John Dewey and progressivism in American education

AuthorRadu, L.
PositionFaculty of Letters, Transilvania University of Brasov
Pages85-90
Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov
Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 4 (53) No. 2 - 2011
JOHN DEWEY AND PROGRESSIVISM IN
AMERICAN EDUCATION
Lucian RADU1
Abstract: This paper is focused on Progressivism, as a reaction against the
American traditional school in order to accomplish the purpose of
connecting education to the realities imposed by the rapi d changes of the
American society. Progressivism was developed by John Dewey ’s pedagogic
theory, being based on Pragmatism, a specific American philosophy, and on
instrumentalism, one of its variants to which John Dewey conferred its
climax. Experience represented the core concept of his philosophy. After
revising this philosophical current, the paper will deal with John Dewey’s
pedagogic theory insisting on the method of solving problems as a general
method of instruction. The importance of the two schools (Dalton Plan and
Winnetka), both based on the progressive theory, will be highlighted.
Progressivism opened a new era in American Education based on an active
education, which took into account the stude nts’ individualities, stimulating
teachers’ creativity and focusing on a practice based education.
Key words: progressivism, pragmatism, instrumentalism, active school.
1 Faculty of Letters, Transilvania University of Braşov.
1. Introduction
Progressivism is a constituent part of
New Education, based on pragmatism, and
it constituted a revolution in American
education, with an outstanding specificity.
It is an educational current of American
origin, and all the other orientations that
have been profiled in the second half of the
century (humanism, so cial meli orism, and
social efficiency) have emerged as
reactions reported to it.
Progressivism, an educational movement
that occurred at the beginning of the
twentieth century as a reaction to the
traditional school in the United States of
America, sought to establish an
educational system adjusted to the pace of
the American societal development.
It was based o n John Dewey's
educational theory, having as a starting
point the pragmatism, a specific American
philosophical current and its variant,
instrumentalism, to which John Dewey
conferred the widest expression.
Dewey’s work is one of the most
profound and comprehensive th eoretical
syntheses developed in this century’ [7].
He made m ajor contributions in almost
all areas of the spirit: i n philosophy
(pragmatism), in pedagogy (progressivism),
in logic (instrumentalism), in psychology
(functionalism), in aesthetics (aesthetic
naturalism), in axiology (empiric
congnitivism), and so on. Dewey was
inspired by his predecessors C.S. Peirce
and W. James. The rigor of Peirce’s
rational realism i nfluenced Dewey greatly,
while from W. James he took the ‘doctrine
of radical empiricism and the thrills of
aspiration t o t he uni versal’ [7]. The
fundamental coordinates of Dewey’s work

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