University of People
EDUC-5010-Education in Context
Instructor: Pierre Christian
Written Assignment-Unit 1
Due Date: Wednesday, 17th November 2021
Explain what Dewey considered to be the purpose(s) of education
Nation's milestones and success depend on the country's society and economy, which is
developed by education. Education shapes the personality of the youngsters of any nation as it
provides skills and knowledge to the individual, making him a source of economy and better
(Idris et al., 2012)
society of the future. . Education plays an essential role in the life of an
individual, one that Dewey considered being life itself. He believes that if education has any aim,
it should be to build qualities and develop an individual's capabilities that make his current life
successful and prepare him to put his future on the right track. (Sikandar. A, 2016).
Dewey's aims of education depict that education is one of the significant ingredients for social
and moral development. His primary focus in the field of education was young children. He
consistently opposed traditional teaching as in it the teachers enforce knowledge on the students
because the adults want their young ones to learn. He instead favored a progressive educational
approach. He explained that if the teachers indulge the students in learning experiences that
developmentally suit their age by engaging them socially, only then effective education takes
(Mintz, 2017)
place.
1: Education as experience and life
Dewey believed that every new experience is part of education. He believes that life is
changeable, and its education should also be changeable. Meaning every new experience
replaces an existing old experience, and we as humans change ourselves via the experiences to
meet the ends. This struggle one does for gaining experience and learning from it is education.
The continuous reconstructing process of experience gives it a social value together with
enhanced efficiency. He further explains that reconstruction and revitalizing of these experiences
for a child is performed via agencies like schools. A child is an individual that keeps on growing,
and he reorganizes his heritage of culture to fit his needs for the new and changing world.
(Morgan, 2017).
Dewey believes that education is life itself; hence the students should do activities that naturally
fulfill their present needs and interests. He emphasizes the teachers to let the child live in a
school as he will live in a society in which he needs to participate and organize himself. The
child must live in a democratic society. Therefore, the school should provide-in form of
education-the resources that will make an individual involve himself, face the problems and
come up with a solution naturally.
2: Education as Social Efficiency
Dewey considered schools to be social institutions where students are prepared for the outer
world via different activities. With social activities and interaction of an individual with other
fellow human beings, the individual develops socially. This is education in the eyes of Dewey.
Dewey explains that the child's inherent nature and the demand and needs of society have a wide
gap that is filled by education. The teachers should know the innate nature of the student and the
current social demands so that they can guide and plan the child's activities via socially sought-
after channels. (Mintz, n.d.).
3: Education as theory and practice
Dewey believes that education should always serve the purpose of balancing practical and
theoretical activities. His stress was more on the thinking process and doing process. Meaning
schools should provide activities that have a practical and theoretical side, and they should go
hand in hand. ([Link]. & Alexander, [Link], 1998). The abstract ideas need to have strong
applications, and applications should have theoretical backgrounds. He emphasized having
different activities other than the content knowledge-based activities. Activities like cookery and
woodwork are part of life that can easily be learned in school, which he calls part of education.
When they both are balanced, students can have a new orientation to their personality by
showing interest in the various occupation, which he considered to be the true meaning of
education.
Analyze at least three principles of Dewey's philosophy and their influence on education
Dewey was the philosopher who analyzed both traditional education and progressive education
to be insufficient. He said that neither of the practices provided a balance as one was too
spontaneous whereas the other was too strict. Keeping this in mind, he proposed a new
philosophy that emphasis on experience being part of education. The two principles that come
out of experiences in education are interaction and continuity. (Dewey.J, 1986). One refers to the
influence of past and present experiences on the future; however, the other is the influence of the
current situation on their experiences. The experiences, whether they are from the past or
present, influence and make an individual learn to interact and change himself for the future.
Dewey claims that one's experience of the present and past will allow him to learn from them
and decide whether those experiences have any value or not in the future. Thus, this will help a
person to have continuity of experience, allowing him to make changes according to the needs of
society and personal desires.
Dewey's other philosophy of education was intelligence. He came up with a triad of human
nature that included intelligence. (Kanne, 1988). Dewey believed that human behavior is shaped
primarily via intelligence. Therefore, education should create a space for the student where they
can learn and develop together with recognizing the need or demands of society. This behavior
allows the student to have a desire to keep on learning.
Dewey also gave a philosophy in education about adaptability. He said that humans should adapt
to the ever-changing atmosphere or environment around them. This is adaptability which causes
the person to enhance their ability to inquire (L. Hickman, 2007). The inquiring individuals look
deeply into the actions and measures of those actions to improve and maintain their conditions
and the conditions of their surroundings. This is learning that allows the child to be reflective of
his actions, explore, and be informed decision-makers.
Assess how these principles align with the principles of an IB education
The mission of International Baccalaureate states its aim is to produce inquiring, knowledgeable,
and caring youth that aid in developing a peaceful world via intercultural respect and
understanding (IBO, n.d.). It shows that IB education's principles are to create knowledgeable
young ones that match Dewey's interaction principle. With experiential learning that Dewey
emphasized upon, one can attain the intelligence or the urge to keep on learning, making
themselves knowledgeable practically and theoretically by interacting with the surrounding and
other fellow beings.
IB focuses on enhancing students` curiosity that develops the skills such as inquiry and research
(The IB learner profile, 2013). This relates to the terms continuity, and adaptability of Dewey's
philosophy. He stressed on one being adaptable to the changing environments, and to be one; a
child needs to be curious to learn about his surroundings so that he can easily take actions and
maintain balance.
Dewey’s also believed in social efficiency that makes an individual a responsible, caring being
towards its society. This social philosophy relates to the IB learner profile that asks the learner to
be socially caring, making the world a peaceful place to live in.
References:
1. Fazilah.I (2012). The role of education in shaping youth’s national identity. Retrieved
from [Link]
2. Hickman, Larry A. & Alexander, Thomas M. (eds.) (1998). The Essential Dewey,
Volume 1: Pragmatism, Education, Democracy. Indiana University Press.
3. Hickman, L. (2007). BEYOND THE EPISTEMOLOGY INDUSTRY: Dewey’s Theory
of Inquiry. In Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism: Lessons from John Dewey
4. IBO. (n.d). About the IB. Retrieved from [Link]
5. The IB learner profile. (2013). International Baccalaureate.
[Link]
[Link]
6. John Dewey (1986) Experience and Education, The Educational Forum.
7. Kanne, M. (1988). John Dewey’s Conception of Moral Good. Journal of Economic
Issues, 22(4), 1213-1223. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from [Link]/stable/4226079
8. Mintz A.I. (2017) Dewey on Educational Aims. In: Peters M.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of
Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer, Singapore. [Link]
981-287-588-4_50
9. Mintz, A. I. (n.d.). What is the purpose of education? Dewey's challenge to his
contemporaries.
10. Morgan K. Williams. (2017). John Dewey in the 21st Century
11. Sikandar. A. (2016). John Dewey and His Philosophy of Education. Journal of Education
and Educational Development.
