John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer born in 1859 who emphasized the importance of experience and experimentation in learning. He believed that children are active and inquisitive, wanting to explore, and should interact with others. His most influential works included Democracy and Education in 1916 and Human Nature and Conduct in 1922. He published The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology in 1896, considered the first major work in functionalist psychology.