My thoughts after reading "Experience and Education" John Dewey.

This small book – John Dewey Experience and Education triggered a thought process that is leading me to a complex bundle of questions associated with all the discussion and reading so far.

Circumstances compel us to compromise!! Yes sure they do then why are we all the time addressing what has to be done and not how it should be done. Because I see that it is “getting there” that is an issue not the “where to get” part. Progressive education has become integral part of the system of education. We no longer have a choice to stick to traditional methods. We should either transform completely or mix methods in a way that it addresses both traditional and innovative new reforms adequately. Thinking on the lines of Generation X, is necessary for educating them. This generation, typically are digital natives and they can hardly imagine themselves without technology! In such a scenario if they are compelled to go to a classroom without laptops or phones, most of them would not be interested to even attend such a class. So the fair compromise that I can think of is using laptops and engaging students productively in the instruction by the usage of their laptops. Is it possible for curriculum to integrate technology and make learning appealing assuming the compromise of distraction associated with the use of technology? If so how can we achieve this?

Emphasis on the freedom of the learner – is another idea that can alter the status quo of education. Which level of learners are we talking about here, with age the dynamic of understanding, social interactions and effect of external influences keep altering and thus, the effective use of freedom too differs. Progressive learning can be successfully established only if learning is not restricted to schools. In reality learning is a continuous process which has very delicate or no boundaries. It takes place at all locations, through every interaction and through every sense organ. Consciously and subconsciously we are always presented with new information that processes and associates itself with existing knowledge there by making learning a continuous and progressive act. Irrespective of the teachers control on what is being taught, the learner always has associated knowledge flow. Environmental or external conditions have to co-ordinate with the learning process then learning takes place more affectively. A level of personal freedom to ask, act and react makes students comfortable to learn. So defining freedom that is to be given in a school setting is necessary.

Experience and Education, are discussed in relation with each other but my question is does formal education has the power to transform every experience into an educative experience? If it can, then a meaningful living can be easily achieved as there will not be any mis-educative experiences that will challenge the ethical base of an individual. If I am asked to picture visually how experience and education are related to a person’s life – I would imagine this person holding a rope which is made up of two twisted threads. One being education and the other experience. Holding this rope he is climbing a wall which is his life. If one of the threads in this rope is weak or cut off he can surpass that weak point but it makes those moments vulnerable for him and his life.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny”

This quote reminds me of the purpose of education. Education according to me must help in shaping up a destiny worth living for.

And that originates from progressive, positive, proactive thoughts. So our thoughts direct our life. I remember Dr Becker once explaining the difference between educated and uneducated – He said an educated mind can take new ideas gracefully, learn and accept them but an uneducated person repels new ideas or things he/she does not know. Acknowledging new ideas requires a stable thought process that takes input constructively and that can only be achieved if curriculum is designed to do so.

            When experiences, education (formal) and individual thoughts react with each other in a funnel the outcome of this blend would result in the quality of life that person lives.