Theories And Differences Of John Dewey And Tyler

Educational psychology: A Century of Contributions. (Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Eribaum,2003), p. 257; and Elkind, p.

Who loves school? What makes school enjoyable? Is it the lectures, worksheets, and tests, or the group projects, in-class discussions and high-tech games? When thinking over the answers to these questions, many people unknowingly state a preference for a more progressive teaching style. A progressive teaching style includes student participation and a large variety of modern inventions which allow more students to enjoy learning. Students receive a more complete education through enjoyment in the learning when they have the ability to set a custom pace and are able to learn according to their preferred learning style. It has become increasingly apparent to many educators how disconnected students have become from the learning environment when lectures are the sole teaching method. This discovery has led several instructors to develop new methods to educate the next generation of students for their benefit, not just for the ease and convenience of the teacher. To figure out the best balance for the future of education, like anything else, one must first understand the history of education and where schooling originated. Schooling began with a traditional style of lectures and progressed to more modern teaching methods, which have proven to be more beneficial to a learner’s future, than the traditional practices in a teacher-centered classroom.

Although his ideas were often misinterpreted and distorted, his educational philosophy was truly significant to today’s education reform. Additionally, the influence of Dewey’s progressive education and the rise of intelligence testing had served as cornerstone for educational psychology profession to develop.

The philosophy of the primary school where I work is that every child's unique needs and abilities should and must be honored. Children's different learning needs and styles are incorporated into the curriculum. On an informal level, teachers are encouraged to make use of lesson plans that utilize different types of media and methods of evaluation. Lesson plans often make use of visual and kinesthetic aspects of the learning experience as well as more traditional methods that emphasize mathematical, spatial, and verbal intelligences.

It can be argued that the more modalities employed and presented to students, the greater their chance for successful learning becomes. As educators, if we appeal to all strategies of learning, we are more likely to enhance the learning of everyone in our target audience. This may be challenging as we ourselves tend to flock to a particular learning style, and in turn, tend to teach the same way. It also may be a challenge to address each individuals learning style, as it may be difficult, or even impossible to know each and every one of their learning preferences. However, the first step in overcoming that challenge is to be well versed in our own learning preferences. If we are well versed in our own

John Dewey - the movement he had with progressive education; he’s close to being the most influential educator of the twentieth century

In the 1948 presidential election, the expectations of Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey drastically reversed. In the beginning of his presidency, Truman was unpopular compared to the beloved Franklin D Roosevelt who died before completing his fourth term. While Americans mourned, they wondered how the vice president would lead the country after WWII. Unfortunately Truman’s speeches were choppy and stiff, and Americans felt estranged from him, blaming him for economic troubles of inflation and shortages of oil and rubber. In contrast, the Republican candidate Dewey was eloquent and confident, attracting many and boosting his rating in polls.

By focusing on the mental processes students need – on the journey, rather than the result, the skill rather than the content –as the world continues to develop at a faster and faster rate he believed that future graduates would have the skills we will need. While the book for its new approach is praised by educators and parents worldwide and its open disapproval of a test-based educational culture, little, if anything has changed.

She was faced with the challenge of teaching a wide range of learner pathways while striving to maximize the learning for all her students grades first through eighth. While what my grandmother faced over eighty years ago is an obvious exaggeration in differentiation; the reality is that each class room in our schools is a microcosm of that environment. Each student learns through different pathways and it is the role of each teacher to maximize their learning potential by differentiating their instructional practices. Hence, the teachers of my school must strive to connect students and academic content through a responsive instructional practice that is reflective of the needs of their students (Tomlinson, C., Brimijoin, K., & Narvaez, L.,

The main goal of this project is to encourage students to break away from more traditional education. In these scenarios, the teacher is the center of the classroom and the students play a relatively small role in instruction. They simply sit, absorb information, and repeat it on summative assessments. Over the course of a school year, students end up going “a mile wide and an inch deep.” That is, they very rarely have the opportunity to dig deep into topics. Consequently, the information covered is often quickly forgotten. By putting students in charge of their education, I hope that students go “a mile deep and an inch wide.”

Democracy is defined as a form of government that is ruled by the people. That is, rather than a single or a small group of leaders, democracy obligates the citizens who are affected by the law to collectively create the law through active participation. The United States is a nation that prides itself as a democracy, built on rule by the people via elected representatives. However, the electoral college system and other institutions within the electoral process actually inhibit many democratic values. This, paired with remarkably low voter turnout rates, leaves political decisions to be made by those in power rather than the people. To overcome this, it is necessary to go beyond elections as the central form of political participation. Likewise,

Everyday, teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching students new information that is valuable to their future. Teachers are responsible to determine what and how information is taught. How this information is taught to students is pertinent to their success; therefore, teachers must be able to use effective teaching methods in the classroom. Students have diverse learning styles; therefore, teachers need to determine how students learn best and pattern their teaching to accommodate these differences. During elementary school, children learn to read and write, acquire a basic understanding of content areas, and develop dispositions toward

In fact, “skeptics have begun to wonder if the effort to raise standards for all students through high-stakes testing initiatives has too steep a price, including a narrowing of the curriculum and a deemphasis on curricular depth, an abandonment of constructivist-type activities that give meaning to learning, and a curtailment of extracurricular activities” (Moon, Callahan, and Tomlinson 1). Limiting the educators’ autonomy prevents them from being able to evaluate the needs of each student and structure their classroom and lesson plans in a manner that will help all of the students to gain the best possible outcomes in their academic careers. Students have different styles of learning, varying family structures and support, as well as different interests that can all effect how they learn. Standardizing the classroom removes the educators’ abilities to use their training to address these differences.

Amongst the many topics debated in education circles, it is easy to forget the choice of what we teach and why is of paramount importance. Critical reflection on the relevance of educational philosophers, both past and present, is essential to understanding curriculum choices. With regard to these statements, I wish to apply to this program as a result of a strong professional and personal interest in philosophers of education. More specifically, gaining a deeper understanding of behavioral and functional psychology in education can enhance my current work in many ways. The theories of philosopher’s such as William James have direct implications in my work. For example, by considering the role of acquisition and association of ideas in teaching and learning, I would be broadening my overall knowledge. Additionally, understanding the impact of interest, attention and memory on learning are key components that would enhance my teaching abilities and benefit my students.

In order to teach successfully teachers must learn about first learn about their students. Teachers must assess the student’s capabilities and interests. Some students are visual learners, while others learn from hands on activities, or verbal communication. Not all students can learn through memorization, rather they learn through interest and relation to the topic. “To realize what an experience, or empirical situation, means, we have to call to mind the sort of situation that presents itself outside of school" (Democracy and Education). The curriculum should encompass material that is most useful for a student to learn. It seems that in the majority of schools, students are not given the flexibility to guide their own learning, but rather follow rigid instructions that destroy the student’s imagination.