EXPERIMENTALISM

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EXPERIMENTALISM

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John Dewey 1859-1952

• University of Vermont
• Taught High School
• Graduate work
• Doctorate in Philosophy

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Dewey

• A world figure
• Contributed significantly to education
• Began as an Idealist
• Rejected Idealism and Realism

More about John Dewey http//en.wikipedia.org/wik
i/John_Dewey http//www.utm.edu/research/iep/d/dew
ey.htm http//radicalacademy.com/phildewey.htm
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Social conditions Industrialization

• Trends
• Urbanization
• Enormous wealth
• Poor sweatshops women children
• Saw basic wrongs with this system
• Factor in development of his
• philosophy - Experimentalism

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Social conditions

• Labor movement
• Social unrest because of terrible conditions
• Dewey sponsored
• Liberal ideas
• Experiments

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Experimentalism

• Experience anything to learn it
• Education should be a study of social problems
• Solutions to social problems

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Experimentalism

• People shouldnt be taught what to think, but HOW
  to think.
• Process
• Critical evaluation
• Problem solving

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Education
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• Relevant content
• Utilitarian
• Help you and me to solve problems
• People in group problem solving to better society
• Work together
• Curriculum problem solving

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Cultural Elements

• 1. universals all of us agree to do these
• 2. alternatives things we may not agree to do
• 3. specialties some of the people know how to
  do

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Experimentalism Dewey says

• We have more alternatives than universals
• We need to teach people to think
• Establish equilibrium
• Idealism and Realism worked in old culture, but
  not any more.

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Overall views

• Environment
• Organism

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View Learner
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• 1. In environment that is social and natural
• 2. Moved by personal drives
• 3. Engages in constant interaction with
  environment
• 4. Interaction produces problems
• 5. Occurs when individual seems to satisfy his or
  her needs
• 6. Group life and human association human
  welfare and survival

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Why Experimentalism?

• Social conditions times influence
• Utilitarian if you cant use it, throw it away
• Bring about change
• Social construct

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Metaphysics What is real?

• Reality is found in Experience
• Reality is found as you are experiencing
  something
• Reality is experiencing something
• IN EXPERIENCING SOMETHING YOU CREATE KNOWLEDGE

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Metaphysics

• Experiencing something is as close to reality as
  we can get.
• Experimentalism is based in the here and now.
• CONSTRUCTIVISM Learner discovers his or her own
  knowledge puts own meaning on this knowledge

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Epistemology

• How do we know what we know?
• Through engagement in problem solving
• Teach how to think
• Improve society
• Reject absolutes no certainties
• Group work

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Problem solve - 5 steps

• Indeterminate situation gap in knowledge
• State the problem
• Brainstorm solutions
• What are the consequences? Test hypothesis for a
  finding
• Draw conclusions

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Axiology

• No absolutes
• Laws - People decide
• Immigration diversity
• We need people empowered to create environment
  where change can occur
• Who moved my cheese?

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Ethics

• Values are temporary
• Values change
• Value theory
• Empowerment
• Change
• No longer top-down
• People determine the value and ethics for the
  times change agents

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Art

• People determine good art
• Form follows function (Definition)
• Simplicity
• Art for our sake
• Utilitarian

Fruit Bowl by Magnus Björkbom
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