Hall of Fame

John Dewey (1859 - 1952)

John Dewey, like Socrates, was a philosopher first and educational theorist second and, like Socrates, his progressive educational theory has been simplified to the level of caricature. It is often assumed that he favoured an extreme version of discovery learning. This was not in fact the case.

As a philosopher he was what is called a 'pragmatist', a school of philosophy that emerged from Pierce and James in the 19th century. His reflections on the nature of knowledge, experience and communication, combined with his views of democracy and community, led to an educational theory that started with a broad based vision of what education should be, an identification of educational methods, then a pragmatic view of its implementation. He practised what he preached through his own Laboratory School.

Problem based learning

He is best known for his problem-solving approach to learning. All learning is experienced by the learner but according to Dewey, exposure to certain types of learning experiences are more important than others.

Schools

His focus on schools was almost obsessive, however, he was refreshingly honest about their limitations. He saw schools as only one means of learning, 'and compared with other agencies, a relatively superficial means'. In fact, he was keen to break down the boundaries of school, seeing them as a community within a community. Those involved in the modern debate about a more active role for schools in their community can benefit from a re-reading of Dewey.

Schools should create learning opportunities by engaging in occupational activities, as practised by the rest of society. That schools had become divorced from society was one of his basic claims. In his model school, the students planted wheat and cotton, processed and transported it for sale to market.

Conclusion

Dewey spoke out against communism as well as the right-wing threat in US politics, including what he saw as reactionary Catholicism. A recent reappraisal sees him as a typical American liberal believing in a secular approach to education and reform in education, moving it beyond the limitations of traditional 'schooling'.

More importantly for our purposes, experiential learning through Kolb and others had its origins in Dewey. His views on schools and how they relate to a modern, democratic society are also of lasting interest. Unfortunately, he has been interpreted as an evangelist for 'discovery-learning' widely regarded as a flawed model when not supplemented with alterative strategies.

Bibliography

Dewey, J. (1916) Democracy and Education. An introduction to the philosophy of education (1966 edn.), New York: Free Press.

Dewey, J. (1933) How We Think. A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process (Revised edn.), Boston: D. C. Heath.

Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and Education, New York: Collier Books. (Collier edition first published 1963).

Dewey, J. (1929) Experience and Nature, New York: Dover. (Dover edition first published in 1958).

Campbell, J. (1995) Understanding John Dewey. Nature and co-operative intelligence, Chicago: Open Court.

Ryan, A. (1995) John Dewey and the High Tide of American Liberalism, New York: W. W. Norton.