John Dewey

John Dewey was born on October 20, 1859 in Vermont and died on June 1, 1952. He was an American philosopher and an education reformer. Dewey came up with the philosophy of pragmatism. Pragmatism is a “philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory.” It describes the process of how theory is distracted from practice, which then goes back to form what he called, “intelligent practice.” Dewey was also known for being one of the founders for functional psychology. He was a major representative for two philosophies of schooling during the first half of the 20th century in the US. Functional psychology, also known as functionalism refers to, “a general psychological philosophy that considers mental life and behavior in terms of active adaption to the person’s environment.” Dewey believed that education and learning are social and interactive processes. Therefore he thought that school should be based more on the social aspect, and follow with the success of students. He also felt successful education comes with the proper classroom environment. He said students should be able to successfully interact with students and the curriculum, and every student has the opportunity to take part in their way of learning. I chose Dewey's philosophy because I agree that in order for students to be successful, they must be comfortable with their classroom environment. If a student does not feel like they can speak up and discuss the work, then they will not be successful. A child is only capable of learning as much as they choose to learn. We cannot force our students to sit down and read a book, as well as remember it if they do not want to. Like Neill said in the Idea of Summerhill, "My view is that a child is innately wise and realistic... he will develop as far as he is capable of developing." Like Dewey, I feel children will learn best if they are comfortable in their environment and can successfully interact with others about their views towards their education.