John Dewey and Madeline Hunter were both well respected in the field of education and came from different schools of thought. The following presents the different ideas embraced by the two psychologists. In addition, after studying both of their theories, I have formulated my own philosophy which encompasses ideas from both philosophers.
John Dewey was a man who made a dramatic impact on the way curriculum design is viewed today. Dewey was born in Vermont in 1859 and throughout his lifetime he became well known as a philosopher, educator and psychologist. Many of Dewey’s ideas evolved from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and the idea of pragmatism. Pragmatism is the process of utilizing practical approaches to solving problems. Dewey once stated “We cannot solve such problems by habitual actions and thoughts. We must use intelligence to overcome obstacles.” He felt that science played a big part in the educational development process and viewed science as a method of probing into the behavior of things. From this idea of environmentally-based, active, hands-on learning, he began to develop a theory which became known as the Progressive Education Theory. This was the process of transforming curriculum from rote memorization to active student participation. Dewey believed that students should involve themselves in activities that stimulate their interest, and which create a desire to learn within them. Some of the activities that Dewey embra...
... to do. I favor parts of Dewey’s philosophy because it is a hands-on approach to learning. However, I believe that the students need instruction. I believe that everyone can be educated to the furthest of their abilities if given the proper tools to learn. There is no shame in vocational schooling because society as a whole needs people for every job. Plowing a field is just as important as writing poetry, and some people are destined for both. Overall, with philosophers like Froebel, Dewey and Dewey, Strike and Soltis, and DuBois, I have gained knowledge that I will take with me forever and apply in my classrooms.
Dewey had a holistic child in mind as he developed his theory. Dewey encouraged teachers to involve students within their learning environment (Webb, Metha, Jordan 2013). Dewey wanted each child to learn through experiential means. This meant the task at hand for teachers was to change their teaching methods and to encourage their students to play a part in their learning. This changed education by allowing students to ask questions and to learn by trying direct experiences. John Dewey wanted teachers to take on a whole new thinking process when approaching education in their classrooms. This approach was meant to get rid of the scientific approach and to embrace a new child-centered approach (Schrag 2009). A large area that Dewey influenced and continues to today is within the early education classrooms. Although Dewey helped teachers to make advancements, the Cold War brought up a new challenge; the Science and Math Education
Waks, L. (2013). John Dewey and the Challenge of Progressive Education. International Journal of Progressive Education. [Online] 9 (1), 73-83. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com.atlas.worc.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/03004279.2013.819618 [Accessed 6 December 2013].
..." Dewey encouraged cooperative social organization, association and exchange among teachers as a substitute for supervision, critic teaching and technical training.
The span of years between the writing of Dewey’s Experience and Education and the present writing of Tyack and Cuban’s Tinkering Toward Utopia showed distinct differences in the beliefs of Dewey, Tyack and Cuban about the role of education, but conversely, similar views. Dewey based much of his writings on the philosophical perspectives of humanism, pragmatism and social reconstructionism (Dewey, 1938).
For the most part, current high schools are not adequately preparing students to fulfill Dewey’s envisioned society because they follow irrelevant curricula, ignore the liberal arts, and place students in unfavorable settings. Dewey calls for an educational system which highlights problem solving and analysis, but high schools today simply fall short of that.
John Dewey was one of the most influential American philosopher born in Vermont in 1859. He graduated from the University of Vermont and eventually got his Ph.D. and went on to teaching at other universities. In his book Experience and Education he talks about traditional education, the theory of experience, criteria of experience, social control, the nature of freedom, the meaning of purpose, progressive organization, and at the end he raps it up with the means and goals of education. Dewey was a well-known philosopher and his ideas travel all around during the early 20th century. He had two main principles; the principle of continuity and the principle of interaction that led to what he believed was the proper way to educated students.
John Dewey was an American philosopher and teacher who, with Charles Peirce and William James, were the originators of the philosophy known as "pragmatism." Dewey had a long and distinguished career as a teacher, labor activist, and "public intellectual" who was not afraid to deal in his philosophical writings with real social issues. Dewey changed philosophy and its view forever and has made a large impact on the way modern philosophers look at things today.
Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatism and his creation of progression education, simply emphasize the need to learn by doing (Rivera-Castro). His idea that children learn best by doing and exploring the environment around them plays well into Greene’s idea of being wide-awake and allowing teachers and students to create
In the first chapter, Dewey draws attention to a conflict in educational theory, between traditional and progressive education. He conceives of traditional education as a system that has that encourages student attitudes of ‘docility, receptivity, and obedience’ (Dewey, p. 3). He considers the task given educators in traditional education to communicate knowledge and skills, and enforce rules of conduct for the next generation. He considers progressive education a system that critiques traditional education for imposing controls and limiting active participation by students in developing subject matter. Progressive education gives learners ‘growth’, freedom of expression and activity. Dewey sees the strengths of progressive education contributing helpfully to an experience of education (p. 20).
When we talk about education, we remember our teachers of elementary, middle and high school because they left their mark on our lives, and are who we truly taught things that even we , and we have to our knowledge, is that the main purpose of my philosophy educational. The basis of my educational philosophy pragmatism. The goal of education for pragmatists is the socialization of the individual and the transmission of cultural ideas of man to new generations. In this way, new generations have no need to repeat it step by step, the experiences of their ancestors (Riestra, 1970). The school must be active in developing critical thinking in the learner. This should not be a passive entity in the process of their education, you must learn to learn . The school must prepare students for this interaction with their environment that is always changing.
Dewey’s pedagogy was one with three distinctive traits: it was democratic in that it called for pluralism. It was a follower of the scientific method in that it was a systemic approach at solving problems and forming judgments, both practical and moral. It prized directed experience as an ongoing process of means as ends and ends as means. These three traits of Dewey’s philosophy are tied to all that he wrote and thought.
Experience and Education portrays John Dewey’s critical analysis of the traditional and progressive education system. He believed that people, no matter their age, did not have an empty mind, waiting to be filled with the knowledge schools offered. Alternatively, he pushed a method of learning where students organized information based on facts by expanding on previous knowledge; such a situation implies that teachers must create an environment as to foster such an experience. Thus, the challenge they face was due to a lack of a strong philosophy of experience in their approach to education.
“Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself.” John Dewey describes and supports progressivism, an education philosophy that I professionally identify with. Progressivism is a student centered philosophy that focuses on experiences, opportunities, and values that enhance a student 's learning and life. The role of the teacher is to act primarily as a facilitator of learning, they encourage and guide students to explore and promote individual development. As a future educator I believe it is important to involve students and allow them to take responsibility for their own learning and achieving their goals. The role of the student is to discover, engage, and express themselves.
Dewey, John, and Reginald D. Archambault. John Dewey on education; selected writings.. New York: Modern Library, 1964. Print.