John Dewey: Philosophical, Psychological, and Educational Contributions

Abstract

Teachers are directed by a lot of psychological and philosophical assumptions that dominate their theory and practice. An adult is primarily a person with a particular position in life. This devolves upon him/ her certain responsibilities which he/ she has to meet and play certain formed habits. Dewey, throughout his long career (almost 70 years as a professional), considered the functional psychology the one tool to enhance the learning and keep the curriculum developed. Dewey, as an American education pioneer, proposed a new theory of education. In his theory, he merged both the form and the content of the teaching process. For Dewey, the main cause of learning is the process of individuality, or the emergence of a unique function to change social habits through a democratic process. This process equips individuals with the skills and substantive knowledge that allows them to define and to pursue their own goals, and also allows them to participate in the life of their community as full-fledged, autonomous citizens. Throughout his contributions, Dewey focused on two main substantive issues: Schools, and civil society; they are the two major topics to encourage the experimental intelligence and plurality in any community. This paper focuses on Dewey’ s early life, his contributions as a philosopher and psychologist, and his influence in adult education.