American philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. A founder of pragmatism and functional psychology, Dewey held that schools should cultivate reflective, experience-based inquiry in the service of a democratic society, and his laboratory school and writings shaped progressive education worldwide.
Facts
Nationality / Culture Defining ContributionCo-founded philosophical pragmatism and led the progressive education movement, arguing that learning proceeds through experience and reflective inquiry rather than rote transmission. 1 Notable WorkDemocracy and Education (1916) 1 Connections
Associated With
Dewey's account of learning by experience is one of the direct foundations Kolb built his experiential learning model on, alongside Kurt Lewin and Jean Piaget.
Source Wikipedia
Source Learning cycle (Wikipedia)
Dewey taught at Teachers College from 1904 to his 1930 retirement; the institution was not his founding but his long academic home.
Source Wikipedia
Dewey chaired the Department of Philosophy, Psychology and Pedagogy at Chicago and founded its Laboratory School.
Source Wikipedia
John Dewey held his first faculty position at the University of Michigan, 1884-1888 and 1889-1894, before Chicago and Columbia.
Source University of Michigan (Wikipedia)
Long-Form Articles
Policies Informed
Source Wikipedia: Constructivist teaching methods
David A. Kolb, Thinkers Kolb names Dewey, Lewin and Piaget as the roots of experiential learning theory.
Source George Counts (Wikipedia)
Bruner's discovery learning draws on Dewey
Kolb's theory drew on the earlier work of Kurt Lewin, John Dewey and Jean Piaget, per its own entity-description on this atlas; John Dewey is the one of the three already live in this atlas.
The Reggio Emilia approach Malaguzzi founded acknowledges Piaget, Vygotsky and Dewey among its influences.
Noddings' care ethics in education draws on Dewey
Kilpatrick was Dewey's colleague and follower at Teachers College and developed the project method from Dewey's progressive philosophy.
Theories and Approaches Developed
Modern term coined by Dewey; the practice of critical thinking itself is far older (Socratic questioning), a nuance this edge does not claim to resolve.
Source Critical Thinking (Wikipedia)
Source Progressive Education (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Progressive education
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Metaphysics Research LabDewey entry, opening paragraph
Dewey's educational theories and experiments had global reach, his psychological theories influenced that growing science, and his writings about democratic theory and practice helped shape academic and practical debates for decades.
- In Category: Thinkers
View the Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Dewey entry
opening paragraphQuote, opening paragraph
Dewey's educational theories and experiments had global reach, his psychological theories influenced that growing science, and his writings about democratic theory and practice helped shape academic and practical debates for decades.
Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyTheories and Approaches Developed: Learning by Doing, John Dewey on Education page, attributionQuote, Theories and Approaches Developed: Learning by Doing, John Dewey on Education page, attribution
Known as the father of progressive education, he argued that genuine learning is a continuous reconstruction of experience guided by reflective thinking.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Teachers College, Columbia University, Teachers College, Columbia University, Notable faculty
John Dewey...was a professor at Teachers College from 1904 until his retirement in 1930.
- Theories and Approaches Developed: Project-Based Learning, Project-based learning page, history section
- Theories and Approaches Developed: Inquiry-Based Learning, Inquiry-based learning page, Dewey section
Associated With: William Heard Kilpatrick, William Heard Kilpatrick page, Dewey section
Dewey was Kilpatrick's most important professor and mentor while Kilpatrick was a student at Teachers College.
- Associated With: Experiential Learning, Experiential learning, Kolb's experiential learning model section
Associated With: University of Chicago, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey, career section
In 1894, Dewey joined the newly founded University of Chicago
View the Source Wikipedia: Progressive education
Wikimedia FoundationTheories and Approaches Developed: Progressivism (education), John Dewey sectionQuote, Theories and Approaches Developed: Progressivism (education), John Dewey section
Education according to John Dewey is the 'participation of the individual in the social consciousness of the race' (Dewey, 1897, para. 1).
University of Michigan (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: University of Michigan, Biography section, John Dewey articleQuote, Associated With: University of Michigan, Biography section, John Dewey article
In the same year, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Michigan (1884-88 and 1889-94) with the help of George Sylvester Morris.
Wikipedia: Constructivist teaching methods
Wikimedia FoundationPolicies Informed: Constructivist Teaching Methods, History section, Dewey's contributionQuote, Policies Informed: Constructivist Teaching Methods, History section, Dewey's contribution
There are those who also cite the contribution of John Dewey such as his works on action research, which allows the construction of complex understanding of teaching and learning.
Critical Thinking (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTheories and Approaches Developed: Critical Thinking, History section (cites Dewey, 1910)Quote, Theories and Approaches Developed: Critical Thinking, History section (cites Dewey, 1910)
In modern times, the phrase critical thinking was coined by Pragmatist philosopher John Dewey in his book How We Think.
Progressive Education (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTheories and Approaches Developed: Progressive Education, History section (Dewey's 1896 laboratory school)Quote, Theories and Approaches Developed: Progressive Education, History section (Dewey's 1896 laboratory school)
In 1896, John Dewey opened what he called the laboratory school to test his theories.
Learning cycle (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Learning Cycle, John Dewey sectionQuote, Associated With: Learning Cycle, John Dewey section
In 1933 (based on work first published in 1910), John Dewey described five phases or aspects of reflective thought
Wikipedia
Associated With: Bank Street Approach, Bank Street College of Education pageQuote, Associated With: Bank Street Approach, Bank Street College of Education page
was influenced by the thinking of Edward Thorndike and John Dewey, both of whom Mitchell had studied with at Columbia University
George Counts (Wikipedia)
Policies Informed: George Counts, Lead, second paragraphQuote, Policies Informed: George Counts, Lead, second paragraph
An early supporter of John Dewey's progressive education movement, Counts became the leading proponent of social reconstructionism in education.
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