the children’s natural curiosity. We can tap into their natural curiosity
through understanding their experiences and therefore the IB education aligns with
the principle of experience-based learning. Finally, we look at their curriculum. It is
evident through their website that children are examined and therefore this would

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 5/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

require some form of standardized testing and learning. I do not feel that they would
align with John Dewey’s principle of Curriculum although they do believe in child-
centered learning.

It must be noted that whilst theoretically sound and psychologically relevant, John
Dewey’s philosophy of education would require a substantial budget, awareness, and
buy-in from teachers and policy changes from a political perspective. These
challenges along with the fact that his philosophies and theories do not come
equipped with a road map for how to deliver content means that there is still work to
be done towards implementing some of Dewey’s principles.

References
Bassey,M. (2010) Educating for the real world: an illustration of John Dewey’s principles of
1 continuity and interaction, Educational Studies, 36(1), 13-20, DOI:
10.1080/03055690903148480

International Baccalaureate, (2020, September 8) Benefits of the IB

2
https://www.ibo.org/benefits/

3 Jeynes, W. (2012). The widespread growth of the common school and higher education.

In American Educational History. (145-156) Retrieved March 19, 2018, from

4
https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/13715_Chapter6.pdf

Mayer, S. (2015). Representing Dewey’s Constructs of Continuity and Interaction within

5
Classrooms. Education and Culture, 31(2), 39-53. doi:10.5703/educationculture.31.2.39

Mintz, A. I. (n.d.). What is the purpose of education? Dewey’s challenge to his

contemporaries. [pdf] Retrieved March 01, 2018. from
6
https://www.academia.edu/23693775/What_is_the_Purpose_of_Education_Deweys_chall
enge_to_his_contemporaries

Morgan, J., & Shermis, S. (1970). Origin, theory and practice: Dewey’s early philosophy.
7 Midcontinent American Studies Journal, 11(1), 65-79. Retrieved September 8, 2020, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40640933

Pérez-Ibáñez, I. (2018). Dewey’s Thought on Education and Social Change. Journal of

8
Thought, 52(3-4), 19-31. doi:10.2307/90026735

Piedra, A. (2018, February, 1) The Tragedy of American Education: The Role of John
9 Dewey. The Institute of World Politics. IWP. https://www.iwp.edu/articles/2018/02/01/the-
tragedy-of-american-education-the-role-of-john

Sikandar,A. (2015). John Dewey and His Philosophy of Education. Journal of Education
10
and Educational Development. 2 (2). 191-201 https://doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v2i2.446

Sullivan, P. (1966). John Dewey’s Philosophy of Education. The High School J ournal,
11
49(8), 391-397. Retrieved September 8, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40366240

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 6/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

Talebi, Kandan. (2015, September) John Dewey- Philosopher and educational reformer.
12 European Journal of Educational Studies, 1(1) , 4. [pdf] Retrieved February 28, 2018 from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED564712.pdf

Winstanley. C (2018) Learning experiences in museums: harnessing Dewey’s ideas on

13 continuity and interaction, Education 3-13, 46:4, 424 432, DOI:
10.1080/03004279.2018.1445476

Make sure you submit a unique essay

Our writers will provide you with an essay sample written from scratch: any
topic, any deadline, any instructions.

TRY EDUBIRDIE (HTTPS://EDUBIRDIE.COM/CHATBOT?

UTM_CAMPAIGN=BOTTOM-
SAMPLE_ORDER&UTM_SOURCE=EB_EXAMPLES)

POPULAR CATEGORIES

Child Protection (6) (https://edubirdie.com/examples/child-protection/)

High School (20) (https://edubirdie.com/examples/high-school/)

Work-life Balance (30) (https://edubirdie.com/examples/work-life-balance/)

Adolf Hitler (8) (https://edubirdie.com/examples/adolf-hitler/)

Protestant Reformation (18) (https://edubirdie.com/examples/protestant-

reformation/)

Most Popular Essays

John Dewey And The Reggio

Emilia Approach
https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 7/9
7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

(https://edubirdie.com/examples/joh
dewey-and-the-reggio-emilia-
approach/)

John Dewey
(https://edubirdie.com/examples/john-
dewey/)

During my research whilst in my EdLab

journey I found myself interested in the
Reggio Emilia approach, which sees the
philosopher and educational reformer
John Dewey as a key influence to their
practice (Rinaldi, 2004: p6). The
Reggio Emilia approach to early
childhood education was...
3 Pages | 1359 Words

Theory Of John Dewey And Paulo

Freire: Critical Analysis
(https://edubirdie.com/examples/the
of-john-dewey-and-paulo-freire-
critical-analysis/)

John Dewey
(https://edubirdie.com/examples/john-
dewey/)

As a technical teacher in the

Department of Correctional Services, I
have experience in teaching adult
offenders. I taught Mathematics and
Motor Trade Theory N1 to offenders
registered for a TVET Programme
called Engineering Studies N1 Students.
I never had an opportunity to teach at...
4 Pages | 2014 Words

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 8/9

7/19/22, 4:43 AM Impact Of John Dewey On Western Education - Free Essay Example - Edubirdie

Join 100k satisfied students

Get original paper written according to your instructions

Save time for what matters most

HIRE WRITER (HTTPS://EDUBIRDIE.COM/CHATBOT?UTM_CAMP

FAIR USE POLICY

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any
violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our
Fair Use Policy
(https://edubirdie.com/fair-use-policy) or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via
support@edubirdie.com.

https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-john-dewey-on-western-education/#:~:text=For John Dewey%2C a philosopher that contributed a,awar… 9/9