Democracy and Education

Democracy and Education
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education

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5
(1 Review)
Democracy and Education by John Dewey

Published:

1916

Pages:

324

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16,464

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Democracy and Education
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education

By

5
(1 Review)

Book Excerpt

ring their emotional set and stock of ideas, by sharing in what the elders are doing. In part, this sharing is direct, taking part in the occupations of adults and thus serving an apprenticeship; in part, it is indirect, through the dramatic plays in which children reproduce the actions of grown-ups and thus learn to know what they are like. To savages it would seem preposterous to seek out a place where nothing but learning was going on in order that one might learn.

But as civilization advances, the gap between the capacities of the young and the concerns of adults widens. Learning by direct sharing in the pursuits of grown-ups becomes increasingly difficult except in the case of the less advanced occupations. Much of what adults do is so remote in space and in meaning that playful imitation is less and less adequate to reproduce its spirit. Ability to share effectively in adult activities thus depends upon a prior training given with this end in view. Intentional agencies -- schools--and explicit ma

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John Dewey knew a hundred years ago what we should be practicing today. This book should be mandatory reading for every school board member and politician that has confused high stakes testing with quality educational reform.

Dewey addresses the needs of the "invisible children" that our current spate of educational reforms has failed to recognize.

Democracy and Education is written in a style that is surprisingly readable and is filled with suggestions and observations that make it a very topical book.