“Schools fail because they do not focus on the child’s development; they are simply trying to teach the academic material and not life lessons that are necessary for success in both school and life.”– James Comer
Post #1 in category. Please read all posts in numerical order.
*Quotations in this post are from John Dewey unless otherwise referenced.
John Dewey believed that “education was not preparation for life but is life itself.” Children learn best through tangible activities, when the body and the mind work together in real-life environments to accomplish real things.
Traditional, formal teaching methods are not necessarily the best way to learn.
Dewey believed in learning through experience. The best education happens when the child is doing something meaningful, and the thinking and learning will follow from the doing. “Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.”
Children with neurodevelopmental issues may need more time, more repetition and feelings of safety, trust and purpose to engage and to learn. Many are less likely to thrive in traditional educational and therapeutic command-and-control systems.
Given interesting and purposeful activities, the right support, motivation, effort and success, they become more collaborative, more open to learning “how” and “why.” A well-planned activity, with tailored mediation, helps the child to focus, to learn ways to solve problems, to regulate emotions and to persevere. “The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning.”
Self-control does not develop through adult commands. It develops through experience when a child repeats a task, receives useful feedback, chooses how to act and notices the results. Real-life learning helps the child gain confidence and control.
The skills learned in formal sit-down lessons are not enough. Larger, more meaningful real-life practical experiences and processes need to be internalized and understood, and frequently and willingly applied and practiced.
The child needs to learn the content, the processes and the purpose of interesting, responsible and valued activities such as caring for an animal, or for a friend. They learn to do it correctly with just enough support and prerequisite review.
They receive satisfaction from their feelings of responsibility and success. They are rewarded by the pride and self-worth that come from effort, from learning and advancement and from their positive contributions to family and community beyond themselves.
Every child, regardless of cognitive level, speech, mobility, or diagnosis, can participate and contribute in some way. Parents, teachers and therapists can design activities where their contribution can emerge and be valued.
No child develops in isolation. The best learning environments are collaborative. Children benefit from being alongside others, observing, working together, sharing, solving problems together, sometimes being helped, and at other times supporting, and giving back as they help others.
Meaningful learning involves more than the memorization of information. It involves learning to keep trying when something does not work the first time. Real-life learning involves knowing how to transfer knowledge from one experience and situation to another. It involves knowing when and how to ask for help.
With mediation and support, two or three children can organize, collaborate, build, fix, or repurpose something. Through real-life, purposeful activities, children enthusiastically enjoy connecting with others, discovering their world, and learning about themselves.
A Pragmatic Theory of Education
“John Dewey discussed children with special needs, advocating for an inclusive philosophy of education that emphasized their full participation and development within a democratic society. He opposed the use of [standardized] intelligence tests for students with disabilities, arguing they were impractical and detrimental. Dewey’s educational theory supported tailoring the curriculum to individual students’ needs, interests, and abilities to foster social sympathy and allow all individuals to make unique contributions.” AI
“Personal Connection to Disability: Dewey’s understanding of disability was deeply influenced by his family, as he and his wife, Alice, were attentive parents to their son who had a disability. They confronted disability prejudice and advocated for his full inclusion in the community.” AI
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY: Macmillan.
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