Karna Bahadur Chongbang

MPhil in Education

13th Batch

John Dewey,an American Educational Philosopher

Educational philosophy of Dewey

“Education is a social process.Education is growth. Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself.”

John Dewey

Positions of the prevalent PhilosophiesZais(1976) has classified the prevalent philosophical positions into three divisions:

Other-worldly philosophies: religious philosophies, Idealism etc.

Earth –centered philosophies: realism, materialism, naturalism, positivism etc.

Man-centered philosophies: pragmatism, existentialism, post-modernism etc.

A Brief Biography of John Dewey Born on Oct. 20, 1859, Burlington, Vermont, United States, died in 1952, New York.

Academic career development: graduation from the University of Vermont in 1879, Ph. D. in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1884.

Professional career: high school teacher in Oil City and at a private elementary school in Vermont,

an assistant professor at the University of

Michigan(1886-1888), a professor at Minnesota University(1888-1894),University of Chicago(1894-1904), Columbia University(1904-1952) the president of the American Psychological Association(APA) (1899), president of the American Philosophical

Association(1905)

Cont….Father of educational philosophy

Recognized as founder of philosophical movement of Pragmatism

A leader of progressive education movement

A founder of functional psychology

Metaphysics of Dewey’s philosophyGeneric traits of natural existence

Naturalistic metaphysics

Empirical basis

A change in inter-dynamics of organism and environment relationship

Perceptual world

Ontology of Dewey’s PhilosophyReality is in the realm of everyday personal experience.

None of us have had an identical set of life experiences.

Reality is somewhat different for all of us.

Epistemology of Dewey’s philosophy

Knowing(process of construction) rather than knowledge(product)

Knowledge is the result of successful inquiry, whereas Knowing consists in using one’s intelligence in given inquiries. Intelligence is stabilized knowledge which can be utilized in other inquiries(Boyles,2006).

Axiology of Dewey’s PhilosophyRelativity of value

Values are situational.

Values are relative to time, place and circumstance.

Dewey’s philosophy and educational theory

Pragmatism(Educational Philosophy)

Progressivism(Educational Theory)

Difference between philosophy and theory

Interpretive perspective towards philosophy, theory and practice

“The philosophical is the easiest approach, the theoretical is more difficult and more useful, and the practical is the most difficult and the most useful of all.

There can be philosophical knowledge — very general ideas; there can be theoretical knowledge — when you calculate things; and there can be practical knowledge — when you can observe and make experiments.

Philosophical is thinking, theoretical is talking, and practical is doing, the practical is the most important.”

Ouspensky(n.d.)

Cont…Pragmatism Founded by Charles S. Peirce(1839-1914), William

James(1842-1910) and John Dewey(1859-1952)

The term ‘pragmatic’ coined and used by Peirce but linked pragmatism with education by Dewey.

Fundamental principles of pragmatism

No ultimate value, formation of value during the course of activity

Emphasis on experiment in life for practical implication

Emphasis on the principle of practical utility

Reality always in the making process

Cont……Changing nature of truth

Truth is constructed from experience

Knowledge is tentative

Emphasis on social and democratic values

Opposition to fixed ideas and values

Inductive logic

Importance of activity

Faith in present life

Opposition to social customs and traditions

Faith in pluralism

Faith in flexibility

School as community

Education is life but not preparation for life

Cont…Progressivism

Progressivism is an educational theory rooted in pragmatism philosophy.

Schools are laboratory for pedagogical reform and experimentation.

Established a laboratory school at University of Chicago in 1903 to practice educational/pedagogical theories

Opposes to the traditional education/school practices like (i) authoritarian teachers, (ii)book based instruction,(iii)passive memorization of factual information,(iv)the isolation of schools from society, and (v) using physical and psychological coercion to class room management.

Basic Elements of progressive Education

Two elements of progressive education that detached progressive education from traditional formal education.

Respect for diversity i.e. own abilities, interests, ideas, needs and cultural identities(child centered).

Critical, socially engaged intelligence i. e. participation in community (social re-constructivist).

Progressive educationEmphasis on learning by doing – hands-on projects, experiential learning

Integration of entrepreneurship in to education

Strong emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking

Group work and development of social skills

Understanding and action as the goals of learning as opposed to rote knowledge

Collaborative and cooperative learning projects

Education for social responsibility and democracy

Highly personalized education accounting for each individual's personal goals

Integration of community service and service learning projects into the daily curriculum

De-emphasis on textbooks in favor of varied learning resources

Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills

Assessment by evaluation of child’s projects and productions

Difference between traditional and pragmatic/progressive education

Traditional education Progressive educationSchool is preparation of life.Learners are absorbers of information and authority.

Teachers are sources of information and authority.

Parents are outsiders and uninvolved.

Community is separate from school, except for funding.

School is a part of life.Learners are active participants, problem solvers and planners.Teachers are facilitators, guides who foster thinking.Parents are primary teachers, goal setters and planners.Community is an extension of the class room.

Cont...Traditional education Progressive educationKnowledge is a product.

Learning is linear, with factual accumulation and skill mastery.

Knowledge is absorbed through lectures, worksheets and texts.

Curriculum is predetermined

Knowledge is process.

Learning is spiral with depth breadth as goals.

Knowledge is constructed through play, direct experience and social interaction

No predetermined curriculum

Educational Philosophical approaches to the current world

Applied philosophy

Process philosophy

Anti-foundationalist philosophy

Analytical philosophy

Reflection Education, student and society are tripartite.

Present life is the most important, the contents of the learning have to emphasize present utility.

Learning is the process of reorganization and reconstruction of experiences.

Big philosophies and theories like pragmatism and progressivism are the guiding principles for the educational professionals to judge, monitor, and lead their professional attitude and confidence.

Dewey has paved pragmatic philosophical ground to enjoy a practical life through practical education.

ReferencesAnonymous(2002). A brief overview of progressive education. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/-dewey/articles/proged.htmlAnonymous(2012). Differece between traditional and progressive education. Independent schools. Retrieved from http://www.wingraschool.org/who/progressive.htmBoyles , D.R.(2006). Dewey’s epistemology: an argument for warranted assertions, knowing, and meaningful classroom practice. Educational policy studies faculty publications. Retrieved from http://www. scholarworks.gsu.edu/epsfacpub/7Ouspensky, P.D.(n.d.). Lecture 32- philosophy, theory and practice. Retrieved from http://www.ardue.org.uk/university/system/lect32.htmlZais, R.S.(1967). Curriculum: principles and foundations . London: Harper and Row publication, publishers.

Post presentationSuggestions

Comments

Queries

Integration

Thank you very much