Applications and Theories Educators Employ

John Dewey wanted students to learn from hands on experiences. Today we call this teaching approach pragmatism. Like the realists, the pragmatist believes that we learn best through experience, but pragmatists are more willing to put that belief into practice. Pragmatist prefers a curriculum that draws the disciplines together to solve problems. Dewey believed the child's home environment should be centered in the school. Cooking and sewing was to be taught at school and be a routine in the classroom. Reading, writing, and math was to be taught throughout the daily course of these routines. Building, cooking, and sewing had schooling components in it and the activities simultaneously represented everyday life for the students (at the time). The students used math to measure, reading and comprehension to understand the directions and other acquired skills to complete the tasks. The overall idea was that the child would experience school as being in a community. This would help the child learn how to share and communicate with others. Problems would be presented to the student and through the process of trial and error the child would be able to solve the problem. The teacher's responsibility was to assign appropriate tasks depending on the student’s level, supervise and assist until the task was completed. Still today we want our students to be part of the community and we stress the importance of community involvement. An example of this is when students are asked to work in small groups within the classroom. The students are given the problem and asked to solve the problems working with their classmates. The teacher’s job is to ensure that everyone participates and works well within the group. Other examples of how Dewey’s pragmatic teaching style is still applied today would be in lesson plans or classes that focus on specific areas of everyday life. Home economics would be a great example. Students must apply different skills to complete assignments. Dewey’s original elementary school at the University of Chicago was designed to exhibit, test, and conduct research in educational methods centering on the child. Subjects were correlated, connecting reading, writing, history, spelling, arithmetic, and science to life; emphasis was placed on physical training, music, art, and such practical skills as domestic science and manual training. Still today this influence of lesson planning exists. Many lesson plans include a hands on approach and connect a variety of subjects.