Foundations of Education - Chapter 5: John Dewey and Pragmatism in Education

Vocabulary flashcards covering John Dewey's life, philosophical pragmatism, progressive education, experiential learning stages, the Laboratory School, and core principles of pragmatist schooling based on Chapter 5 lecture notes.

Enlightenment Educational Reform Movement

A 17th- and 18th-century movement that shifted views of children from naturally sinful to naturally good, and transitioned teaching from teacher-centered to child-centered education focused on children's needs and interests.

John Dewey (1859–1952)

An American philosopher and educator born in Vermont who earned his doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1884, served as Chair of Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1894, and founded progressive experiential education.

Democracy and Education (1916)

A foundational educational text published by John Dewey in 1916 outlining his philosophy on democratic society and schooling.

Experience and Education (1938)

A major work published by John Dewey in 1938 exploring the relationship between practical experience and effective learning.

Progressive Era Reforms

Early 20th-century American reforms driven by rapid urbanization, immigration, and democratic thought that emphasized equality, pragmatism, workers' rights, education, and child rearing.

Progressive Education

An educational movement championed by John Dewey that prepares individuals to solve real and emerging problems and contribute to social progress rather than following rigid traditional schooling.

Child-Centered Learning

An educational approach where the child is the center and starting point around which all activities revolve, prioritizing learner needs and interests over teacher-directed instruction or pure subject knowledge.

Teacher as a Facilitator

The pragmatist role of an educator who guides and facilitates active, student-led learning rather than merely delivering information.

Pragmatism

A philosophical movement centered on practical action, asserting that ideas and theories have meaning and value through their practical consequences and testing in experience.

Experiential Education

Dewey's application of pragmatism to education, emphasizing learning by doing, direct firsthand experience, and problem-solving.

Experience as a Puzzle

Dewey's analogy describing how every newly gained experience acts as a puzzle piece that must be connected to past experiences in order to solve new problems.

Activity Stage

The first stage of Dewey's experiential learning process, in which learners actively engage in an activity or firsthand experience.

Learning Stage

The second stage of Dewey's experiential learning process, where understanding and insight occur directly through practical experience.

Integration Stage

The third stage of Dewey's experiential learning process, during which a newly acquired experience is connected to prior experiences, expanding and enriching learning.

Problem-Solving Stage

The fourth and final stage of Dewey's experiential learning process, where previous experiences are applied to solve new challenges.

Dewey's Laboratory School

An experimental school established in 1896 at the University of Chicago consisting of 3 rooms, a back garden, and 16 students, created to test educational theories through practical classroom application.

History Through Practice

Dewey's method of teaching history as a tool to solve present-day problems by having students construct settlement models, recreate tools, and practice barter systems rather than memorizing dates and listening to lectures.

Making and Doing

The first level of learning in Dewey's curriculum, consisting of practical projects where students explore their environment, turn ideas into real activities, develop sensory and motor skills, and foster cooperation.

History and Geography (Level of Learning)

The second level of learning in Dewey's curriculum, which broadens students' understanding of time and place through practical projects that connect learning to human experience.

Sciences (Level of Learning)

The third level of learning in Dewey's curriculum, encompassing subjects like biology, chemistry, and social studies, presented through an active problem-solving approach.

The Scientific Method in Education

A pragmatist problem-solving approach comprising four sequential steps: identifying the problem, formulating hypotheses, testing ideas through experimentation, and reaching a conclusion.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

A curriculum design supported by pragmatists that integrates learning across multiple disciplines (such as studying the water cycle in science, computing water consumption in math, and writing a report in language class).

The School as Part of Society

A core principle of pragmatist education stating that schooling must be directly connected to the surrounding community and prepare individuals for active participation in social life.