John Dewey As A Progressivist

John Dewey is well known to be the most influential educational philosopher who believed in progressivism. The progressivism is a philosophical approach that provides an enjoyable learning environment where they can freely explore and inquire new subjects. I agree with his philosophical approach because students have the most powerful educational experience from their own inquiries. The quote “Teachers a guide on the side rather than sage on the stage” (What are the philosophical foundations of American education pg.302) claims that obligation as a teacher is to assist students to reach their goal. I, as a progressivist, wish to help students to well prepare for their life but not only for their colleges or workplaces. I believe students should

To perform as a good citizen in a real society, you must be well educated with not only the core subjects but also the wisdom of life. Thus, transferring the knowledge you learned in school into real life is significantly important. If you do not have the ability to transfer your knowledge, education becomes pointless. Teachers should be able to work as facilitators to guide their students to come up with the solutions independently to their problems. (What are the philosophical foundations of American education pg.302) Consequently, in the process of approaching solution, students will naturally ask questions and earn knowledge. I agree with John Dewey that “schools should teach children not what to think but how to think”. (What are the philosophical foundations of American education pg.303). As mentioned above, it is a teacher’s obligation to be a good facilitator to guide their students to thoroughly think about the question and finally approach the answer by themselves. I should be able to provide them resources but not directly tell them the answer. I truly believe that things that you learn from your own experience are the most powerful that can be stored in your memory. “Rather than preparing for life, participating in life is the effective education”. ((What are the philosophical foundations of American education pg.303).

My high school’s mission statement was “living and learning in a student-centered, collaborative atmosphere of excellence, we come to expect the best of ourselves”. (Chadwick International schoolboard) The school’s curriculum was all student-centered that they wanted students to benefit from self-discovery and self-reflection. One of the most powerful learning experience I had in my high school was the outdoor education I went to 21days. The outdoor education was 100% student-centered that as a group we had to navigate to find destinations, make our own tents, cook for ourselves, and learn about nature. The students had to work as a group to overcome their obstacles and find their own solutions. It was totally different from the traditional classroom setting where we listen and write down notes. We actively participated in discussions providing many solutions as possible using our imagination and reflected to not repeat the mistakes we made during the journey. From this experience, I felt I was more prepared to become an important part of