John Dewey Philosophy Of Education

Philosophy of Education

(a) Identify one idea that you associate with Dewey’s philosophy of education, which you feel can be illustrated by drawing on your own experience of teaching and learning, e.g., the idea of the school as a community, the idea that young children have the trait of plasticity, etc. Explain Dewey’s idea as clearly as you can, using quotes and references to commentators as appropriate. Then give a concrete example of that idea in practice (it should be something that you have observed in a school or college setting);

The idea that young children have the trait of plasticity is an idea of Dewey’s that I feel can be illustrated by drawing on my own personal experience of teaching and learning. When talking about plasticity

If Dewey’s concept of democracy is to be used effectively in schools, children should have a say in their own education . “Lack of the free and equitable intercourse which springs from a variety of shared interests makes intellectual stimulation unbalanced. Diversity of stimulation means novelty, and novelty means challenge to thought”(Dewey,1916) . From my own experience of school placement, I have witnessed a superficial attempt to enforce democracy in school setting. In the aforementioned school, children from second class upwards were members of a student council, which acted as a form of miniature government. Two council members were elected from each class by secret ballot at the start of the academic year. The student council would meet once every two weeks to discuss ideas and suggestions in relation to homework, the yard, the school uniform, after-school clubs etc. The principal would facilitate these meetings and note ideas that the students had. However, the final say rarely lay with students which I felt undermined their positions on the student council. Though the students did have some input into how certain aspects of school life was carried, they had little or no input in their own education. I believe that if Dewey’s concept of democracy is to be input into schools effectively, children should be enabled to dictate

Use quotes and references to the text as appropriate. Alternatively, you can draw on the writings of any commentator to construct a few lines of criticism of Dewey’s philosophy of education.

Nel Noddings, a care theorist who takes a contemporary approach to the philosophy of education, helped me to further my understanding of Dewey’s ideas. Nel Noddings can be described as a ‘disciple’ of Dewey’s, however it is true to say that she does have certain reservations about certain aspects of his work. One area in which Noddings felt that Dewey fell down, was the lack of attention he paid to the relationship between the educators and the learners. As a care theorist, Noddings believes that the teacher plays a vital role in helping children to form