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John Dewey’s philosophy on the purpose(s) of education and how his principles of philosophy

influence education and their alignment with the principles of an IB education

Student ID: S231554

University of the People

EDUC 5010: Education in Context: History, Philosophy, and Sociology

Stephen King

April 14, 2021

Abstract

This paper seeks to discuss the pragmatic views of philosopher John Dewey as it relates to the

purpose of education. It briefly highlights his influence on the American educational system and

shows how it also helped shape other Western schools of education. Giving a concise

explanation of Dewey’s theory, it goes on to examine some of the principles of his philosophy

and how they have in turn, influence education. Lastly it gives a brief analysis of how these

principles align with the principles of an IB education.

Key words: John Dewey, purpose of education, principle of philosophy, IB education

Dewey’s Purpose of Education

Viewed as one of the great influential contributors to educational reform in the twentieth

century, John Dewey’s philosophy of education helped shape the landscape of the American and

Western educational systems as they are known as today.

Dewey’s philosophy was built on the foundation of his belief ‘that a democratic society

of informed and engaged inquirers was the best means of promoting human interest’ (Talebi,

September 2015, p 2). Due to this belief, Dewey found fault with authoritarian and traditional

structures of the educational system and believed that his ‘reconstructed’ theory of progressive

education, which places the child at the centre of the educational system and giving contribution

to its own learning as the better model (Sikandar, December 2015, p191). To that end, Dewey

believes that the purpose of education ‘should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-

determined set skills, but rather the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to use those

skills for the greater good’ (Talebi, September 2015, p4). He notes however, that there should be

a balance in the way in which progressive education is implemented. Though the student is given

the opportunity to learn through doing, teachers should still be conscious of the way the concepts

taught are imposed on the student (Sikandar, December 2015, p193). He stresses that the

purpose of education, however is a revolving one, as students need to adjust to the ever changing

patterns of society.

Based on this school of thinking, educators are encouraged to create more hands-

on lessons that caters to the ‘whole child’ promoting ‘expeditionary and experiential learning’

with emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking and the development of their social skills. In

doing so teachers become the ‘guide on the side’ rather than the traditional ‘sage on the stage.’
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Principles of Dewey’s Philosophy and their influences on Education

One of the principles that guides Dewey’s philosophical thinking on education is centred

around the premise that students, once they are allowed to experience and interact with the

curriculum, thrive well in an environment where they are given that opportunity to take part in

their own learning (Talebi, September 2015, p4). Dewey saw this as one of the driving forces of

education, as it develops social efficiency since schools are seen as social institutions and should

therefore engage in activities that mirrors society (Shawal, para. 2). Dewey’s reconstruction of

social efficiency therefore, identifies the role of education as enabling the individual to develop

their interest and capacities through contact with others, where they can share in a give and take

situation. (Mintz, n.d)

The role of the teacher therefore, is to guide the child in specified learning activities that

will ‘cultivate within the child the attitudes and dispositions’ that Dewey deemed necessary for a

continuous and progressive life within a society (Shawal, para. 4)

Teachers can achieve this model of teaching by linking subject areas and materials to

activities that allow students to make connections to their own lives. This way, students can

create their own learning experiences while the teacher simply acts as the facilitator or guide.

Strategies such as individual and group projects, research and oral presentations, and the

application of the flipped classroom gives students the opportunity to give feedback based on

their prior knowledge and experiences, which assist in ‘deepening the connection with any new

knowledge (Taleb, September 2015, p5)

Dewey’s view of education as life as another principle of his philosophy, emerged from

his criticism of Rousseau’s ideology of natural development. Though he agreed that physical
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activity and engagement possess educationally value, he is of the view that it should not occur

separate from the environment and with others instead, there must be collaboration where the

student interacts with others, in a particular time and space making use of their natural faculties.

(Mintz, n.d). It is because of this view that he sees the role of the teacher to be paramount in the

process of learning. Rather than the child-centred progressive education where the student

engage in spontaneous development (Mintz, n.d), the teacher is responsible for planning

‘positive and constructive environment for the students as so to create positive educational

experiences for them (Sikandar, December 2015, p197) it must be noted that this task is not only

for the teacher but it is a joint effort for both the teacher and the student.

Throughout Dewey’s philosophy of education there is a great focus on the concept of

one’s experience and its importance to education. In this third principle Dewey sees a strong link

between ‘interaction and the continuity of experiences (Sikandar, December 2015, p193). He

maintains that through continuous interaction, the child develops experiences from society and is

therefore the role of the teacher to give value and direction to those experiences (Sikandar,

December 2015, p194). This can be achieved through games and group activities where students

are ‘motivated to get the given task done, resulting in allowing the children to exercise freedom

of thought, judgement and the ability to execute decisions’ (Sikandar, December 2015, p194).

In his quest to justify culture as an educational aim, Dewey reconstructed its purpose as it

relates to its role in a democratic education. In this fourth principle, he argued that students, who

use past experiences to satisfy present inquires, are those who have truly benefited from

experiences of the past. Such a student can contribute to the present, a task with is beneficial to

themselves and their community (Mintz, n.d)

Principles of Dewey’s Philosophy and the IB Learner

In examining Dewey’s Philosophy of education, it gives a clear vision of the

characteristics of the classroom that is influenced by the principles of his philosophy. The

principles of the progressive classroom can be compared to that of the IB Education classroom

where some similarities of key principles can be found, prompting the notion that the IB

Education classroom was influenced by Dewey’s philosophy of education.

According to the mission statement found on the IB Education website, its aims is to

‘develop inquiring, knowledge and caring young people who help to create a better and more

peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect’ (IBO, n.d). The IB Learner

profile lists some of the characteristics of the learner as inquirers who know how to learn

independently and with others; knowledgeable, those who explore knowledge across a range of

disciples; and thinkers who exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions (IBO, 2013).

These characteristics can be associated with Dewey’s principals as he believed in an

‘interdisciplinary curriculum, or one that focuses on connecting multiple subjects allowing

students to pursue their interests and construct their own paths for acquiring and applying

knowledge (Sikandar, December 2015, p197).

Both philosophies are centred on the progressive education where the student is

encouraged to explore their environment in order to gain experiences thus taking part in their

own learning.
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References

IBO. (2013). The IB learner profile. Retrieved from

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/fd82f70643ef4086b7d3f292cc214962/learner-profile-

en.pdf

IBO. (n.d). About the IB. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/

Mintz, A. I. (n.d.). What is the purpose of education? Dewey's challenge to his contemporaries.

[pdf] Retrieved March 01, 2018, from

https://www.academia.edu/23693775/What_is_the_Purpose_of_Education_Deweys_challe

nge_to_his_contemporaries

Shawal, Malik. (n.d) 4 Main Aims of Education as Advocated by John Dewey

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/4-main-aims-of-education-as-advocated-by-

john-dewey/69151

Sikandar, A. (2015). John Dewy and His Philsophy of Education. Retrieved from

https://journals.iobmresearch.com/index.php/JoEED/index

Talebi, Kandan. (2015, September) John Dewey- Philosopher and educational reformer.

European Journal of Educational Studies. [pdf] Retrieved February 28, 2018

fromhttps://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED564712.pdf