John Dewey 1859 1952 Learning Intentions Background Introduce

John Dewey (1859 -1952)

Learning Intentions • Background: Introduce Dewey • Explore Dewey’s Definitions of Reflective Practice • Introduce Dewey’s Theory: - The 5 phases of Individual Reflection - Characteristics needed to be able to Reflect • Explore Theory in Practice • Final Thoughts

Dewey’s Background • He was born in Burlington, Vermont, U. S. A • He studied a BA at Vermont University. • He went on to be an educator where his ideas around ‘ Thinking’ came during the post-Great Depression period. • He wrote 37 volumes on various topics which included education, experience, nature, art, logic, Democracy, enquiry and ethics. • These volumes included ‘The child and the curriculum’ (1902) and ‘How we think’ (1933). • His ideas were a progression on Piaget’s work. (Learning by doing) • Dewey initially suggested the experimental cycle which was later developed by Kolb which would go on to be used as a basis for other Reflective cycles - Gibbs. • He suggested that one of the main aims of Education is to help people acquire habits of Reflection so they can engage in intelligent thought and action rather than routine thought and action.

Dewey’s Definitions of Reflective Practice • Dewey viewed Reflective practice as “ active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it, and the further conditions to which that constitutes reflective thought” ( Dewey 1933) • “ Reflection is to look back over what has been done so far, to extract the net meanings which are the capital stock for intelligent dealings with further experiences” (Dewey 1938) • The linking of Reflection to problem solving leads Dewey to the conclusion that ‘search or enquiry to test the value of the suggestion before finally accepting it’ is essential. ( Warwick 2007) • He outlined what Reflection was not. It is not just mulling over things that interests us. This seems to be the interpretation of many today. (Dewey 1933)

Dewey’s Theory of Reflective Practice The 5 phases of individual Reflection: 1. Suggestion – A doubtful situation/experience is understood to be problematic, suggestions are considered as possible solutions. 2. Intellectualization – Experiencing the problem directly, what do we already know that can help us. 3. Development of a hypothesis – Building on the first suggestion, what further evidence do we need. 4. Elaboration of hypothesis – What might happen following the reflection on past and present ideas. 5. Testing the hypothesis – What do we need to do to test the idea, whether by experiencing it or through imaginative action.

Dewey’s Theory of Reflective Practice Dewey’s key Characteristics needed to be able to reflect. 1. Open mindedness: A willingness to listen to all the facts and consider alternative possibilities. 2. Responsibility: Being aware of the consequences of our actions. 3. Wholeheartedness: Demonstrating enthusiasm and commitment to the area of learning. Together these three attitudes are vital ingredients of the ‘professional’ commitment which needs to be demonstrated by all those who aim to be reflective teachers. (Pollard 1997) Dewey also identified the following as being important; Self- awareness, Intercultural communication skills, Patience, Ability to experiment and Actively seeking feedback.

Example of Theory in Practice Situation: A child wanting to ride a bike without support. Suggestion: We know the child has a sense of balance but we will need to find a suitable bike, a suitable area to ride on and someone to support the child but with as little help as possible. Intellectualization: The child attempts to ride the bike but is unable to balance whilst staying on the saddle and pedaling the bike. Further development needed. Developing the hypothesis: We make sure the saddle is low enough for both feet to be flat on the ground, we find a slight slope as a starting point, we ask the child to lift both feet off the ground but not to use the pedals. We support the child to begin with as they freewheel down the slope. Give lots of praise at this point. Elaboration: Thinking about what might happen now we are confident that the child can lift their feet off the ground and gain balance without having to think about making the bike move with the pedals. Testing: The child is now able to balance and travel down the slope. We now try and use the pedals and repeat the process. Then we can move on to a flat area to develop speed, travelling in a straight line and turning the bike.

Final Thoughts • Dewey observed that Teachers who do not bother to think about their work become slaves to routine, and that the main challenge of learning was learning how to think intelligently. “ While we cannot learn or be taught to think, we do have to learn how to think well, especially how to acquire the general habits of reflecting”. (Dewey 1933) • Some may say that routine is needed but when asked how I teach the same classes each year, I answered “ I do not teach classes I teach students”, so there is no routine for me. (Farrell 2012) • Practitioners need to look at their experiences, review and examine in the light of evidence they collect and then plan what action to take as a result. • Above all Dewey considered Reflection a form of freedom from routine behaviour. (Dewey 1933) • He was advocating early for a form of evidence based training in order to learn.