Democracy and Education
Also known as Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education
John Dewey's 1916 philosophy of education, his central work on progressive schooling.
At a glance
Key ideas
Why education is necessary, A widening gap, Against passive schooling …
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- Dewey argues that a group must educate its young because its members are born and die.
- Newborns know nothing of the group's knowledge and customs, and the gap grows as civilization advances.
- Deliberate education, and education alone, spans that gap.
- He criticizes schools that drill facts and discipline bodies, producing passive pupils rather than reflective citizens.
Why it matters
- It is the book most associated with progressive education; its ideas returned to school-reform circles after the Cold War as inquiry-based learning.
Key facts
- Author
- John Dewey1
- Published
- 19161
- Reception
- Its ideas were never broadly integrated into American public schools, though some of its values and terms became widespread1
Key ideas
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Why education is necessary1
The young must be initiated into the group's interests, skills and practices, or the group's way of life ends.
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A widening gap1
As civilization grows, growing up and learning to subsist are no longer enough; deliberate effort is required.
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Against passive schooling2
Schools that insist on mastering facts prepare students for docile compliance rather than ethical participation.
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Learning from objects2
If knowledge comes from impressions of natural objects, it cannot be had without using objects: the basis of hands-on learning.
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