Philosophy+of+Education

= John Dewey On Education =

// “ I believe, finally, that the teacher is engaged, not simply in the training of individuals, but in the formation of the proper social life” John Dewey 1897 // John Dewey was a leader in the philosophy of Progressive education that used inquiry for humans to learn. This view of philosophy favored an active human that needs to manipulate the environment to test hypotheses and issues. This was rejected by the view of the day which favored a natural approach to knowledge. Dewey believed that the education process has two sides-one psychological and one sociological. These two sides are related to each other and education can not be compromised between the two. The psychological side is the basis of learning. The learner needs to make his own initiative independent of the educator. The learner has to be internally motivated to learn the topic. Students who receive an external motivation can sometimes result in friction and cannot be educative. The social side of learning is necessary to interpret the child’s powers. According to Dewey, “A child has their own instincts and tendencies, but we don’t know what they mean until we can translate them into their social equivalents.” Social interaction helps children to learn how to interact in society for the future in a proper way. He sees that school is a social institution that is a form of community life. Students learn how to act socially within a school and develop their social abilities for the future. He also believed that the home was the basis for social interaction and the school was an extension for that basis. Parents are vital in teaching their children the appropriate ways to act in society with values and moral thinking. Dewey, John (1897) ‘My pedagogic creed’, //The School Journal//, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16, 1897), pages 77-80. Also available in the informal education archives, http://www.infed.org/archived/e-texts/e-dew-pc.htm