John Dewey 1859-1952: American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer
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The Life and Impact of John Dewey
John Dewey impacted philosophy and education in many ways throughout his lifetime. He is thought to be one of the fathers of both pragmatism and functional psychology. Dewey believed in learning through hands-on experiences rather than studying books. He believed this carried over into many aspects of our social world including politics. As John Dewey once explained,"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself". -
The Reflex Arc Concept
""The Reflex Arc" became the spring-board for functionalist psychology and the work that would later come to be known as "social behaviorism." It would provide much of the foundation (typically unacknowledged) for the modern usage of the term "attitude" within the behavioral sciences. "(Ward, 2007) -
The School and Society: Being Three Lectures
Dewey published his first work that was largely focused on educational reform, implying that a educational structure based solely on book learning was a hindrance to intellectual advancement. Dewey proposed a progressive look on education that was psychologically, socially and politically well rounded, and much more hands-on. The work eventually caused him to lose his teaching job at the University of Chicago, but lead his theories to be celebrated on a global scale. -
How We Think
In this published work, Dewey discussed his assertions on the belief that knowledge is strictly relative to human interaction with the world, he considers the need for thought training, its use of natural resources, and its place in school conditions. Just as this book was a wonderful overview of John Dewey's theories, the following link is a wonderful overview of Dewey's life and impact. [https://youtu.be/SGjSMqwlP3E] -
Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education
In publishing this book, Dewey emphasizes the associational and communal aspects of democracy, and finds that conscious, directed education is necessary to establish these conditions and form democratic character in children. Growth, experience, and activity are the preferred terms by Dewey to describe the tying of learning to social, communicative activity that allows for the flourishing of democratic community. (Meyers, 2005) -
Dewey and his wife go to China and Japan
Dewey gave hundreds of lectures during his time spent in Japan and China. Because his theories so closely parallel the teachings of Confucius, his talks were eagerly accepted and enjoyed by all those he taught. This trip would help not only expand his outreach but evolve his own theories on the correlation between teaching, society, and the importance of flexibility within the two. He and his wife were so inspired by those in China and Japan that they remained there until July of 1921.
