John Dewey Essay

Experience and Education Reflection

In John Dewey’s book Experience and Education, I learned that not all education is taught in the same way. Education can have either have a societal purpose or a purpose for the individual student. Dewey describes this process by giving the two extremes of progressive and traditional education. I think that throughout my education there has been a mix of both of these teaching styles. The first school I went to was private, and the teachings there were more traditional based. High School and beyond in contrast I feel had a more progressive approach. I also played sports, which I think has had the biggest influence on my education. Both of these types of education and especially playing sports, has helped better prepare me for adulthood and the worlds challenges.
Experience has played a vital role in my education. Learning about a subject can be beneficial, but to truly understand something you must experience it. An example was when I was first learning how to do power point presentations in middle school. When I learned how to do a power point I thought that that was it. There is nothing more that can further my skill. All I have to do is pick a topic and put the information down on the slides in an organized and brief fashion. When I actually had to do a presentation, many other factors came into play. I learned that you need to know your audience, make eye contact, not to just read from the slides, and most importantly be well rehearsed. All these factors were not even visible until I experienced it.
Dewey’s theory on experience is about continuity and interaction.   He says that continuity is how your experiences will influence your future and that interaction is when one uses their past experience in present situations. In his mind no experience has pre-ordained value. The value of the experience is based on the way in which it has had an effect on the individual.
The first school I went to was a private school. It...