I Owe John Dewey an Apology

It’s amazing how reading a philosopher can differ fro hearing about a philosopher. I appear to have had a wrong understanding about John Dewey for quite a while. I thought he stood for the destruction of all I hold dear in education and the promotion of all I hold silly. But earlier this month, I read his Experience and Education and came away with a very different view of him.

I’ve had teachers tell me that the days of teachers claiming authority and imparting information is over, that students must teach themselves, that social control is constricting, and that true learning is about doing and not about thinking. And I’ve heard these people praising John Dewey. “What are you talking about?” I’d say. “Well, have you read any John Dewey?” they’d respond. Now notice that, even if they were right about what John Dewey said, by claiming that reading John Dewey would set me straight, they’re admitting that John Dewey proved himself an authority, had information to impart, and expected me to think his way, thus undermining everything they said he stood for.

But they weren’t right about Dewey. Or, at least, they weren’t right about the way he represents his philosophy of education in this book. Dewey says that teachers do have a position of authority founded on their greater knowledge and experience, but he says they must exercise it in a way more conducive to learning than simply by expecting every student to sit still for long periods every day listening to said teacher’s monologues. He says that social control is necessary and that done right, as with the social control effected by the rules of a game, social rules can bring about freedom. He says that students must be active participants in their education but never says anything that could be taken to mean that they will learn all information and skills by themselves if only given the chance; he says instead that the teacher, with greater knowledge nd understanding of goals, must be the leader of a group activity. And, far from saying that learning is about doing and not thinking, he makes it very clear that one of the most important lessons for young people is to learn to think before acting.

The book had some problems, and I certainly didn’t agree with everything. But for now I’ll just say that I owe Dewey an apology: for years I’ve mentally accused him of saying things that he didn’t say. Again, at least not in this book. I’ve only read the one, so I’m not an authority!