John Dewey

John Dewey was an individual known for his philosophies of education particularly pragmatism. He mainly believes that school should be more of an active experience and not so focused in on the length of time and it being so restrictive. Dewey’s ideas have been extremely influential concerning schools systems and I think that my beliefs are best represented throughout his beliefs. I have decided to focus in on John Dewey because I recently have declared my minor to be psychology which is what Dewey focuses on and interprets education through psychology.

I strongly believe that in order for children to learn something and retain it they must first experience it. The best way for me to learn something is to visualize it and experience it with my own hands. This helps me gain a mental picture of the information being expressed. I know this might not be the best approach for everyone, however, I think for the most part in order for someone to fully remember something and put it to good use they must first experience it themselves.

Dewey focuses in on the psychology in a sense of developmental and social manners. In order to confirm any judgments or set assumptions about anything in life we must first prove it is correct by testing it out for ourselves. He believes that any judgments containing value express propositions that are designed for empirical testing for verification. Dewey believes anything that holds any form of value is something that should be pursued (if the value is positive) and rejected if it is negative. If we compare this outlook to education it is the knowledge that has the value and if that given knowledge is valued positively then it should be pursued and closely examined. This is why I think anything in education should be closely examined by the ones trying to gain the knowledge. If students had the opportunity to work hands on maybe they might value the given information and in the long run, value education as a whole.

Mainstreaming is selectively placing disabled students into an education in a regular classroom atmosphere. Mainstreaming is not a part of the law; however, it is sometimes the most preferred practice. These special education students must gain the opportunity to be placed into these regular classrooms by proving they can keep up with the required workload given by the teacher. This provides the disabled student the opportunity to learn with peers of the same age with a more challenging curriculum. If these students are placed in a learning environment with other students that are not disabled could this help them develop more socially then if they were strictly learning with other disabled students?

If the student is placed in a special education classroom the entire day then they are being alienated from the rest of their peers. Down syndrome children could expand their social development if they were placed in a mainstreaming classroom. Many parents and educators were in favor of merging regular and special education into the same school system. Some argued that it only promoted inappropriate attitudes toward disabled students. Questions aroused such as, what effects would the disabled student have on classmates? Would these students be likely to disturbed the learning environment? Educators agreed these questions would only get answered if the regular classroom teacher and special education teacher worked together. Many strategies have been made to assure each student in a mainstreamed classroom successfully received an appropriate education.

Every student should have the opportunity to learn in the appropriate classroom setting. Mainstreaming gives disabled students the chance to become a part of a regular classroom that can challenge their overall intelligence. When disabled students, such as those with Down syndrome, learn in a special education classroom they are lacking the full ability to develop socially. Many people underestimate their intelligence and don’t realize that they have normal intellectual potential. If these disabled students were given a chance to express their aptitude in an environment with ordinary students then they would not only increase their social development but their intellectual development as well.