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

John Dewey was a pragmatist, progressivist, educator, philosopher, and social reformer of the

20th century, perhaps being one of the most influential educational philosophers known to date

(Theobald, 2009). Hall (Education, 2014) and Rousseau, Fichte, Hegel, (Mintz, n.d.) Pestalozzi,

Froebel put forward the fundamentals and idealism of "pragmatism" and "democratic education"

which is indisputably a repercussion of his philosophies. Dewey believed that education was “a

crucial ingredient in social and moral development” and children being the functional social

beings not independent of the social conditions, which led to conceptualising his theories on the

nature and purpose of education. Dewey alleges that the experiences offered by the interactions

between people and the world sets the approach for a comprehensive education, which he affirms

by saying, “Education is not preparation for life but life itself". Democratic education is mainly

goverened by the three principles of- understanding the "natural development" and "students'

interests", achieving “social efficiency” by utilizing and sharing one's interests and skills, and

emphaisizing on "the development of individual personality" and “culture” through interaction

with others and environment (Mintz, n.d.). Dewey also empahsized on the role of teachers in the

learning process as an active participant (Talebi, 2015). Dewey's educational theories and

philosophies supported the development of teacher training programmes to cultivate the defining

attributes. as the framework of perceiving the experiences and development, in turn

understanding life, in the educators.

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’ can be found in

International Baccalaureate learning practice that relies on the principal of the learner based on
his/her own interest . 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 insisted that the education can be most effective if

the learning is provided in such a way that it links the previous experience and education to the

present one. 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