John Dewey was a famous 20th century philosopher who greatly influenced American education. He believed that the only worthwhile knowledge was information that could be used, and considered it pointless to memorize useless facts. Dewey felt that schools should teach thinking processes and skills, rather than just facts. As a result of his influence, schools now teach a broader range of subjects and skills beyond academics, including things like driver's education, cooking, sex education, behavior control, music, science experiments, and democratic principles. Kindergarten classes now include some early academic topics like letters, numbers, colors and shapes, as most children entering kindergarten have already had experiences in preschool or day care settings.

1. Teaching Methods and Approaches

2.  American education has been greatly
influenced by John Dewey ( a famous twentieth -
century philosopher)
 He believed that the only worthwhile
knowledge was information that could be used
 He considered it pointless to make student
memorize useless facts that they would quickly
forget
John Dewey
 He felt school should teach thinking processes
and skills
 Dewey also influenced teaching techniques

3.  The scope is very broad indeed
 School teach a lot of skills and information once left for parent to teach at
home (driver’s education , cooking ,sex education …)
 Also , some schools try to improve children ‘s behavior by teaching them
how to control anger and settle arguments in peaceful way
 Science classes involve experimentation; the study of music involves
making music ; democratic principles are practiced in the student council,
school projects encourage creativity and teamwork

4. Early Childhood Education

5.  However , today at least half of the children who enter kindergarten have
already had these experiences in nursery school or day care settings
=> Kindergarten teacher have taken on the job of introducing some academic
( teaching letters ,numbers , color and shapes )
 Free public education begins with kindergarten , usually half- day classed
for 5 year olds

6.  Unlike many other countries ,the US has no national day –care system
 Most American parent want their children to attend school before the age of 5
 Moreover , since most mothers have jobs ,nursery school or day care is often
a necessity
 Nursery schools serve 3-5 year olds ,mostly in half day programs
 Many day – care center take younger children also ,the children can stay for
the whole day