A REVIEW ON DEWEY’S BOOK “EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION”

John Dewey (1938-1997), one of the most prominent and influential philosopher of the twentieth century, who cares about the cause of education and its application in the right direction, when encounters criticism on many of his theories and gains experience in the field of education, writes a book based upon his experiences under the title “Experience and Education”. In fact, it is the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey.

This book is comprised of seven chapters in which Dewey has explained in every aspect what education is and how educators should introduce it to young citizens irrespective of the way they actually introduce it, or more correctly say “enforce” it on the immature beings.

Dewey, in his entire piece of art, mostly talks about the two opposite extremes of educational methods, i.e. “traditional education verses progressive education” or “old school verses new school”. While going through this book, the reader may assume that Dewey supports progressive education, but this is not the case. He criticizes either extreme and emphasizes on the formulation of a strong Philosophy of Education, that must has its roots in the two important principles which are related to each other, continuity of experience and interaction of the individual with its environment which is due to the past experiences, influencing the present and future. He, therefore, emphasizes on the formation of a Philosophy of Experience, which should be educative and productive, and on which relies the foundation of new Educational Philosophy. He also discusses the nature of experience on which the philosophy of experience should base, and based on that, the subject-matter should be organized as such for pupils that it may help them to develop intellectually and to gain educative experience. Some other aspects are also discussed in this book in detail that helps the reader to understand how to develop a sound Philosophy of Experience to achieve the goals of education.

In my point of view, Dewey’s suggestion about the nature of education is sound and perfect. I agree with the idea that education should be pure, simple and progressive in true sense and the methods of education should be worthy of the name of Education. In this book, Dewey’s perspectives are worth reading and I suggest that this book should be read by anyone who is really serious about education and willing to introduce new ideas and methods so that the subject-matter which is introduced to the students in the name of “curriculum” should become the most effective, educative and beneficial for the learner and for a society as well.

By: Tooba Kanwal. Page 1