Dewey's theory is the representative of modern education theory, which is different from the old three-center theory of traditional education, such as classroom center, teaching material center and teacher center. He put forward the new three-center theory of children center (student center), activity center and experience center.
(A) Education is "life", "growth" and "experience transformation"
Education can transmit the accumulated experience of human beings, enrich the content of human experience, and enhance the ability of experience to guide life and adapt to society, thus maintaining and developing social life. Broadly speaking, it is the education that individuals contact and interact with others in social life, gradually expand and improve their own experience, develop moral quality and acquire knowledge and skills. Because transforming experience must be closely combined with life and transforming experience can promote personal growth, Dewey summed up "education is life", "education is growth" and "education is experience transformation".
(B) Aimless education theory
In Dewey's mind, in an undemocratic and unequal society, education is only the purpose imposed on the educated by external forces. A democratic society is different. We should pursue the theory of aimlessness. In fact, in the era of class struggle and proletarian revolution, Dewey emphasized the effectiveness of education in improving society, and the class nature of Dewey's teleology of education was obvious.
"School is society"
Dewey believes that people's participation in the real life of society is a proper way to grow physically and mentally and transform their experience. Therefore, teachers should turn the classroom of imparting knowledge into a paradise for children's activities, guide children to actively participate in activities, unconsciously develop moral character and acquire knowledge in activities, and realize the transformation of life, growth and experience.
(D) Teaching theory
Based on the theory that education is the transformation of life, growth and experience, Dewey attaches importance to teaching materials and teaching methods. Make a statement different from the traditional concept.
1, in the choice of teaching materials, Dewey proposed that "the real center of the relationship between school disciplines is not science ... but children's own social activities." Specifically, the school arranges all kinds of homework and introduces basic human things into the school as teaching materials.
2. In teaching methods, Dewey advocated "learning by doing". He believes that the knowledge that children gain by attending classes and reading books instead of activities is illusory.
(E) the theory of moral education
Dewey said: "Morality is the highest and ultimate goal of education." "Moral process and educational process are unified." Dewey believes that moral education plays an important role in education. Dewey strongly emphasized that morality is the force to promote social progress. In practice, Dewey first advocates "cultivating children's moral quality through activities", and then requires combining intellectual education to achieve the purpose of moral education. Moreover, he attaches great importance to the moral education function of educational methods.
Extended data:
Dewey's educational thought of encouraging inquiry and innovation is based on his profound understanding of social change, scientific development and educational conflict.
Dewey's thought is also inseparable from his criticism of the phenomenon of "separation of knowledge and action" in traditional education. In Dewey's view, because the "bystander theory" of knowledge separates the cognitive subject from the cognitive object, and emphasizes that cognition is something presented to the cognitive object, it gradually forms some disadvantages in education, such as taking knowledge as the center, passively accepting learning, and separating knowledge from practice.
In this way, in school education, subjects become things in books, which are far from children's experience and can't affect behavior.
Dewey believes that human knowledge and behavior should be integrated. If a person's knowledge can't influence his behavior and his behavior can't come from his knowledge, it will only form a habit of ignoring knowledge.
Based on the idea of "integration of knowledge and practice", Dewey emphasized that schools should transfer simple knowledge-centered education to children's activities, and gradually develop children's abilities with what they have learned according to their development procedures until they can educate themselves.
Dewey criticized the phenomenon of "separation of knowledge and practice", expounded the idea of "integration of knowledge and practice", and put forward the problems of integration of knowledge and practice and individual's active acquisition of knowledge, which provided guiding ideology for correctly understanding the relationship between knowledge imparting and children's activities and encouraging children to actively explore and acquire knowledge and experience through inquiry activities.
Dewey is a thinker who attaches importance to the interests and education of the blue-collar class. But he did not encourage the blue-collar class to overthrow the old world. His concern for the blue-collar class is reflected in his educational philosophy and in the book Populism and Education.
He believes that the two conditions of populist politics are: first, the interests of a society must be shared by all members of society; Second, there must be complete and free interaction between individuals and groups.
Dewey advocates that populist education must meet two conditions:
First, we should cultivate a wise personality;
Second, we should develop the concept and habit of common activities.
"Smart personality" is the ability to think, observe and judge independently. The first condition of populist education is to enable young people to test the meanings and concepts gained from experience one by one with their own ideological ability, and to have a questioning attitude towards all systems and customs. Don't take their ears as eyes, and don't take other people's ideas as your own.
"Common activities" are the interests in social undertakings and mass relations. Populist society is a joint-stock company, everyone owns shares and does not exclude some people. Therefore, the second condition of populist education is to let everyone have the nature of working together and have a deep interest in social life and social hosting.
This negates the progressive logic that knocking some social members to the ground and stepping on one foot can cause social leap.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia —— Dewey's Educational Thought