John Dewey - an Educator and a Philosopher

Experience, aesthetics, philosophy, education, pragmatism and democracy are the key words that come to mind when thinking of John Dewey. He was an educator and a philosopher throughout his career. The reformation of the educational process was led by John Dewey. He was drawn to pragmatism and later created his own branch of pragmatism. Dewey observed and studied the educational system for years. He believed that democracy and education were closely linked.

Dewey was opposed to idealism's regards to theory and to realism's integration of theory and practice in education. He took the pragmatic approach which heavily emphasized the hands-on experience and the group experience coupled with the sociality. He later created his own branch of pragmatism, which he called instrumentalism. According to Dewey's philosophy, "moral ideas and "ends" function as a means and hypotheses in guiding the deliberative process directed to controlling experience and attaining future goods". Instrumentalism was the preferred term by Dewey because he believed that ideas were a persons' instrument.

Teaching theory, and theory alone, as idealism's believed was far from what Dewey found as an acceptable teaching method. He felt that students can't learn from lecture of historical theory. Hands-on experience is the best method for learning according to Dewey. He believed that this approach was what prepared students for today and for the future. There were many lessons to be learned in group based learning.

Suppose a group assignment was given to an elementary class to organize class snack time for one week. The students are randomly divided into groups of five. Their task is to plan and schedule the daily class snack for an entire week. They are provided with a total spending limit, snack and beverage options, cafeteria contacts for questions and arrangements. Each group must select snacks and beverages for the week (within their spending limit), arrange the snack selection, schedule with the cafeteria, create a snack calendar for the class for their assigned week and provide to the teacher the total amount spent on snacks. This group assignment includes several lessons required in standard curriculum. The students are learning about money (increments and value), arithmetic, budgeting, and creativity, along with social skills, group interaction, communication, delegation, time management and accountability.

The children are learning the skills as previously noted, but they are also learning the process of thinking; generating and sharing ideas and working through their ideas step-by-step. They are provided with a challenge and specific end points and they need to figure out how to get there. This style of learning will prepare students for their future. Most higher education institutions as well as work places require social interaction and team work. This was how John Dewey reformed the educational system.

The group social interaction, working together for a common goal and equal contributions from the team of students is the reason that John Dewey linked democracy and education. He saw education as a place for social equality where the students were responsible for managing the outcome of their group work.

After John Dewey's retirement, he continued his philosophical writing. He further elaborated his theories on experience and aesthetics. John Dewey left a large mark on the world with his philosophies and education reform. He was highly respected for his work.

Dewey's philosophy of experience also carried through to his beliefs of aesthetics and art appreciation. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that studies the qualities that make something an object of aesthetic interest and the nature of aesthetic value and judgment. He did not agree with art theory, such as abstract theory, he thought that it constricted the connection between experience, art and esthetics. Abstract theories of art suggest that there are no references to a sensible experience. This is quite the opposite of what Dewey believed and explained in his book, Art As Experience.

Dewey believed that we all had experiences, but that not all experiences were considered having an experience. Experiences could consist of shopping at the mall, filling your gas tank, driving to your grandparents; any activity could be considered an experience. Daily, routine activities, such as brushing your hair, getting dressed, making your bed, are also experiences, but almost in a mechanical sense; there is not much thought needed to perform these activities. However, to have an experience would be an experience that holds value, cognitively and emotionally; there is a sense of excitement. A man shopping at the mall finds the perfect engagement ring for his girlfriend, a ring like he has never seen before, the perfect shape, size and clarity. He purchases the ring with the intention to propose and spend the rest of his life with his girlfriend. This would be an experience. The idea that you want to make your girlfriend, your wife and the thought process of which to make it a memorable, emotional and a detailed experience