Dewey Personal Reflection Samuel Levinson Dewey Personal Reflection The title of John Deweys book, Experience and

Education, describe two important ualities for teachers to possess! "ot only should they have these ualities, but a teacher should inspire their class, and pass these ualities on to all of their students! Some students may become teachers in the future, therefore a #ood foundation should be#in early! $n his book, Dewey e%plores many topics, such as problems in education, areas of need, and the possibilities! $ feel that Dewey is seekin# to enli#hten us, so that we may use our knowled#e in combination with his own insi#ht! &e had a theory of pro#ressive education, and his ideas are relevant today! 'ith a copyri#ht from ()*+, this may be one of the oldest te%t books or resources $ have viewed in a class! This proves that some ideas are universal, and they are not confined to only one #eneration! $n this paper, $ plan to reflect on the work of Dewey, as well as my own thou#hts on education, and my ,#ency visit paper for this class! $ believe that Dewey is correct, in that much of education involves our participation in the process of learnin#! There is #reat importance on the social part of education, and we are always learnin#, no matter where we are! $ find it interestin# that Dewey described education as havin# two sides, psycholo#ical and sociolo#ical! $ believe this is true, and $ think both of these elements are intertwined! -otivation is also a part of this! .or myself, $ feel that $ am a better learner when $ am motivated! This motivation may come from thou#hts associated with the future, and reachin# #oals! $n the future, $ would want to share this type of motivation with students! "o matter what $ may decide to reach, $ want

my material to be interestin#, and for students to have the feelin# that the material is a part of reachin# a #reater #oal! ,ll of the classes that we take are a part of formin# a complete picture of education, and $ would hope that my peers have the same understandin#, and $ would like to pass this philosophy to students in the future! Part of this may involve askin# uestions and answerin# uestions from students! $ would also want my pro#ram to be complete and satisfyin#! This is one of the aspects that $ most appreciated durin# my a#ency visit of /olumbus States -edical Laboratory Technician pro#ram! $t seemed to be a thorou#h pro#ram, and the teachers took this seriously! 0very 1ob is important, so an e%tensive pro#ram should be presented so that when students #raduate, they will be able to properly perform their 1ob! ,s in the situation re#ardin# the -LT pro#ram, those who are successful will be eli#ible to take an e%am for certification, #iven by The 2oard of Re#istry of the ,merican Society for /linical Patholo#y 3cscc!edu4! The thorou#h pro#ram is an e%ample of how classes should be conducted! "ow, $ do understand that students may need assistance from the instructor, by askin# uestions, and perhaps seekin# the assistance of a tutor at the colle#e! $n re#ards to this, $ think it is important for students to take responsibility, and this includes takin# advanta#e of the assistance a colle#e offers! This may be in the form of talkin# to a professor, or seekin# the council of an advisor to set up the proper path for a de#ree pro#ram! So $ think that the same rules that apply to /olumbus States -LT pro#ram may be considered universal! So they are #ood principles! This relates to Deweys thou#hts on education! ,s he stated, students should be prepared for the situation they are in! /ommandin# a situation, where this e%ists in a classroom or on a 1ob, allows the student to make meanin#ful decisions and to benefit!

'e should all be educated, and this education should be pro1ected in the tasks we accomplish at colle#e and at work! Deweys position on the school as a form of community life is somethin# that we should appreciate! $ believe it is true that we learn specific information at school, as well as lessons that will be of benefit! These principles alone would seem to be the start of a #reat school, if those who are teachin# will keep these in mind when they are teachin# and interactin# with students! $t is important to me to keep school educational, as that is the purpose! $ have not cared for non5academic parts of school, such as sports pro#rams and music! ,lthou#h, if one is speciali6in# in music, then this may be appropriate! -y thinkin# on this topic, is that the school should always be focused on education, and all other aspects should not be in the forefront! $f one is attendin# colle#e or hi#h school, it should not matter what the buildin# looks like or if the school has a #ood sports team! These are distractions from reachin# ones true #oals! $t is #ood for students to have activities they en1oy, but these activities should not be at the forefront! The money that may be spent on a sports team or the condition of the buildin# may be used on academics instead! 0verythin# should be in proportion, and the school should not for#et about its mission statement! $n reference to my a#ency visit, /olumbus State has the mission statement for the -LT pro#ram of preparin# students for a career as a -edical Laboratory Technician, and to assist them in #raduatin#, so that the students who compete the pro#ram will be able to demonstrate to an employer that they possess the skills and knowled#e to successfully perform their 1ob! $ think that in many different fields of research and learnin#, that mission statements are similar, and this is to prepare students for the future and to make sure that everyone learns the material! This may be true of all educational institutions! ,lthou#h, Dewey e%presses that school prepares us for

the present time, with the teacher present to assist the student! $ do a#ree with this statement, but $ think there is an emphasis on preparation for the future, based on my own opinion! $f we obtain the knowled#e we need to use now, for our #oals in colle#e pro#rams, we will be able to use this knowled#e for our future endeavors! $ think that a primary #oal of education is to allow individuals to make positive chan#es for themselves, and to have a better life! These enhancements provided throu#h education allow one to improve personally, economically, and in other areas of their life! $t is a sense of fulfillment! This relates back to meetin# ones #oals, and education as the process that allows individuals to reach their full potential! /hapter *( in the Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education be#ins by tellin# us of the mission of education, that it is structured to allow individuals make enhancements in their lives and also to prosper in a democratic and capitalist society 3Pfahl, -c/lenney, pp! **)4! There is also importance in re#ards to e uality, in that all students should have the same opportunities, re#ardless of who they are! $ share this perspective, and $ feel that an instructor should work with all students, helpin# everyone to learn on an individual level! ,n instructor must be informed of the information they are teachin#, and it would be to their advanta#e and also to the advanta#e of the students if the instructor has a passion for the sub1ect matter! $n addition to this, a #ood instructor should have patience, and they will be able to help students by answerin# uestions and e%plainin# topics in various ways, in order to make sure that everyone in class is understandin# the material! ,s it relates to this topic, Dewey e%plains in chapter + of his book that in order to have a benefit for students and instructors, and $ believe this would also be for society, that the education system must be based on e%perience! $ think this relates to the #ood ualities of

an instructor, as it will take e%perience in order to properly obtain these ualities! 7ne may have ideals, but $ feel that true knowled#e for an instructor is created over time, by workin# with students and learnin# of what is and is not effective by e%perience! $ a#ree with Dewey, that there is not a replacement for e%perience 3Dewey, pp! +)4! To have a better education system, as described by Dewey, we must dedicate years in pursuit of it, and be willin# to cooperate with others and have the patience the process deserves 3Dewey, pp! )84! $ think what Dewey is emphasi6in# here, in addition to other principles, is that there is not an easy way to obtain e%perience and it can take time to make positive chan#es! .rom the book that he wrote, $ believe that he #enuinely cares about the education system, includin# the future for all of us! ,lthou#h his book was published many years a#o, it is relevant today! 'e may all have our thou#hts and opinions on education, and the necessary chan#es, and Deweys book allows us to have more insi#ht into chan#es, includin# the modification of our own ideas! 'e also need to understand e%perience, and not 1ust what we think it means 3Dewey, pp! +)5)(4! $ a#ree with Dewey, that we need to learn the most important cate#ories of readin#, math, and science, as well as other principles such as the way of cookin# and other practical skills! $ feel that Dewey e%presses that we need to have a positive chan#e in society that be#ins in the settin# of school! $ feel this makes sense, and althou#h we are all individuals with our uni ue talents, $ think that school should be a way to #ive us education and allow us to make improvements in many of our life areas! $ think Dewey mentions somethin# that is fundamental, when he tells us that all of the sub1ects in school have a foundation in the basics of life 3Dewey, pp! 9*4! $ also found it interestin# that Dewey su##ests that some students should take classes that are compatible with them! $

had not necessarily thou#ht of this, as $ think there are many classes that will benefit everyone! $ do believe that everyone has their own stren#ths and weaknesses, so $ suppose that this is related to what he is communicatin#! The development of a student would be related to what they are interested in! $ think this is true, and in colle#e we take classes that will allow us to have the education and e%perience we need for our career of choice! 2ased on our pursuit of education, we have our #oals in mind, and the classes we take will assist in allowin# us to reach these #oals! 'ith education as the fundamental method of makin# positive chan#es in both education and society, $ think that it is the responsibility of the teachers to #uide these chan#es! Therefore, $ feel that Deweys book is of #reat benefit to students and instructors, and we should consider his pro#ressive approach to education and meanin#ful e%periences! 0ducation is the means of prosperity and self fulfillment, in order to reach our full potential we must seek knowled#e! $nstructors work to provide this knowled#e and improve our education system, so importance should be placed on selectin# instructors who have the e%perience and education re uired for the 1ob! Students are workin# towards meetin# #oals and havin# a better life, and one of the responsibilities of the instructor is to help the student to meet these #oals! $nstead of i#norin# the education system, Dewey wrote his book in order to enli#hten us with the principles that he felt were important! $ think we must keep in mind the essentials of education, and accordin# to Dewey one essential is to make sure that all material that is presented relates to earlier e%periences! $n this way, the material builds upon itself, and we are advancin# our ideas and learnin# new facts 3Dewey, pp!9:4! $ appreciate his work and it is beneficial to apply what his ideas and principles to our own style of teachin#! &opefully we will all

contribute to the further development of education, implementin# our own ideas and educatin# students based on our e%perience!

References

Pfahl, "ancy L!; -c/lenney, <ay -!; 72anion, Terry; Sullivan, Leila =!; 'ilson, /ynthia D 3>8(84! Social Justice In Adult And Continuing Education! <asworm, /arol 0!; Rose, ,my D; Ross5=ordon, Jovita -! 30d!4 Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education 3PP! **)4! ?nited States of ,merica@ S,=0 Publications!

Dewey, John 3()*+4! Experience & Education. Simon A Schuster! ?nited States of ,merica@ Touchstone!

/olumbus State /ommunity /olle#e Bhttp@CCwww!cscc!eduCaboutCD