John Dewey - Dictionary of Education

John Dewey: Dictionary of Education is a comprehensive resource on John Dewey’s approach to education. With smart, concise definitions pertaining to Dewey’s philosophies, editor Ralph B. Winn has constructed a classic dictionary and indispensible tool for anyone who wants ready access to Dewey’s most incisive thought on crucial points in the study of education. John Dewey was the most famous teacher of philosophy in the early twentieth century, and he was known for his lifelong work to reform America’s educational system. Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1859 to strict Calvinist parents. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Dewey taught high school and studied philosophy in his spare time. He finished his doctorate degree at Johns Hopkins University and continued to teach at various universities around the country, finally landing at Columbia University. While in New York, Dewey became involved in political groups and founded what would become the progressive education movement, which purported that students should learn to think for themselves to become active participants of a democratic society. He was also a founding member of the NAACP and the ACLU. At this time, Dewey was influenced by Karl Marx, and after traveling to different countries to study their educational systems, praised Soviet education and came under scrutiny in the United States. Dewey continued his political and philosophical efforts until his death in 1952.