John Dewey

John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of modern educational theory. He is best known for his advocacy of progressive education and experiential learning, emphasizing the importance of practical, hands-on learning experiences in "Democracy and Education" (1916). Dewey's philosophical work, grounded in pragmatism, also significantly influenced social reform and political philosophy. In "Experience and Nature" (1925), he explored the connections between human experience and the natural world, advocating for a more scientific and democratic approach to problem-solving in society.

Author's Books:


The Child and the Curriculum Profound differences in theory are never gratuitous or invented. They grow out of conflicting elements in a genuine problem—a problem which is genuine just because the elements, taken as they stand, are conflicting. Any significant problem involves conditions that for the moment contradict each other. Solution comes only by getting away from the meaning of terms that is... more...

Education as a public business It is one of the complaints of the schoolmaster that the public does not defer to his professional opinion as completely as it does to that of practitioners in other professions. At first sight it might seem as though this indicated a defect either in the public or in the profession; and yet a wider view of the situation would suggest that such a conclusion is not a... more...

Chapter One: Education as a Necessity of Life 1. Renewal of Life by Transmission. The most notable distinction between living and inanimate things is that the former maintain themselves by renewal. A stone when struck resists. If its resistance is greater than the force of the blow struck, it remains outwardly unchanged. Otherwise, it is shattered into smaller bits. Never does the stone attempt to... more...

On Two Sides of the Eastern Seas It is three days’ easy journey from Japan to China. It is doubtful whether anywhere in the world another journey of the same length brings with it such a complete change of political temper and belief. Certainly it is greater than the alteration perceived in journeying directly from San Francisco to Shanghai. The difference is not one in customs and modes of life;... more...