Whatever Happened to Dewey and James? Discourse, Power, and Subjectivity in the Age of Standardization

Abstract

John Dewey was an unequivocal critic of the idea of a standardized curriculum. He once wrote, “A single course of studies for all progressive schools is out of the question; it would mean abandoning the fundamental principle of connection with life-experiences.” William James, too, believed that productive schooling must begin with the child. He wrote of a “proper pedagogic moment” wherein the skilled teacher could seize upon the native impulses and interests of a child — a moment that could not be divined through “specific rules,” but rather “depend[ed] on close observation in the particular case.” Moreover, James warned presciently about deducing “definite programs and schemes and methods of instruction” from the field of psychology. “Psychology,” he wrote, “is a science, and teaching is an art” (TLK, 3).