John Dewey
American philosopher and educational reformer who put democracy at the center of schooling Show bio
Bio
John Dewey quit school teaching after three years, deciding he was unsuited to it. He turned instead to philosophy and earned a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University. Dewey declared in 1888 that democracy was, to his mind, humanity's highest ethical ideal.
He founded a laboratory school at the University of Chicago to test his teaching ideas. Dewey set out his ideas on progressive schooling in Democracy and Education in 1916.
He spent two years lecturing in China, sometimes to audiences of thousands. Dewey, who once felt unfit to teach school, was hailed in China as "the American Confucius."
Books by John Dewey
- The Public and Its ProblemsThe Public and Its Problems
These six lectures examine how a public forms and how democracy can work in a complex society. Dewey challenges Walter Lippmann's doubts about ordinary citizens' ability to take part in government.
- How We ThinkHow We Think
This guide examines how people think and how schools can teach careful reasoning. One example turns bubbles on a washed glass into a small investigation.