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JOHN DEWEY'S EDUCATIONAL THEORIES.
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Examines child-centered approach, goals, progressivism, pragmatism, reflective thinking, teaching flexibility. relevance.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines child-centered approach, goals, progressivism, pragmatism, reflective thinking, teaching flexibility. relevance.
Paper Introduction:
Each educator must develop his or her own personal philosophy of education. A tremendous body of educational theory exists, however, making it difficult to choose a specific school of thought. For example, some educators base their theories on different approaches to grouping students for instruction, various forms of curricula, methods of evaluating student progress, or the objectives of instruction. Phrases such as "cooperative learning," "multiple intelligences," and "whole learning experiences" abound in the literature. Instructional methods range from free exploration to direct instruction. Models of learning range from transactional to transmission. Synthesizing even a small fraction of the various educational philosophies into a personal philosophy would easily take years of effort. A worthwhile direction, however, is to use as a
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Another foundation of Dewey's philosophy was that a constantlyexperimental approach to learning should be maintained. Scaffolding has evolved into a teaching technique in whichinstructors act as facilitators or coaches to their students, guiding themin learning experiences until the student is not only able to graspconcepts on his or her own but also develop critical thought. To underscore thispoint, Dewey named his school in Chicago the "Laboratory School." Alaboratory is an environment characterized by flexibility. Instructional methods range from freeexploration to direct instruction. Reflective inquiry grew out of Dewey's desire to place general thinkingon the same footing as scientific inquiry" (Szuberla, 1997, p. Download pages: 1-6.----------------------- 8 Dewey was an education philosopher whose child-centeredphilosophy continues to influence modern education; such a philosophy usingpractical methods of guided discovery represents the best approach to theeducation of young people. tend to favor student initiativewith teacher guidance in selecting objectives, learning activities, andappraisal procedures" (Ediger, 1996, p. Thus the development of a philosophyof education is an ongoing process: "Teachers should therefore focus theirefforts on what best helps the individual learner at a specific time, whichmeans the individual child" (Glascott and Crews, 1998, p. Answering a question with a correct answer, however, is merelyproblem-solving. Have we tried everything possible ineducation? (1999). Phi Delta Kappan,vol 79, p. Dewey's chief concern was with the goal ofeducation. Vygotsky related individuallearning, social interaction, language and culture: "He thought thatconcepts from the adult world provide a framework or "scaffolding" for thegrowth of the child's conceptual understanding" (Ozmon and Craver, 1999, p.233). Modern school cultures are plagued by a host of socialills including poverty, sexually transmitted disease, crime, drugs, andchild abuse. Forinstance, it would be impossible to learn mathematics without anunderstanding of multiplication tables or English without a thoroughcomprehension of grammar. Models of learning range fromtransactional to transmission. The trend is away from the preparation ofstudents for participation in a democratic society to the fostering ofskills based on economic utility. Again, the role of the teacher isthat of enabler, empowering students by providing them with the materialsand encouragement they need for self-teaching. 232(2). Szuberla, C. Article Number: A186313 . The effective teacher mustadopt a similar attitude: "in the final analysis, education is a processof experimentation because there are always new things to learn anddifferent things to experience" (Ozmon and Craver, 1999, p. Dewey believed that traditional values form the basisof philosophical inquiry. The average student wants toknow the answer when called upon in class. The benefit of this approachis that the student is involved in the development of the curriculum and isless likely to be burdened with learning material that is totally externalto his or her experiences. This isthe first step in the pursuit of knowledge. . 232). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Too often, in modern classrooms, the goal of education is thepromotion of the interests of society, which are politically driven. To attempt toeducate without a concrete philosophy is a disservice to students. 3). The zone of proximaldevelopment is where these two concepts meet. 163). Education should be an integrative process,supported by the student's experience in society. (Summer 1998). Modern education is characterized by a lack of consensus regardingthe mission of the school. Forinstance, students who fail to respond to questions from teachers are notmerely being obstinate or ignorant, the failure to respond is evidence ofthe first phase of reflective thought: the existence of doubt. 155). Ownership of reflective inquiry isgranted only when students are able to carry it out from inception toconclusion" (Szuberla, 1997, pp. Synthesizing even a small fraction of thevarious educational philosophies into a personal philosophy would easilytake years of effort. A child-centered philosophy emphasizes student interests. But even Dewy concededthat a certain knowledge base is needed in any given subject area. Phrases such as "cooperativelearning," "multiple intelligences," and "whole learning experiences"abound in the literature. Goodlad, J. (Summer 1996). Critics of Dewey's pragmatic approach often claimthat it deemphasizes the teaching of traditional values. Students must develop past this stage and onward towardcritical thinking: "students must be encouraged in recognizing anddefining their own problems . 3). Article Number: A19471165. Teachers must be willing toreevaluate their theoretical approaches when the achievement of theirdesired goals appears unsuccessful. Dewey believed in equipping students with the knowledgeneeded to handle societal problems: "they must be addressed in theeducational sense if students are to be adequately prepared" (Ozmon andCraver, 1999, p. Dewey believed thatreflective thought was rational and deliberate: "Though a philosopher byprofession and an educator by avocation, Dewey was a scientist at heart . Thefocus is on present and future social, economic, and academic achievement.Test scores become the center of attention: "the range of teaching methodsfound in most kindergarten classrooms is commonly cut in half by fourthgrade, when stress on testing increases significantly" (Goodlad, 1998, p.671). Philosophical Foundations ofEducation, 6th edition. References Ediger, M. Learning theory and the preserviceteacher. Glascott, K. Thus it is incumbent on each educator todevelop his or her own personal philosophy of education. 381(5). . Guideddiscovery becomes not only a method of teaching children it is a method bywhich instructors develop teaching methods. When confronted with specializededucation the child tends to lose perspective: "[Dewey] argued againstfalse separations of mind and body or individual and society" (Ozmon andCraver, 1999, p. Schools for all seasons. This accusationis only partly true. Download pages: 1-5. (May 1998). 232). Education, vol 116, p. and Crews, N. For example, someeducators base their theories on different approaches to grouping studentsfor instruction, various forms of curricula, methods of evaluating studentprogress, or the objectives of instruction. A worthwhile direction, however, is to use as afoundation theories that have stood the test of time. Ozmon, H. Education, vol 117, p. These expectations emphasize the product instead theprocess, the exact opposite of a teaching philosophy based on guideddiscovery. Student interests are notmere whims or desires. The failure to come up with acorrect answer, or any answer, places the burden on the teacher to guidethe student into the second phase of reflective thought: the resolution ofdoubt. Thisphilosophy is sometimes described as the attitudinal approach to learning:"Advocates of attitudinal objectives . A tremendous body of educational theory exists, however, makingit difficult to choose a specific school of thought. The child's inherent interests andcuriosity should be the guide to the types of classroom experiences theinstructor produces. Dewey theorized that students have an interest inthe society in which they live, even though they sometimes do not recognizethis interest. Teachers can use instructionalmaterials and learning activities (audio visual aids, computers, etc.) asprops to determine student interests: "The lay person observing childreninteracting with materials may not discern the difference, but theprofessional can identify and describe the use and purpose of manipulation"(Glascott and Crews, 1998, p. Critics of Dewey also have assailed his philosophy on the groundsthat it fails to support instruction in the basics. Neither the teacher norany other entity can motivate learning. The duty of the teacher is to facilitate the students'recognition of interests and to help him or her realize how relevant theinterests are to their lives. The scientistapproaches his or her task with an open mind. Available: InfoTrac SearchBankExpanded Academic ASAP. Each educator must develop his or her own personal philosophy ofeducation. 3-4). 593(5). Teachers assess the child's interests essentially by listening andobserving in the classroom, engaging in a true dialogue of instruction.Teachers must first understand how children learn. Both theory and practice have their place in today's classroom.Theory helps instructors to develop achievable goals for teaching.Practice is the implementation of these goals. . Reflective thinking is a two-phaseprocess. 155). and Craver, S. A philosopher whose ideas complement Dewey's is Lev Vygotsky.Vygotsky believed that learning occurred from a combination of the child'sspontaneous concepts developed as part of everyday living and thestructured concepts learned in the classroom. John Dewey is associated with progressive education and pragmatism.Progressive educators believe that education should be broad and generalinstead of narrow and specialized. 67 (2). The concept of reflective thought was central to Dewey's philosophy.He believed that intelligence was developed by presenting the student withpurposeful problem-solving activities. Available: InfoTrac SearchBankExpanded Academic ASAP. . Applying Dewey's philosophy of reflective thought in the classroomprovides teachers with a new way of thinking about student learning. The first phase is characterized by the existence of doubt. A teaching philosophy:Rhetoric or reality? .. Thesecond phase is the resolution of the state of doubt. Dewey's philosophy of basing instruction on student interests hasoften been misinterpreted or taken to extremes. Childhood Education, vol 74, p. The whole learning experience that meets the intrapersonal andinterpersonal needs of the child is abandoned in favor of a narrow array ofschool expectations. Dewey's philosophy of education is more relevant today than it wasfifty years ago. Therefore, a validapproach to a philosophy of education would be to start with the works ofJohn Dewey. (Spring 1997).
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