by John Dewey
John Dewey's Democracy and Education addresses the challenge of providing quality public education in a democratic society. In this classic work Dewey calls for the complete renewal of public education, arguing for the fusion of vocational and contemplative studies in education and for the necessity of universal education for the advancement of self and society. First published in 1916, Democracy and Education is regarded as the seminal work on public education by one of the most important scholars of the century. Critique: John Dewey did have some interesting ideas, but they far too often only involved minor areas of educational importance, while placed into positions of paramount importance by Dewey and his followers. Dewey pushed the notion of "subject relevance" to such an extreme that basic educational practices such as reading and writing were reduced in importance to a point where students today often fail miserably with them. These is often because Dewey's ideas have been ruthlessly followed, and actual important basics are neglected in favor of "socialization", encouraging "meaningful classroom experiences", and a general aversion to book-learning. Dewey's ideas did result in a much-needed concern for subject relevance, which was lacking when he got involved in the area (education was frightfully regimental and structured at the time), arts in the classroom, and group activities, but these areas should be subservient in any educational hierarchy. Dewey and his followers have placed these ideas at the top of the hierarchy, too often neglecting and minimizing the importance of educational basics. More philosophizing, vague abstractions and sweeping generalities which never make it down from the high cloud level to practical applications in the world of real people and situations. Upon careful analysis by the honest reader Dewey's ideas can be seen to be very general, vague and largely unable to be realistically applied, regardless of how wonderful the ideas sound in theory. Also, it's so much what Dewey says that is wrong - it's what he omits and thereby relegates no importance to - educational basics, intellectual learning, imparting individual responsibility. Additionally, what he does concentrate on and stress is given far too much relative importance in the overall educational scheme of things. This book goes through Dewey's various ideas and approaches to education. Read it with the viewpoint of understanding where exactly modern education went wrong.
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