Constructivism implies that a child behaves relatively to the environment they grow in. Their behaviour and direct involvement are all as a result of their interactions with the world. They learn how to respond to problems that occur around them by considering some possible outcomes then they find out which suits best. As a result, many people have viewed constructivism as an alternative to education saying that constructivism takes away the need for education. Nevertheless, prominent constructivists have set out to show the relationship of constructivism to their learning. One such person is John Dewey who has made significant advancements in constructivism as a result of his unique traits that contributed significantly to his constructs.
John Dewey’s Early Life
John Dewey was born on October 20th, 1859 in Burlington, Vermont in the United States of America (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He was the third born son in a family of four with two of his brothers dying before his birth. He followed suit to join his brother at the University of Vermont later on in the future where he graduated in 1879 (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He spent two of his post-graduation years as a teacher in both primary and secondary school before he quit to further his studies (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He studied with other great scholars of the time who included George Sylvester Morris and G. Stanley Hall. It was during this time that he got granted his PhD.
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Afterwards, Dewey was granted a position at the University of Michigan where he worked from 1884-1888 and came back again from 1889-1894 (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He, later on, joined the University of Chicago in 1904 upon leaving the University of Michigan (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). During this time Dewey worked on many pieces that remain fundamental elements of education even to date. He was married to Alice Chipman with whom they had six children before they divorced and he got remarried to Roberta Lowitz Grant.
Theoretical Perspectives of John Dewey
John Dewey saw a greater need to improve the educational system in the U.S out of his engagements with the school system. He always believed that the education system at the time was not ultimately what it was entitled to be and did not provide the essentials it was required to (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He strongly valued education, being a successful scholar in person, and this explains why he was always incorporating new ideas into the system. His initial value for education was demonstrated in his world-famous saying “education is not preparation for life; education is life itself” (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He believed that education was a vital part of the society that needed to be embraced with a lot of sobriety and consciousness. Additionally, Dewey also provided great sentiments in regards to constructivism and education. He always viewed the education system as a medium for the encompassing and bringing together creative and constructive individuals.
Experiments and Findings
In his quest to do away with the education system that he considered old and outdated, Dewey set out a school named the Dewey School in 1896. The school was aimed at experimenting with the education system and its efficiency in modern times. He also tried to incorporate new advancements to the system so as to make it better. In the beginning, he only had 16 pupils who were aged 6-9, and he was the only teacher (Sutinen, 2008). In his first experiment, he took all students and put them together into one class. He tried teaching them all at once as the sole teacher in the classroom but this not works out quite well. Dewey found out that a 9-year-old student’s understanding was far much higher than that of a 3 year old (Sutinen, 2008). Again, the younger students were unable to process certain things that he taught in class. After that, Dewey grouped the pupils into 11 age groups. He realised that with this they made progress in class and the enjoyed class even more.
His second experiment was in the teaching. He was the sole teacher at the school initially. He taught all the subjects in school. Later on, he developed another strategy to have teachers specialise in teaching specific subjects (Sutinen, 2008). The teachers did not only focus on the curriculum taught at school but also involved other additional elements like the study of history, art, physical education, self-discipline and communication (Sutinen, 2008). Dewey found out that the having teachers specify in various fields made them more committed in their classwork. Students understood more in class because teachers made investments in their teachings.
Historical Trends
Dewey was challenged to look into the educational system because he was concerned with the changing trends in the world. The world was experiencing changes in almost every field (Fallace, 2010). He strongly felt that the education system was lagging behind. People were changing. The way people used to think in the 18th century was not the same way that they were thinking in his time. He also realised that at a time when democracy was on trial, education was the way to realising it (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). Additionally, many inventions were being made at the time. It was the time when machinery was being invented. Dewey believed that as a result of the changing world, education had to be transformative and progressive.
John Dewey’s Notable Characteristics
Dewey was a fiery, zealous, and passionate person (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He always aimed at making education better and he never stopped in his quest no matter the hardships. When he started his school, he must have hoped for a better turn up at first, but he only had 16 pupils who were minors. He, however, saw the 16 as a stepping stone and used them to further his experiments of making the class a better and beneficial place. Additionally, Dewey had a vision. He could see that the education system had no place in the future as it was losing relevance (Pohoata, & Mocanu, 2015). He saw that education had to be progressive due to the evolving trends of the world and went for the challenge. Further, he had the urge to express himself in creative ways. Dewey felt that someone had to speak and act. He did not allow himself to be crowded by judgements of people that did not support him.
Conclusion
The developments John Dewey made in education are significant today. The education system is always connected to the demands of the modern world. He championed for an education that was centred on the needs of the young people and one that put their interests at hand. The system has already proved to be viable. The world today is filled with very intelligent people who have a dynamic and pragmatic approach to life.
References
Fallace, T. D. (2010). John Dewey on History Education and the Historical Method. Education and Culture, 26 (2), 20-35.
Pohoata, G. & Mocanu, M. (2015). Aspects of the Philosophy of Education in John Dewey’s View. Euromentor Journal, 6 (4), 7-17.
Sutinen, A. (2008). Constructivism and Education: Education as an Interpretative Transformational Process. Student Philosophy Education , 27, 1-14.
