Dewey and Decroly — Progressive Educational Theories & Methods
John Dewey (USA, 1859–1952)
Biography and career
John Dewey (USA, 1859–1952) earned a Ph.D. and taught at the University of Michigan. In 1904 he was appointed professor at Columbia University, where he served until his retirement.
Role of education
Role of education: Education is a constant reorganization of experience and is closely related to the community. Dewey assigned three main functions to education:
- Personal development
- Operation of equal opportunity
- Occupational integration in the economy
The learner
The learner: Children, when they enter school, do not start from scratch. They come with an impulse to communicate, to build, to probe, and to express. The child learns primarily through experience.
The teacher
The teacher: The teacher's role is to guide and orient. Dewey described three possible professional models:
- Those working primarily in pure research
- Those directly involved in the classroom
- Those trained in the skills of observation
Method
Method: There is no single "Dewey method," but he distinguishes between the individual and the general method. Methods of teaching and inquiry should be derived from the scientific method.
Implementation
Implementation: Dewey's experimental school was based on educational experimentation aimed at democratic psychology. It was functional and reflected Dewey's democratic ethos. He elaborated a practical sequence of inquiry that includes:
- Find a problem and seek a solution
- Collect data
- Develop an organized sequence of activities
- Construct a hypothesis
- Test the hypothesis against data
The inquiries often returned to fields of study related to four practical topics: timber (work with wood), shelter, clothing, and alimentación (food/nutrition).
Ovide Decroly (Belgium, 1871–1932)
Biography and early work
Ovide Decroly (Belgium, 1871–1932) was a Belgian educator. He began by working successfully with children with handicaps and later opened his own school, often called the "School for Life."
Principles of the Decroly methodology
Principles of the Decroly method: The objective was to develop moral observation and social autonomy, training the child to be able to observe, think, and act independently in social life. Decroly's pedagogy is based on the concept of interest—the child's interests in their needs and in objects that are part of their natural and social environment.
He proposed several practical measures:
- Form groups of children rather than rigid, traditional classes.
- Reduce the number of pupils for more active classroom life.
- Provide spaces where the child can express themselves.
- Use searching activities that allow the child to reach the educational ideals of the school.
Decroly Method
Decroly Method: Based on two main principles:
- Interest — The child only truly learns what interests them. Therefore, a preliminary study should identify how to spark a child's interest in the subject matter.
- Globalization — The child should receive material in a holistic, global way rather than through fragmented, traditional programs. Decroly adapted and modified so-called "centers of interest" to organize learning around the child's life.
Places of interest for the child
Places of interest: Some natural centers of interest that arise in the child's life include:
- Feeding / alimentation
- Protection against the cold / shelter
- Safety / defense against hazards
- Play and entertainment
Types of exercises
In these interest centers, Decroly developed three types of exercises:
- Observation — based on sensory experiences and perceptions.
- Association — activities developed in space and time that encourage connections.
- Expression — abstract and concrete expression such as reading and writing.