John Dewey's Pedagogic Creed is very interesting in that it gives a holistic approach with regards to education that starts at infancy and continues on all through a person's life. Additionally, education is not something that is limited to just content area but is something that happens in every aspect of a person's life having to do with their consciousness, habits, as well as feelings and emotions. When one is dealing with the education of an individual, it is important to take in both nurture and nature in that the environment as well as the person's consciousness is keen for actually furthering their education.
John Dewey does an excellent job in article 2 explaining what exactly the role of the school is. The school is more or less described as a platform that is multifaceted in the learning and development of students. Not only does it serve a sense of academic purpose but one that will help students both socially as well as in the form of community life. Dewey also seems to make a point that the school must prepare the students for the unforeseen future. Meaning that the education they receive must be one that prepares students for professions that don't even exist yet and creating visionaries to push further the bounds not necessarily thought to be reached by the previous generation. Finally, grading is very subjective within schools in that the standard that is being used to promote and further that child must actually be the same standard that is being referenced and not some other form of it.
Dewey has a lot to say about the social aspect of schooling and curriculum. One point that I felt was extremely important was that of advancing a child's social life and how it is completely intertwined with other variables of education. Sometimes this is overlooked and unfortunately can have rippling affects for students later on in life with their own personal development. While social development is crucial, Dewey talks about how this should be done in increments and failure to do so would be a cognitive overload, hindering a students further abilities.
After reading article four having to with the nature of method, I believe that there is a possible role that educational technology can play in addressing some of the social issues involved in preparing students for the future. One key aspect is getting students to understand and truly utilize certain tools that can further their education online. Far too often do students use the internet for both recreational and social use. This is not necessarily a bad thing but if teachers can additionally get students to use certain platforms such as websites like khanacademy.com and linda.com, websites that has ample amount of information pertaining to what is going on in the world but at the same time preparing for careers that don't even exist yet, then we are helping students get an edge for the world that they are entering into.
Mr. K! You killed it on this post. You summarized and analyzed practically the entire creed, and were very succinct in doing so. I especially like your tie-in to technology, which is one area that I struggled with when doing the readings for this week. I would challenge you to think about obstacles to adopting a Dewey-an philosophy as a teacher, and consider how he might respond to some of the related things we have learned about SEL. More importantly, how does this align with your own views? Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteYour post summarized some of the main points in Dewey's writing very well, and I actually noticed that a lot of what you covered were the ideas that struck me the most. I wonder why these were the sections you chose to focus on? Do you agree with his view of education and are there any parts that you disagree with or perhaps don't understand?
ReplyDeleteI also like how you pointed out the way Dewey suggests that educators ought to work to help form students who are innovative and creative, preparing students for "the unseen future...and professions that do not even exist yet." That is a profound and important idea that you brought up, which directly answers the question: What is the purpose of education? And I think it may be a more fitting answer than we have come up with in class (EDUC 649). Or at least it adds a new dimension to the answers we explored. I think I see you incorporating ideas from EDUC 606 as well, which is really interesting, in terms of social development! Good observations and very insightful post!
Everything you said regarding Dewey and the social aspects of school in the third paragraph had me shaking my head in agreement! In particular the interconnectedness of schooling and social life. First off, this goes hand in hand with the social and emotional learning that we have learned about in 606 and 649. Secondly, you bring up an excellent point when you say, "Sometimes this is overlooked and unfortunately can have rippling affects for students later on in life with their own personal development." This best example that I can think of that demonstrates this is the idea of students being so advanced that they skip grades. In my personal experience, students that have skipped a grade struggle socially to fit in. Several students that I have worked with in the past were on the proverbial "radar" of the teachers and administration because of they were struggling to fit in with their peers. Some students struggle to fit in in that they have a hard time connecting, while others try so hard to fit in that they go overboard and get themselves in trouble. I agree with Dewey that the social component is equally important as the academic component, and that teachers need to emphasize it as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the struggle that we face, especially in light of teacher evaluations and the smarter balance assessment, is how can a teacher be attentive to so many different aspects of education? What balance do we need to have to make everything work for education?