On Education

In this collection, Reginald D. Archambault has assembled John Dewey's major writings on education. He has also included basic statements of Dewey's philosophic position that are relevant to understanding his educational views. These selections are useful not only for understanding Dewey's pedagogical principles, but for illustrating the important relation between his educational theory and the principles of his general philosophy.Professor Archambault has divided the selections into seven general categories: Philosophy and Education, Ethics and Education, Aesthetics and Education, Science and Education, Psychology and Education, Society and Education, and Principles of Pedagogy. In his Introduction, the editor discusses these categories, influences on Dewey's writing, and important concepts in the philosopher's theory of education. He emphasizes that in order to understand Dewey's educational writings, it is essential to understand his conception of science.The volume contains twenty-nine selections, all of which are complete essays or chapters from Dewey's major works. This comprehensive volume should prove valuable to philosophers, educational theorists, teachers, and students who want a wide selection of Dewey's educational thought.As Professor Archambault writes, "These principles, and the educational prescriptions and controversies that spring from them, are as vital today as they were when they exploded on the educational horizon at the turn of the century. We should be able, with distance and fresh perspective, to 'reconstruct' them, to use a favorite term of Dewey's, so that their value for us can be revitalized."