Reading Summary Three

Lauren Glasser
30049003
In article one of John Dewey’s my pedagogical creed – what is education, Dewey talks
about the interconnectedness of sociological (the environment) and psychological factors (child’s
strengths) on a child’s education. Educators must understand the social conditions a student lives
in to be able to tap into those students individual instincts. To truly prepare students for the
future, Dewey believes we must train students to be able to use all of their powers in any
condition (horizontal connectedness).
Article two - What is School?
Dewey believes school is a social institution, where education must mimic values and activities
that are present at home, so the child may learn the meaning of them. Teachers are there to help
students understand these communal values, not to impose or discipline. Exams are there solely
to test students social fitness, allowing them to learn where they best fit in society.
Article three – The Subject Matter of Education
Dewey suggests that the subject matter should be a gradual transition into formal learning and
should start with the child’s own social activities. Therefore, sewing and cooking classes become
equally as important as science and literature classes. Dewey says, learning should be about
learning now not learning for the future. It is important to help students understand how
everything is connected, including history and science, everything is a slow progression with
changing attitudes, where all experiences are continually being constructed.
Article four – The Nature of Method
He discusses four important points regarding the “spirit of how education is carried on”. First,
learning and development of a child are active processes and must be treated as so. We must
present things in an active way to help students understand, not just through symbols. Secondly,
imagery is an important tool in helping a student learn and to connect ideas to. Thirdly, drawing
on students interests is a crucial part of learning. These interests are what define students
learning and understanding, teachers must understand these, so they know what material the
student is ready for. Interest shows a child’s inner power which must be harnessed for learning to
occur. Finally, emotions play an important role in active learning, positive emotions in the
classroom foster active learning and optimistic emotions.
Article five – The School and the Social Progress
Education fosters social consciousness and is necessary for any social reformation or progress to
occur. It is both individual and social since it builds the individuals strengths while recognizing
the social and communal influences on the individual. Education is imperative for a society to
function as they need to have knowledge about the world around them to function. This is done
through the bonding of art and science to reach the best course of action. Finally, teachers are
there to guide students down the social path together not just train individuals, it is their job to
maintain social order and ensure social growth.
This article reflects on the interconnectedness of education and social life, horizontal
connectedness is arguably the most important goal of education. In my class the main goal is to
help students make horizontal connections and I believe that this the only way to make the
content meaningful. This week I want to tap into their “instincts” by beginning to learn more
about them personally so I can better understand their powers. This will allow me to understand
their interests so I can direct activities toward those interests which will help them to learn more.
All the group work we do have been designed to help students play off of each other’s strengths
and which will foster the necessary cooperation they will need later in life and I want to continue
designing activities this way.

The article The Art of Collaborative Learning by Kenneth Bruffee talks about the
importance of collaborative learning in both education and the workforce. He connects parallels
between the social constructivist perspective on learning and collaborative learning, that is that
learning happens among people not between them. He highlights that this type of learning is not
a new concept and that humans have always made the best judgements and changes in groups not
as individuals. The goal is to make students autonomous thinkers by raising students level of
social maturity and preparing them for the real world, which requires interdependent
collaboration. Although the goal is autonomy, classroom activities are set up in a semi-
autonomous way to ensure maximum learning occurs. This happens a lot in the workplace as
people choose to collaborate with people based on certain conditions. To contrast, non-
autonomous groups are not considered collaborative at all and does not create autonomy, this is
worse than any semi-autonomous structure. The three keys to collaboration are willingness to
grant authority, willingness to take on authority and friendliness, to achieve this in the classroom
students need to be re-acculturated. Collaboration calls students to be inventive and
interdependent, which requires a lot of flexibility and adaptability, but ultimately makes students
more successful outside of the classroom or institution.
This relates to my peer mentorship because the ideas of collaboration are crucial in this
class. I did not realize that the environment we were creating was one of semi- autonomous
collaboration but what is important is that we are giving students the tools to be successful
outside of the classroom. I would like to help these students to become more autonomous
learners by finding out what interests them in this course and if they have any personal
experience pertaining to water so I can provide ideas, questions and activities that foster group
discussion and collaboration. I will do this by suggesting small group activities that force
collaboration and I will inquire more about their personal goals and curiosities as a student to
better understand their inner powers and help suggest directions that bring those out in their
group projects.

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