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.
The Education of Shelby Knox is evidence of Dewey’s ideas. Shelby, who thought she “was the perfect child”, at just 15 years of age, clearly did not have a mind that was a black slate. She did not know anything about sex yet, “all I know is that you get caught up in the moment”. In addition, she had many convictions, some contrary to the Christian faith, which she went to promote and learn about. The Youth Commission, she joined allowed her to advocate for sex education in the schools of Lubbock, Texas. It was based on previous information and knowledge such as, “Lubbock has one of the highest teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates in the nation.” and “One in 14 girls get pregnant each year and teenage Gonorrhea rates are twice the national average “drove her case. In the expansion of this past knowledge, she became educated about sex education.
First, Dewey analyzed the method of progressive versus traditional education. Humans, by default, formulate “its beliefs in terms of Either-Or” (pg.5) categories which has been reflected in the current educational system. He labels education as transference of knowledge, skills, a...
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...“they’re going to experiment and that’s going to be their education”. It is clear that parents should not be automatically expected to raise the child in any specific way. In fact Knox’s parents never actually tell her what to do. That implies their ideas such as reminding her that “Her priorities are God, family, country”, but never demand anything from her. In the end they even conform to her views, such as her father saying that he argues about sex education and her mother rallying with GAP.
Works Cited
Dewey, John (Touchstone Edition1997). Experience and Education. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from School of Educators: http://www.schoolofeducators.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/EXPERIENCE-EDUCATION-JOHN-DEWEY.pdf
Lipschutz, M., Rosenblatt, R. (Producers), Lipschutz, M., & Rosenblatt, R. (Directors). (2005). The Education of Shelby Knox [Motion Picture].
Dewey Dell is obsessed with sex and her unwanted pregnancy. Every man that looks at her she looks at with "her eyes kind of blaring up and going hard like [they] had made to touch her" as she does with Tull on page 124. Even in trying to get rid of the fetus, however, she is confronted with sex. She is none the wiser to the wiles of the ‘doctor’ until afterwards when she says, “’It won’t work [ . . . ] I just know it won’t’” (252).
High school is the stepping stone between childhood and the real world. John Dewey spent most of his life striving to improve this transition. He believed high schools were not preparing students for the needs of society by merely teaching the basics, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Dewey argued that high schools “must present situations where problems are relevant to the problems of living together, and where observation and information are calculated to develop social insight and interest.” This type of education would create socially-responsible citizens who have the ability to work together and solve societal issues; in turn, America’s democratic society would flourish. With this said, high schools continue to ignore Dewey’s suggestions,
People who work hard for their goals experience true happiness. True happiness is the feeling you get when you try to complete your ultimate aim in life. People in the pursuit of education experience this greatly because they are striving to pass their classes to succeed academically. Anthony writes, “No doubt some of the experience I have in my relationships are part of what is good about them, part of what makes the relationship contribute to my flourishing, to what is good in my life” (Kwame Anthony Appiah 450). The experience, he feels during a relationship is what makes him happy in life not the relationship itself. This is similar to how education experience works because many people enjoy the hard work they put into their academics rather than the grades they receive. Dewey believed that education was a way for someone to complete their goal in life. He states, “If a few words are added upon the topic of education, it is only for the sake of suggesting that the educative process is all one with moral process, since the latter is a continuous passage of experience from worse to better” (John Dewey 401). Dewey is explaining that the experience of education allows people to develop their moral process and happiness. Dewey’s ideas on education combined with Anthony’s views on happiness support the idea that one’s experience in education directly influences their happiness. In short, the pursuit of education is an
Dewey, J. Art and Education: A Collection of Essays. Pennsylvania, The Barnes Foundation Press, 1954.
John Dewey and Freidrich Hayek both give compelling accounts of what they view as “free” political association. Hayek gives an account of a state where liberal principles are used and freedom is freedom from the coercion of others; while in contrast Dewey gives an account of a society where both liberal and democratic principles are used and where freedom is much more complex. The difference in the views of Hayek and Dewey on what they perceive to be a free society stems from difference’s they have on liberalism and democracy, freedom, and on the way a “free state” is created. Dewey offers a much more compelling view with his argument that liberalism and democracy cannot be separated, his view of freedom being much more diverse, and his rejection of spontaneous order. This allows for greater interpretation and creates a grey, middle ground that Hayek’s view does not.
... 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.
In 1961, Evangelist and pastor Tim LaHaye worked on informing and ridding public schools of sex education programs. In a letter that he wrote to parents at a school he said; “ As a parent, taxpayer, and a Christian, you need to be informed on the devastating Radical Sex Education Program now being advocated by some educators across America”(72). In this letter, LaHaye uses the word “devastating” to show how truly upset he was about this program. He went on to quote the bible in saying that sex was accepted in Christian beliefs and that that was not the problem. The problem was that the context, in which the education was coming from, was not coming from the Bible. LaHaye believed that because God create...
Dewey’s purpose in writing was to redefine and apply the new definitions of several words that people tend to use without thinking. It appears that he is writing this storytelling lecture to college students, but upon further study I would say he is trying to challenge everyone to start thinking and questioning, to not just accept everything. I would say that he is very qualified to talk on these subjects because of his PhD, but any qualification he lacks, he adds in by way of qualified references. Dewey’s writing and purpose are similar to Freire’s in how they both want the reader to transform the way they think about education; but while Freire concentrates on education from the viewpoint of school, Dewey broadens the view and concentrates
In order to establish a PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING, a sequence of events happen in history to open a doorway to “Society about Education and Schooling”, as the description of Public Education Goals for Our Educational System came from the ideas of two famous men, Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson.
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
John Dewey dedicated his life to improving the education system through his philosophical beliefs. Some of these beliefs include freedom of the mind and strong bonds between students and teachers. He believed that high schools did not prepare students for the real world by simply teaching the fundamentals of learning: reading, writing, and arithmetic; instead, teachers must prepare students for real-life situations. Dewey suggested that in order for students to perform to the best of their ability they should be exposed to an environment that resembles the real world. These goals should be taught in a democratic environment in which the teachers and students should have equal voices. Also, the needs of the child should be placed above anything else. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, students could explore their environments through a curriculum that focuses on connecting multiple subjects and choosing their own paths. Unfortunately, high schools do not acknowledge Dewey’s ideals, which often results in students becoming useless members in society, receiving jobs that only have pecuniary benefit.
Postman says that if education is to survive, it must have an end. In this essay, we will discuss what these ends are, and how they compare with the “ends” of John Dewey. Dewey believes that it is the very nature of life is to strive to continue being alive, and that education is the most important way to achieve that. Postman says that the learning process should never really ever end. These two educational philosophers, when you examine them, actually have similar theories.
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.
“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.