Biography

=The Life and Times of John Dewey=

//

The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action. – John Dewey (1859-1952)// Scholars worldwide who have had the privilege to collaborate with John Dewey either in person or on paper seem to agree almost unanimously that Dewey is the epitome of intelligence and his life service will have a profound impact on the education of every future generation. Dewey knew the world was in a constant state of change and his theories and conclusions always returned to that basic principle. John Dewey completed primary school at age 12 in Burlington, Vermont where he was born and raised in a middle-class family. He proceeded to high school in 1872 opting for college preparatory classes which he finished in three years. By age 16, Dewey had started his undergraduate education at the University of Vermont. When he graduated in 1879 he deeply embraced the academics of political, social, and moral philosophy and aspired to learn more. Dewey spent the next three years working as a teacher and continued to study philosophy with Henry Torrey, a former professor. It was 1882 when he began graduate school at Johns Hopkins University to polish his passion for philosophy with minors in history and political science. This is when Charles Peirce, professor of logic, and G. Stanley Hall, professor of psychology, were introduced into Dewey’s career. Both have been credited with versions of the theory of pragmatism, however, upon receiving his Ph.D. in 1884 it was George Sylvester Morris, professor, mentor, and philosopher, who Dewey chose to follow both academically and then professionally to teach at the University of Michigan alongside Morris. Two years later while teaching philosophy at Michigan, Dewey authored two different articles published in //Mind// that gave credibility to his theory that philosophy was basically a broader scope of psychology and established Dewey, in the opinion of my scholars, as an expert in his field. It was 1894 when John Dewey accepted head of the Department of Philosophy, Psychology and Pedagogy at the University of Chicago a private institution established in 1891 and his job description was to basically bring the 3 fields together. However, Dewey successfully argued that a Department of Pedagogy could better prepare students' expertise in the field of education. He accepted the position of department head. During his career at Michigan Dewey helped launch several campus organizations for students, such as the Students' Christian Association, and he devoted considerable studies to the relationship between public secondary schools and colleges. During these years, Dewey's enthusiasm for education flourished, and by 1900 his Department of Pedagogy offered 23 education courses to its students. By now, most everything he authored was a milestone in educational philosophy.

When he resigned from the University of Chicago in 1904, a professorship at Columbia University would ultimately be the position he held for the remainder of his career. His finest writings were published from this point until he retired in 1939. He contributed in writings and orations until his death June 1, 1952. John Dewey was highly educated in some fields and an expert in others. He has provided detailed publications and research in psychology, philosophy, education, art, science, metaphysics, mathematics and even social issues. John Dewey dedicated his life to understanding the many facets to these fields and their correlation with the operations of the human mind. __John Dewey__. [|www.bgsu.edu]. Spring 1997. <http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/acs/1890s/dewey/dewey.html John Dewey Philosophy, The. [|www.essortment.com]. Pagewise, 2002. http://www.essortment.com/all/johndeweyphilo_rqla.htm