Democracy and Education & Other Writings (A Collected Edition)

Book excerpt: Dewey's educational theories were presented in My Pedagogic Creed, The School and Society, The Child and the Curriculum, Democracy and Education and Experience and Education. Throughout these writings, several recurrent themes ring true; Dewey continually argues that education and learning are social and interactive processes, and thus the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take place. In addition, he believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning. My pedagogic creed (1897) Dewey makes a strong case for the importance of education not only as a place to gain content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live. In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one's full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good. "The School and Society" (1899) This eBook version of School and Society is based on a combination of the the 1907 reprint and the 1915 revised edition. In the second, Dewey dropped the fourth chapter from the original version and added five additional essays that had been published elsewhere. As a result this combined edition has two Chapter 4s. The Child and the Curriculum (1902) This work looks at the process of education from both perspectives – child and curriculum. Dewey leads the reader to view the curriculum, what the child must learn, from the child's present state of mind.