John Dewey
1859-1952
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Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont, studied at University of Vermont and John Hopkins, worked at University of Chicago and Columbia University, etc. His work covered many areas, such as philosophy, psychology, education, politics and social thought. His contributions to education definitely made him acknowledged as the most influential educational theorist of the twentieth century. |
Dewey analysed thinking in reflective, problem-solving terms and studied learning from the philosophical perspective of pragmatism. In contrast to Thorndike's stimulus-response theory, his theory embodied his conception that learning involved interaction between the learner and his environment, which was based on direct encounter with the phenomenon being studied, namely discovery rather than the transmission of knowledge. He advocated that higher education carried the responsibility of intergrating learning and work, or translating abstract academic ideas into concrete practical working abilities. Additionally, adult educational program should develop competence-based methods for instruction and assessment related to work. These theories were incarnated by his Laboratory School and Experiential Learning Model.
Other resources:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/d/dewey.htm
http://ernie.bgsu.edu/~wgrant/1890s/dewey/dewey.html