John Dewey is considered as one of the most prominent philosophers in American history. Born in 1859 and raised in Vermont, Dewey obtained his tertiary education from the University of Vermont (Dewey, 1997). Thereafter, he pursued his doctoral degree at The University of Johns Hopkins. His professional life was majorly teaching at different universities, including the University of Chicago and Columbia (Dewey, 1997). Until the moment he died in 1952, Dewy had gained a global reputation for pragmatism, as an approach to philosophy, psychology, as well as liberal politics. Remarkably, Dewey’s philosophical theory on education left a great impact on academics and this can be appreciated through analysis of his works and also when he is compared with other educational theorists such as Montessori.
Experience is a key element that defines Dewey’s ideas and arguments. He knits experience and education together in a way that creates interdependence between them. Dewey posits, “experience does not go on simply inside a person. It does go on there, for it affects the formation of attitudes of desire and purpose” (p. 39). Also according to him, not every experience was authentic, because its realness relied on its effect on the subsequent incidents (Dewey, 1997). To illustrate, Dewey (1997) argues that “each authentic experience has an agile side which converts in some extent the objective circumstances under which experiences are had” (p. 39). Moreover, Dewey differentiates between savagery and civility by the degree at which previous experiences have changed the objective conditions under which new experiences occur. Therefore, from philosophical point of view, experience is a moving force in education as it ignites social transformation.
Most importantly, Dewey’s theories are based on education and democracy. In fact his writings on academics and self-autonomy convey the former as a means of social reform. Dewey viewed education as a ways of serving the democratic process through propagating social transformations and by political ends that would culminate to progression of a society. He stated that, “the new education emphasizes the freedom of the learner” (Dewey, 1997, p. 22). Without doubt, Dewey was supportive of the progressive education and all its elements. He criticized traditional education and expressed his reservations in an explicit manner. Dewey (1997) noted that, “the traditional scheme is, in essence, one of imposition from above and from outside. It imposes adult standards, subject-matter, and methods upon those who are only growing slowly toward maturity” (pp. 18-19). It means that the traditional education was repressive and perpetuated the slavery mentality on the children.
Dewey’s Influence on Educational Practice
John Dewey influenced educational practice during his lifetime and became famous for what came to be known as progressive education. In his educational theories, he proposed a learning model in which the learner acquired knowledge through active participation. As evident in his writing, Experience and Education, the philosopher believed that human beings learn through partaking in the activities that they are learning from (Dewey, 1997). It is this particular belief that made him be known as pragmatist, due to his ability to coin experience as an important tool in learning. More precisely, Dewey (1997) believed that the students had to interact with the environment to adjust and learn more efficiently. Strikingly, he held similar views concerning the teachers by opining that both the students and educators needed to learn together. The philosopher also modeled a classroom within the precincts of democratic space in which there was equal participation of the parties in the learning process (Dewey, 1997). Undoubtedly, Dewey’s struggle for democratic learning space led to development of progressive education.
The social learning theory proposed by Dewey has left indelible marks on the education sector in every part of the world. Although appearing different, some of his ideas are used in classrooms to promote student engagement through technological applications. Currently, technology drives the social lives of students and its effective use promotes student engagement, thereby providing a lasting passion for learning. Based on Dewey’s model, the teachers have a role to provide a new level of instruction that is pertinent and socially captivating to the students. Devices such as mobile phones, calculators and online platforms such as wikis and chat rooms, help the teachers to disperse information and academic content. By formulating instructions to meet the students’ social needs by application of correct technology, Dewey’s social learning theory is evident in the present classrooms.
Additionally, Dewey proposed that learning should be centred on the students’ interests and this evident in the current education setup. For instance the place-based education draws on Dewey’s progressive idea that education needs to be multifaceted in nature and that academic activities need to extend beyond the classroom (Dewey, 1997). As the prime objective of place-based education is to assist learners in building efficient relationships with each other, this is a manifestation of Dewey’s social learning postulation. Another objective of place-based education is to foster students’ relationships to their environment, and connecting learning to real world experiences (Dewey, 1997). This model relies on Dewey’s theory in which genuine experience changes objective conditions under which subsequent experiences are had. Clearly, Dewey’s philosophical works on influenced education to a greater extent.
Comparison between Dewey and Montessori’s Philosophical Works
In understanding the similarities or differences between Dewey and Montessori’s works on education, it is crucial to understand the probable driving factor of each philosopher. Dewey’s (1997) philosophical theories are based on enhancing social relationships and this is influenced by his social upbringing. Specifically, Dewey was born and raised in a family that was active in social life. This explains why his philosophical viewpoint of education portrays learning as a catalyst for social transformation. Comparably, Maria Montessori was a psychologist who was born and raised in a family that prized education. Without a doubt, her background in medical psychiatry explains why she based her educational model in developing intellectual ability of the learners. Therefore, it is clear that Montessori’s and Dewey’s perspectives on education were based on psychological and philosophical approach.
John Dewey’s and Maria Montessori’s scholarly works on early childhood education are similar on some aspects. In particular, their philosophies advocate for learning by doing, child-centered learning, and the belief that education needs to value the social interactions between the children and external environment. Firstly, the two philosophers advocated for an education model in which the learner was actively involved in the whole process. Dewey (1997) stood for pragmatism which places a great importance on reality that is based on experience. Similarly, Montessori (1984) emphasized on observation as one of her key principles to teaching. It means that the learner has to participate in the learning process. Secondly, both Montessori and Dewey believed in child-centred approach to learning. According to Dewey (1997), children should be permitted to explore their external environment as it makes their learning to be unconstrained. Likewise, in Montessori (1984) classroom, there is no prime focus of the class, which implies that the teacher does not become the center of attention for children. Undeniably, the similarities between Dewey’s and Montessori’s philosophies on early education are based on active participation in learning while placing the child at the center of learning.
However, Dewey’s philosophical theory differs from Montessori’s with regards to some features. In most of his philosophical works, Dewey was focused in strengthening social relationships (Dewey, 1997). On the other hand, Montessori (1984) believed that social relationships are enhanced when the intellectual capacity is well developed. For instance Dewey (1997) believed that it was significant for the development of a human being to be leveraged while he is still a child. If not, then other factors that influence human development might be stifled when such developments are maximized at later stages in life. Incomparably, Montessori (1984) placed greater importance to intellectual development and postulated that without working on the cognitive skills, social relationships remain undeveloped. Moreover, Dewey (1997) believed that children should be permitted to do what they want to do so as to enhance their learning while Montessori held a divergent opinion. Montessori Method of learning was restrictive and stifled creativity among the children as she believed that educational materials were designed for specific purposes of which they were to be used. As a matter of fact, the dissimilarities between Dewey’s and Montessori’s works classify them as pragmatist and objectivist respectively.
Critical Analysis of Dewey’s Philosophy
Dewey has made great contributions to philosophy as well as education to the extent that his works cannot be ignored by modern philosophers. He contributed to the progressive education with which American democracy thrived. Although opposed to authoritarian methods in education, he advocates lack of guidance and control for the learners (Dewey, 1997). Dewey castigated the traditional education that was geared towards amusing the learners while keeping them orientated to peer vocational training (Dewey, 1997). Analytically, this aspect of allowing total freedom for learners is totally misleading. Given the current trends in technological advancements, the freedom can be misused when the classroom freedom is not restricted. Additionally, unlimited democracy in the learning environment may lead to disorder, being that children have different upbringings. As such, Dewey’s theory on total freedom for learners is not tenable in the current information age.
An idea that makes education to be learner-centered is also attributed to Dewey’s philosophical works. He viewed classroom as a social unit for children to learn and participate in problem solving as a community (Dewey, 1997). This theory guarantees that the learners’ interests shall be considered when the teacher is preparing plan for instruction. Again, it is advantageous to the learners because it ensures that curricular activities are incorporated with an emphasis on project planning. As evident, this is strength of Dewey’s philosophical theory on education. Accordingly, the intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the learner are collectively catered for when his interests he is regarded as the focal point in Dewey’s theory of education.
Personally I find Dewey’s philosophy to be compelling, especially on matters of education. As an educationist, I believe that learner-centered model of education is the best stratagem. I support this academic design because education is supposed to bring out the best from the learners while enabling them to adapt to the dynamic world. This cannot be the case if all attention were to be shifted to the teacher. Therefore, despite its drawbacks, Dewey’s theory on education is beneficial to both the learners and community at large.
References
Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. Simon and Schuster Publishers.
Montessori, M. (1984). The absorbent mind. Laurel Publishers.