JOHN DEWEY

                                             JOHN DEWEY

John Dewey was an american philosopher , psychologist,practical teacher and thinker.His experience in life brought him two convictions which directed the whole course of his educational life .These convictions are that the traditional methods of schooling are futile and fruitless and that the human contacts of every day life provide ultimated,natural,dynamic learning situations

METHOD OF TEACHING

JohnDeweys pedagogy direct experience forms the basis of method of instructions .According to him, the child learns best by doing and as such all learning must come as a by product of actions .He advocated the following methods of teaching

*PROJECT METHOD

A project is a purposeful activity proceeding in a social environment .Dewey recommended projects to be used as teaching techniques .this method lays emphasis on pupils purpose,need interest ,self activity and participation in the entire process of teaching

*PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD

Dewey suggested that problematic situations should be provided to children in the classroom so that they make purposeful effort to solve the difficulty by reflective thinking

*EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

Dewey implied that the learners must be placed in the position of discovers and inventors and learn things for themselves by testing and experimenting

*LEARNING BY DOING 

According to Dewey the child learns best when he himself performs actions related to particular subject .so the school must provide an environment and improvise activities for facilitating learning by

DISCIPLINE 

Dewey was not in favour of the traditional approach to discipline .He envisioned the kind of discipline which is inculcated through cooperative social activities .the following are his important views on discipline

(A) He advocated positive discipline ,free discipline social discipline and self discipline resulting out of free ,purposeful and creative social activities

(B)The discipline should be the result of conjoint cooperative and collective activities .as such social activities are recommended for installing discipline

(C)self discipline can be taught through assigned social responsibility

(D)creating democratic environment in the school

ROLE OF TEACHER 

Pragmatic education considers teacher as a servant of society .His task is to create in the school an environment which will help in the development of the child's social personality and enable the child to become a responsible democratic citizen .the specific roles of the teacher are the following

(a) The teacher has to observe ,plan and encourage pupils activities environment and experience

(b) A pragmatic teacher should be a friend a guide and rather than a task master .he has to guide the youngsters through complicities of life

(c) The teacher should have empathy for the child he must realise the divinity of his calling

(d)The child and curriculum are poles apart to bring them together the teacher should start with the child his interest his needs and goals

CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOHN DEWEY TO EDUCATION

His specific contributions to the field of education are the following

1)He put forward a philosophy of education which is dynamic objective and pratical.A philosophy with experimental base for the first time in history

2) he gave a progressive out look to education

3)Dewey established an organise relationship between individual and society which is the undercurrent of democratic movement in education 

4)His view about the teacher as an observer guide and helper over through the domination of the teacher 

5)John Dewey completely changed the all structure of educational set up and paved the way for modern progressive  

6)Dewey set inoculation of democratic values and social qualities in the forefront of the list of educational aims

7)the project method is direct contribution of Dewey to education