John Dewey Essay, Research Paper

In every human cultural society, there is always someone who has the guts to stand up and make a difference in the world. These people are often criticized for there work, but often prevail though it. Just as Christopher Columbus had done in the 1400?s, He proclaimed that the world is round, not flat, and was looked at like a nut. But in his voyage around the world, he proved everyone wrong. John Dewey in some aspects was just like Christopher Columbus in the fact that he wanted to change societies? thoughts about education. In terms of America?s progressive movements, John Dewey was first praised and them tattered for his ideas and thoughts.

John Dewey was a highly educated person, who used the channels of education?s to form his views about the education system as it was. For Dewey, the education system left him open for changes and integration of new teaching methods. Not necessarily teaching methods, but new programs for students. Dewey felt that the system that was in place was too organized, and the intricate parts of socialization were going to be lost.

For Dewey, the school itself was a social institution, a part of society, and needed to be consciously organized as such. In Dewey?s formation, learning was a natural byproduct of concrete social activity. So by organizing schools like other social institutions, Dewey believed learning would lose the abstract quality that permeated so much of the academic study that went on in schools.? 222 Wyne Urban

Schools are designed not only to teach a certain curriculum, but also to teach socialization of the children, along with further development of the mind. Dewey felt that there were a few improvements, which could help this process. Along with help from his long time friend Parker, Dewey?s primary goal of education was that of exploration. He did not want to follow the standard educational system. However, he was very smart in the fact that he did not attempt a total reform of the educational system to occur. He wanted to integrate his ideas with the old system, which in my opinion is the best way to improve on anything.

?First Dewey did not assume that a child-oriented curriculum meant abandoning traditional subject matter. Rather, he saw his program as an occasion for reorganizing traditional subjects to fit the needs of both children and society.?

School, as an organization, such have to main goal for primary students. One is to teach them basic knowledge of the world and the basic fundamentals of the world. Second, which is highly ignored in today?s curriculum, is the advancement of the brain in such a way that children can learn for themselves what is going on around them. Students of higher education are given this opportunity all the time, but students of primary schools are simply taught what is what. This creates an undesirable effect on children. Children who are encouraged to learn on their own will be better suited to their environment. This will encourage abstract thinking and can someday lead to a better world.