In class we talked about how Dewey has written so much and influenced so many. Personally, his construction of ideas and use of words allowed me to better understand my thoughts about education and its role in society.
There were a few points in the Creed that Dewey talks about that really caused me to re-read and ponder the deeper meaning of what he wrote.
He writes, "I believe that the school is
primarily a social institution. Education being a social process, the school is
simply that form of
community life in which all those agencies are concentrated that will be most
effective in bringing the child to share in the inherited resources of
the race, and to use his own powers for social ends."
I could not have said it better. School is a social institution whether we like it or not. We spend 8 hours per day, 5 times a week for 9 months out of the year in school. We learn our social skill, or boundaries in school. We are exposed to a mini-society and we find ourselves and who and what we will become in the future.
Another of the point that Dewey writes: I
believe that they are not special studies which are to be introduced over and
above a lot of others in the way of relaxation or relief, or as additional
accomplishments. I believe rather that they represent, as types, fundamental
forms of social activity; and that it is possible and desirable that the
child's introduction into the more formal subjects of the curriculum be through the medium of these
activities.
Dewey believes that no subject is more important than other subjects. Today we push the STEM fields at the expense of other subjects. Yes we need more scientist and engineers. However, if budgets are cut in schools then we cut back on the arts and music programs. In addition, because of the NCLB Act in most states, teachers are pressured to have their students achieve proficiency on standardized tests that test the 4 Rs.
Over 100 years have passed and despite the road map to toward better education that Dewey lays out, we are still clinging to an ineffective and deficient educational model. Enough!
