Explain what Dewey considered to be the purpose(s) of education

John Dewey was a 20th century American educational reformer, who has had a profound

timeless impact on the education systems around the world. His philosophy of "pragmatism" and

"democratic education" was the product of the principles and idealism as proposed by Rousseau,

Fichte, Hegel, (Mintz, n.d.) Pestalozzi, Froebel, and Hall (Education, 2014). The ideas of

democracy, social reforms and his belief that children are active living beings not separate from

social conditions helped Dewey in framing his theories on the nature and purpose of education.

In his opinion, the purpose of education revolves around the realization of one's full potential and

the ability to use that potential for greater good (Talebi, 2015), which can happen only through

individual personal experiences in life. The three aims guiding the ‘democratic education’ are –

(i) “the nature, student's interest and the understanding of the natural development”, (ii) “social

efficiency” as achieved by utilizing and shariugn one's interests and skills and (iii) “culture” that

emphasizes "the development of individual personality" through interaction with others and

environment (Mintz, n.d.). Dewey is also the pioneer in re-imagining the purpose of education to

include teacher as the active participant in the learning process (Talebi, 2015). Based on

Dewey’s educational theories and philosophy, the role of the teacher is also defined within the

framework of understanding experiences and development, in turn understanding life. This has

supported the development of teacher training programs to cultivate defined attributes in

educators. Dewey has asserted the main purpose of education through his interesting comment

“education is not preparation for life but life itself" asserts that the experiences offered by life

based on the interactions between people and the world sets the approach for holistic education

(Ziraba, n.d.).
Analyze at least three principles of Dewey’s philosophy and their influence on education

According to Dewey’s philosophy of education for an education process a child is the center of

it. The intention of education is not only development of intellectual level but also the

development of social and emotional level of the child. As stated by him, the drive of education

is “…to prepare him for the future life means to give him command of himself; it means so to

train him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capabilities” (Talebi, 2015). Since

learning is a specific experience the one person may have different experience with the same

learning than other, so it’s important to the receiver of learning to aid the drive of education

Learning is a process in which a person gets to know about his individual possible growth

through their personal experience throughout the learning process. Dewey stated that the social

interaction provides a learner better atmosphere for the personal growth. To achieve that a

learner must have an active participation with their immediate surroundings and people (Talebi,

2015).

‘Experiential education’ requires hand-on activities that create educative experiences for the

learner.

As Dewey Stated that education is a social process, you observes others to clear your

understanding and learn from others (Talebi, 2015). Hence a learner should be provided the right

guidance to utilize the full potential of its learning for the betterment of society.

Assess how these principles align with the principles of an IB education

The Dewey’s philosophy which states that a child is the center of the whole education process is

followed by International Baccalaureate too which identifies child as the core of learning

process. This can be corroborated by the statement of mission of International Baccalaureate

“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young
people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding

and respect.” (IBO, 2018). Dewey’s thoery of ‘democratic education’ is at the heart of IB

learning methodology. The IB learner agency and self-efficacy aligns with  Dewey’s principle of

the development of the child based on own interest and experiences. The foundation of IB

approaches to learning and teaching is based on knowing and understanding the learner. The

attributes defined by Dewey as the required qualifications of teaching aligns with the same

thought. In the same context as Dewey’s belief on the learning environment, IB shares “Learning

occurs in environments that promote collaboration and a shared sense of purpose and belonging.”

(IBO, 2018). Dewey has argued that for the education to be most effective, learning

opportunities should be provided linking previous experiences and knowledge to the present

content. This approach has led to the inquiry-based learning approach, which is at core of IB

learning-teaching (Wheeler, 2020). The idea of utilizing learnt skills and knowledge for social

reform, as emphasized by Dewey, resonates with Action, which is at the core of IB learning

process and it includes participation, advocacy, social justice, social entrepreneurship, or lifestyle

choices (IBO, 2018).

IBO. (2018). The Learner. Resources.ibo.org. Retrieved from

https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/works/pyp_11162-51463?root=1.6.2.4.3

IBO. (2018). The Learning Community. Resources.ibo.org. Retrieved from

https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/works/pyp_11162-51464?root=1.6.2.14.5.3&lang=en

Mintz, A. I. (n.d.). What is the purpose of education? Dewey's challenge to his contemporaries.

[pdf] Retrieved from 

https://www.academia.edu/23693775/What_is_the_Purpose_of_Education_Deweys_challenge_t

o_his_contemporaries

Spanella, T. (n.d.). John Dewey on Education: Theory & Philosophy. Study.com ch (2).

lesson (13). Retrieved form https://study.com/academy/lesson/john-dewey-on-education-

theory-philosophy-quiz.html

Talebi, K. (2015) John Dewey- Philosopher and educational reformer. European Journal of

Educational Studies. [pdf] Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED564712.pdf

Wheeler, S. (2020). The Padagogy Of John Dewey: A Summary. Teach Thought. Retrieved from

https://www.teachthought.com/learning/pedagogy-john-dewey-summary/

Ziraba, A. (n.d.) “Education is not preparation for life but life itself” John Dewey’s Philosophical

Approach to Education and Its Implication to Educators and Education Policy Makers. The ICT

University USA Cameroon Campus. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/38145262/_Education_is_not_preparation_for_life_but_life_itself_Jo

hn_Dewey_s_Philosophical_approach_to_education_and_its_implication_to_educators_and_Ed

ucation_Policy_makers