John Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher, educator, and writer. He received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1884 and had a long career as a professor of philosophy at several universities. Dewey developed the philosophy of pragmatism and instrumentalism and was a major proponent of progressive education reform. He believed that education should be experiential and help students learn through doing. Dewey had a significant influence on education in the United States in the early 20th century.

1. JOHN DEWEY
AN AMERICAN PRAGMATIST
BY: SANDRA KIRWAN

2. JOHN DEWEY (1859- 1952)
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHER, EDUCATOR, AND WRITER
• Born in Burlington, Vermont on October 20, 1859
• Third child of four sons (one of his brothers died at infancy)
• Attended Burlington public schools
• Enrolled at the University of Vermont at the age of 15, graduated in four years and ranked #2 in his class
• Received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins in 1884
• Married Harriet Alice Chipman in 1886
• The couple had six children and adopted one
• Passed away on June 1, 1952 at the age of 92 (he died from pneumonia)

3. TEACHING CAREER
• Seminary in Oil City, Pennsylvania (2 yrs)
• Private school in Vermont (until he decided to return to school to
earn his doctorate)
• Assistant professor at the University of Michigan (1884- 1888)
• Professor of Philosophy at University of Minnesota (only a year)
• Professor at University of Michigan (5 yrs)
• University of Chicago (1894-1904)
• Head of the Philosophy Department
• Director of its School of Education
• Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University (1904- 1930)
• Retired with the title of “Professor Emeritus”

4. PHILOSOPHY EDUCATION, THEREFORE, IS A
PROCESS OF LIVING AND NOT
A PREPARATION FOR FUTURE LIVING.
JOHN DEWEY
• Experimentalism philosophy
• “Instrumentalism" - belief that thinking is an activity which, at
its best, is directed toward resolving problems
• Education should be based on the principle of learning
through doing
• A strong proponent for progressive educational reform
• Man behaved out of habit and that change often led to
unexpected outcomes

5. DEWEY’S INFLUENCES
• League for Independent Political Action (helped
organize)
• Editor of the New Republic magazine
• Founded the American Civil Liberties Union and
the American Association of University
Professors
• The "progressive education" movement of the
1920s was based on Dewey’s philosophy of
education
Influence on Education:
(How education should be)
• A mix of student’s interests and sharing of
knowledge from the teacher
• Teachers should encourage students to discover
their own understanding of a topic
• Hands on learning
• Continuity and interaction
• Children learn from their experiences

6. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Educational theories published in The School and Society
• Published almost 40 books and hundreds of articles
• John Dewey High School in Brooklyn and John Dewey Academy of Learning in Green Bay, Wisconsin
(both named after John Dewey)
• Books written by John Dewey
• How We Think
• Democracy and Education
• Experience and Education
• The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy
• A Common Faith

7. REFERENCES
• http://www.biography.com/people/john-dewey
• Encyclopedia of World Biography; De-Du
• http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/john-dewey
• Jackson, Philip W., John Dewey and the Lessons of Art, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1998