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Born
John Dewey an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer was born in Burlington, Vermont, USA. Besides his many other important works, he made significant impact on the education system. -
The School and Society
This was his major work on education. In this book, Dewey criticizes education, arguing that we should adapt to the needs of society. Overall, throughout the book he talks about education improvement. He urges education to be changed for a better meaning of life. -
Democracy and Education
Considered his most important work in the educational field, he argues that early education reflects on a society’s identity. He draws attention to associational and communal aspects of democracy, and how it should be directly involved in children’s education. He believes in a democratic community where children learn by experiencing new knowledge. Knowledge is not only objective and rational, but it is also experimental and practical. -
Experience and Nature
One of his most famous work, in this book Dewey’s main idea was that philosophy sometimes separates experience and science which in his opinion is unwarranted. He states that we begin from concrete experience, even if it is from collected data. He stated that experience would bring us to a broader understanding of nature. Moreover he adds, individual’s actions according to pragmatism, reflects on the environment (referring to nature). -
John Dewey | What is Pragmatism | Whiteboard Video
Educational Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPlbzfo0SpM This video explains Dewey’s main ideas. He believed in pragmatism, which is an approach that emphasizes that a theory will be true if it is successful when practically applied. He believes that we learn by doing, also called experimental learning. His goal was that all citizens were better educated in order to have somewhat input in political decisions, which relates to democracy.
