Dewey would agree and even disagree with the methods that Brooklyn Free School. He would agree because this school gives the opportunity of children to learn that would give insight and even insight into human significance. But at the same time Dewey calls for work (which the Brooklyn school does not force) as work keeps children "alert and active, instead of passive and receptive". Work gives children a way to discipline which is needed later on life. The Brooklyn school does not impose homework or tests or any such work that requires this discipline. However, this school does teach children to learn and how to learn to live in a way. It gives children to experience learning with interaction of the material and let children learn on their own. Dewey main point is that schools not only need to teach children to acquire knowledge through textbooks but also let children cultivate interest and insight and looking at a larger picture.
In general, Dewey would probably have reacted to the Brooklyn Free School very positively, especially in comparison to the average public school. However, Sachi brings up a good point that he would find the Brooklyn school almost too democratic. He certainly understands the social efficiency aspect of schooling, by stressing the need for students to learn good work habits and discipline. However, it is arguable that self-taught discipline and work ethic would be more efficient than instruction.
In any case, the democratic, hands-on, individuality-based Brooklyn Free School certainly fits Dewey's perspective. Because of the limits of his time-period, his viewpoint still stresses the need for disciplined instruction. However, using Dewey as a basis, the Brooklyn school adapted his viewpoint to the modern time-period, where students learn the skills he found important in a relatively self-instructed manner.
Dewey would most likely agree with the social aspect of the Brooklyn Free School. Students there are encouraged to participate in discussion and cast their votes on issues. This could foster abstract and critical thinking as students solve problems through discussion rather than by having facts deposited into their brain. Dewey also presses that students need to learn how to function in society in school, and this is the perfect place for students to do that as they can freely partake in any social activities.
However, I think that Dewey would assert that schools need a certain kind of focus. He mentions that even though he wants students to have a liberal and general education to enrich their lives, the focus of schooling should still be towards finding a future occupation for the students. What he does not want is for students to be cogs in a machine, but rather for them to understand why they're doing whatever it is they will be doing later on. From the surface, it does not look like the Brooklyn Free School offers any kind of career-oriented focus. In fact, it appears that the point of it is that the school is not very focused in any way. This, I think Dewey would have strong feelings against.
I believe Dewey would agree with the Brooklyn free school with only a few exceptions. The biggest difference that seems to come up is the work that Dewey believes the children should have versus the lack of things like homework and tests that the Brooklyn free school has. Dewey wants children to learn these working skills in school so that they can use them throughout their lives. Community life and order/discipline are also extremely important in Dewey’s way of school where it is not important when it comes to the Brooklyn free school.
I think that Dewey would generally have positive feedback for the Brooklyn Free School. Jurriaan and Sachi bring up a good point about the Brooklyn Free School being too democratic. As they had mentioned, Dewey brings up how work is important to keep children "alert and active" preparing children the discipline needed throughout adulthood. A good point that Tom brings up is that the Brooklyn Free School doesn't seem to have any focuses on careers, something that Dewey wouldn't like very much; there is basically no focus at all in the Brooklyn Free School. Although the Brooklyn Free School doesn't provide disciplined instruction, the Brooklyn Free School does follow Dewey's viewpoints on learning.
I think overall Dewey would agree with the social aspects of what the Brooklyn free school is doing. It reflects real life; there is mingling of different age groups, children are given responsibility for their actions and learning, and are encouraged to participate in legislative processes like determining school rules. Dewey would commend this greatly. Developing critical thinking in this way creates better voters, and giving children responsibility prepares them for what will happen in the workplace. Dewey also would be enthralled at the amount of hands-on learning that takes place. Being in New York City is a wonderful opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. I think Dewey would disapprove of the lack of testing. Testing allows for an easy, accessible way to judge progress of the student, and efficacy of the educator, especially when faced with a group of taxpayers who want to know that their money isn't being wasted. Also Dewey would not like the lack of emphasis on the core disciplines. While he would applaud their encouragement of children's innate want of learning, he would feel that giving a uniform education helps to provide a sense of community. By allowing students to choose what it is they want to learn, they become too independent, and can no longer function as well in a society that is almost entirely based on teamwork and cooperation.
I think that Dewey would appreciate the idea of the free school. I think Dewey would like that students are occupied and engaged in their learning at the Brooklyn Free School. Because the school lacks a rigid structure, students are learning what they want to learn in a more hands-on and active way than in traditional schools, which I think is something that Dewey is advocating. The Brooklyn Free School also doesn’t give grades or tests- something that I think Dewey could appreciate. From what I understood, Dewey thought that simply memorizing material to be tested on was not beneficial to the student. The lack of tests allow for individual development that is not hindered by standards for the student’s educational experience. This school also plays to role of teaching kids to be free thinkers, not just another cog in the corporate machine, something that Dewey thought was important to instill in our youth.
Dewey would agree with the Brooklyn Free School reserves. Seeing that the school is being used as a sort of "mock society" would be highly appealing to him because he see's [trade] schools as more applicable to the present then the near future. This is a more hands on approach and can be related to his opinion that the sense organs should be shaped by alertness, not training. The main conflict I see may be the lack of careers to an extent. Dewey subtly mentions that women should be the housemakers, so in that sense Dewey probably wouldn't mind. But for the men they are the one's to receive higher education and that's where the lack of structure may become an issue. Dewey's ideal learning society could be summed up in his quote "continual training of observation, ingenuity, constructive imagination, of logical thought, and of the sense of reality acquired through 1st hand contact with actualities."
There is a great deal of similarity in the program of the Brooklyn free school and John Dewey's philosophy on education. Dewey strongly believed that education should bring forth a sense of democracy and social reform. Because of this, he was also an advocate for ‘hands-on learning’ where students were allowed to engage with their environment or classroom setting. And so, as other classmates have viewed, Dewey would generally support the program of the Brooklyn Free School in company of some reservations.
Like Tom and Sam mentioned, Dewey would ideally want more of a structure to the curriculum of the children’s education. Simply allowing the children and staff to decide on a democratic basis what they want to learn isn’t something that would fly with John Dewey. He acknowledges the important role of a teacher and their relationship to students, but rejects the idea of an authoritative figure “teaching” a classroom full of passively listening students. The Brooklyn school is definitely in the clear for that. But the loose attendance policy and lack of any type of assessment or evaluations
On another note, Dewey did advocate the purpose of developing a set of skills or ability through natural means of hands on experience. Taking the Brooklyn schooling program into consideration, that particular aspect of Dewey’s vision for education may reasonably have higher rates of occurrence due to the highly creative and egalitarian environment where both students and staff have equal weight on decision-making. If children’s minds are open-minded enough, I’d predict a decent percentage of the student body discovers their talent, special or not. Dewey proponed as long as it contributed to society and to the good of the public in some fashion, it was desirable.
I think that Dewey would disagree with the Brooklyn Free School. It would give the students and school systems more freedom and flexibility with education. I think that this idea would benefit the students and will motivate them to want to learn rather than force them to learn (memorize) the structured curriculum, but on the other hand, what the students desire to learn may not side with the idea of reconstructing society. It wouldn't benefit society, but merely make the sense of schooling and education better for students.
Courtney introduces an idea that everyone else has avoided: that Dewey would disagree, wholely, with the Brooklyn Free School. Though i think this interpretation of Dewey's desire is valid, i think it speaks too closely with Dewey's words, as opposed to the spirit contained within them. It is important to remember that Dewey was pushing the limits of what was "age appropriate." Surely, Dewey must have made some compromises in an effort to hold his audience's attention, and not be dismissed as a radical. As most have mentioned, the lack of structure within the Brooklyn Free School system would have been pragmatic in Dewey's eyes, but not entirely wasteful, as he envisioned an invested hands on approach to education. Dewey was also a strong proponent of the role of education in molding democratic principle, and planting the seeds of social reform. Conclusively, Dewey’s general view of the Brooklyn Free School would be positive –albeit not without some misgivings.
I feel Dewey would have mixed feeling towards the methods practiced by Brooklyn Free School. I feel he would lean towards the Brooklyn Free School because of the possibilities that the school provides for students to expand how they learn and look at things. The concept behind the school would cause problems for Dewey due to differences in methodology. Dewey requires work and effort from the students even if they are uninterested in the subject, while the school the school does not have any set of guidelines to structure student participation or interaction. I have to agree with Dewey in the sense that work is necessary, especially because of the world we live in. Students have to be exposed to the way things work and the way jobs tend to work. The school does not quantify the students learning, which poses problems for those who believe in the standards set by the government. Dewey just presents a more structured system that has many of the same goals of the school.
On the whole, I agree with my classmates. Dewey would, very likely, support the thought behind Brooklyn Free School. He may not agree with every aspect, or have misgivings, as my classmates have also said. However, his misgivings, at the end of the day, would likely make him not support the Brooklyn Free School itself, as Courtney pointed out. While he would value students taking a hands-on approach with their education, he seemed to place a great deal of particular values on what children ought to learn. He wouldn't want them to have free reign to pick whatever they may want to study if it had no benefit to society or to the students' likely futures.
I think Dewey would agree with the idea of Brooklyn free school. I agree with Aidan where she said Dewey would like the idea that Brooklyn free school does not provide any tests or exams. Dewey thought of importance of Education is something should be learned hands on and you can use them in your daily lives, you cannot simply memorize which will not be helpful for the children. But Brooklyn free school is not preparing the children well enough and this school is extremely democratic where students can do whatever they want, not providing disciplined which Dewey would not appreciate. One thing that Dewey thinks it is important about education is that schools should teach the children how to be discipline/active with community life where Brooklyn school does not think it is important.
Like most of my classmates I agree that Dewey would support the Brooklyn Free School as a viable option for school, since it is another progressive form a schooling and does share some of his ideals for schooling. However, I'm sure he would disagree with some of their practices. While he would like the democratic community of the school, he would not have favored the freedom children are given to pursue any subject that holds their interest. Dewey believed in teaching the basic subjects in schools but in a different more hands on way of learning. Therefore he probably would have disapproved of the Brooklyn Free School's abandonment of traditional school subjects for all children.
Dewey also would like the hands-on techniques to learning they are applying, how they take "frequent trips to visit individuals, organizations, businesses, and/or communities in the New York Metropolitan area that can enlighten and enrich students' understanding, knowledge and experience in a given area of interest". I believe Dewey would appreciate their application of learning to a broader understanding through applied learning and individual attention. I'm not sure how Dewey would feel about the mixed-age teaching or the lack of testing and homework. While he would probably support doing away with repetitive memorization of facts, he still might favor some form of alternative testing to gauge how a child is doing and what they need help on.
Dewey would both agree with many aspects of the Brooklyn Free School; however, there are a few bold ideas that Dewey would greatly disagree with. For example, the idea of service to the community is a highly important aspect for Dewey; however, it was nonexistent in the Brooklyn school system. Moreover, Dewey is and advocate for applying learning and wants students to be able to have freedom and pursue more career-oriented skills. In my eyes, Dewey is a more logical thinker and wants student to be the most efficient.
The Brooklyn Free School reminds me of a pedagogical progressive in Dewey’s time, William Heard Kilpatrick. We read that Kilpatrick developed an approach to teaching that was based on the students’ interests and experiences. Often, students’ projects and trips, though they incorporated more hands-on learning and likely increased student engagement, strayed too far from academic expectations for Dewey’s liking. Dewey, I believe, would not fully support schools like the Brooklyn Free School primarily because there is too little structure in the program to ensure a sustained democratic citizenry as its output. Perhaps, this modern take on schools is a new stem in progressive education ideology; it just seems inconsistent with Dewey’s desire, not to supplant the whole idea of conventional learning (Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!), but to expand on it by involving the students as active participants in their education and including rich, real-world learning experiences.
The Brooklyn Free School, like the majority of my fellow classmates have already stated, is probably a place that Dewey would have promoted. The school enriches students to actively participate in critical thinking, legislation, and overall freedom for the classes that a student wishes to take. However, Dewey calls for students to be prepared, disciplined, and "alert and active" at all times. The Brooklyn Free School, in my opinion, is not fulfilling these characteristics and are not truly preparing students for the real world and the modern economy. Students have the privilege for choosing their own classes and receiving hands on experience; but how will they fare against a well-educated collegian counterpart?
Dewey would agree and even disagree with the methods that Brooklyn Free School. He would agree because this school gives the opportunity of children to learn that would give insight and even insight into human significance. But at the same time Dewey calls for work (which the Brooklyn school does not force) as work keeps children "alert and active, instead of passive and receptive". Work gives children a way to discipline which is needed later on life. The Brooklyn school does not impose homework or tests or any such work that requires this discipline. However, this school does teach children to learn and how to learn to live in a way. It gives children to experience learning with interaction of the material and let children learn on their own. Dewey main point is that schools not only need to teach children to acquire knowledge through textbooks but also let children cultivate interest and insight and looking at a larger picture.
ReplyDeleteIn general, Dewey would probably have reacted to the Brooklyn Free School very positively, especially in comparison to the average public school. However, Sachi brings up a good point that he would find the Brooklyn school almost too democratic. He certainly understands the social efficiency aspect of schooling, by stressing the need for students to learn good work habits and discipline. However, it is arguable that self-taught discipline and work ethic would be more efficient than instruction.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, the democratic, hands-on, individuality-based Brooklyn Free School certainly fits Dewey's perspective. Because of the limits of his time-period, his viewpoint still stresses the need for disciplined instruction. However, using Dewey as a basis, the Brooklyn school adapted his viewpoint to the modern time-period, where students learn the skills he found important in a relatively self-instructed manner.
Dewey would most likely agree with the social aspect of the Brooklyn Free School. Students there are encouraged to participate in discussion and cast their votes on issues. This could foster abstract and critical thinking as students solve problems through discussion rather than by having facts deposited into their brain. Dewey also presses that students need to learn how to function in society in school, and this is the perfect place for students to do that as they can freely partake in any social activities.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that Dewey would assert that schools need a certain kind of focus. He mentions that even though he wants students to have a liberal and general education to enrich their lives, the focus of schooling should still be towards finding a future occupation for the students. What he does not want is for students to be cogs in a machine, but rather for them to understand why they're doing whatever it is they will be doing later on. From the surface, it does not look like the Brooklyn Free School offers any kind of career-oriented focus. In fact, it appears that the point of it is that the school is not very focused in any way. This, I think Dewey would have strong feelings against.
I believe Dewey would agree with the Brooklyn free school with only a few exceptions. The biggest difference that seems to come up is the work that Dewey believes the children should have versus the lack of things like homework and tests that the Brooklyn free school has. Dewey wants children to learn these working skills in school so that they can use them throughout their lives. Community life and order/discipline are also extremely important in Dewey’s way of school where it is not important when it comes to the Brooklyn free school.
ReplyDeleteI think that Dewey would generally have positive feedback for the Brooklyn Free School. Jurriaan and Sachi bring up a good point about the Brooklyn Free School being too democratic. As they had mentioned, Dewey brings up how work is important to keep children "alert and active" preparing children the discipline needed throughout adulthood. A good point that Tom brings up is that the Brooklyn Free School doesn't seem to have any focuses on careers, something that Dewey wouldn't like very much; there is basically no focus at all in the Brooklyn Free School. Although the Brooklyn Free School doesn't provide disciplined instruction, the Brooklyn Free School does follow Dewey's viewpoints on learning.
ReplyDeleteI think overall Dewey would agree with the social aspects of what the Brooklyn free school is doing. It reflects real life; there is mingling of different age groups, children are given responsibility for their actions and learning, and are encouraged to participate in legislative processes like determining school rules. Dewey would commend this greatly. Developing critical thinking in this way creates better voters, and giving children responsibility prepares them for what will happen in the workplace. Dewey also would be enthralled at the amount of hands-on learning that takes place. Being in New York City is a wonderful opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think Dewey would disapprove of the lack of testing. Testing allows for an easy, accessible way to judge progress of the student, and efficacy of the educator, especially when faced with a group of taxpayers who want to know that their money isn't being wasted. Also Dewey would not like the lack of emphasis on the core disciplines. While he would applaud their encouragement of children's innate want of learning, he would feel that giving a uniform education helps to provide a sense of community. By allowing students to choose what it is they want to learn, they become too independent, and can no longer function as well in a society that is almost entirely based on teamwork and cooperation.
I think that Dewey would appreciate the idea of the free school. I think Dewey would like that students are occupied and engaged in their learning at the Brooklyn Free School. Because the school lacks a rigid structure, students are learning what they want to learn in a more hands-on and active way than in traditional schools, which I think is something that Dewey is advocating. The Brooklyn Free School also doesn’t give grades or tests- something that I think Dewey could appreciate. From what I understood, Dewey thought that simply memorizing material to be tested on was not beneficial to the student. The lack of tests allow for individual development that is not hindered by standards for the student’s educational experience. This school also plays to role of teaching kids to be free thinkers, not just another cog in the corporate machine, something that Dewey thought was important to instill in our youth.
ReplyDeleteDewey would agree with the Brooklyn Free School reserves. Seeing that the school is being used as a sort of "mock society" would be highly appealing to him because he see's [trade] schools as more applicable to the present then the near future. This is a more hands on approach and can be related to his opinion that the sense organs should be shaped by alertness, not training. The main conflict I see may be the lack of careers to an extent. Dewey subtly mentions that women should be the housemakers, so in that sense Dewey probably wouldn't mind. But for the men they are the one's to receive higher education and that's where the lack of structure may become an issue. Dewey's ideal learning society could be summed up in his quote "continual training of observation, ingenuity, constructive imagination, of logical thought, and of the sense of reality acquired through 1st hand contact with actualities."
ReplyDeleteThere is a great deal of similarity in the program of the Brooklyn free school and John Dewey's philosophy on education. Dewey strongly believed that education should bring forth a sense of democracy and social reform. Because of this, he was also an advocate for ‘hands-on learning’ where students were allowed to engage with their environment or classroom setting. And so, as other classmates have viewed, Dewey would generally support the program of the Brooklyn Free School in company of some reservations.
ReplyDeleteLike Tom and Sam mentioned, Dewey would ideally want more of a structure to the curriculum of the children’s education. Simply allowing the children and staff to decide on a democratic basis what they want to learn isn’t something that would fly with John Dewey. He acknowledges the important role of a teacher and their relationship to students, but rejects the idea of an authoritative figure “teaching” a classroom full of passively listening students. The Brooklyn school is definitely in the clear for that. But the loose attendance policy and lack of any type of assessment or evaluations
On another note, Dewey did advocate the purpose of developing a set of skills or ability through natural means of hands on experience. Taking the Brooklyn schooling program into consideration, that particular aspect of Dewey’s vision for education may reasonably have higher rates of occurrence due to the highly creative and egalitarian environment where both students and staff have equal weight on decision-making. If children’s minds are open-minded enough, I’d predict a decent percentage of the student body discovers their talent, special or not. Dewey proponed as long as it contributed to society and to the good of the public in some fashion, it was desirable.
I think that Dewey would disagree with the Brooklyn Free School. It would give the students and school systems more freedom and flexibility with education. I think that this idea would benefit the students and will motivate them to want to learn rather than force them to learn (memorize) the structured curriculum, but on the other hand, what the students desire to learn may not side with the idea of reconstructing society. It wouldn't benefit society, but merely make the sense of schooling and education better for students.
ReplyDeleteCourtney introduces an idea that everyone else has avoided: that Dewey would disagree, wholely, with the Brooklyn Free School. Though i think this interpretation of Dewey's desire is valid, i think it speaks too closely with Dewey's words, as opposed to the spirit contained within them. It is important to remember that Dewey was pushing the limits of what was "age appropriate." Surely, Dewey must have made some compromises in an effort to hold his audience's attention, and not be dismissed as a radical.
ReplyDeleteAs most have mentioned, the lack of structure within the Brooklyn Free School system would have been pragmatic in Dewey's eyes, but not entirely wasteful, as he envisioned an invested hands on approach to education. Dewey was also a strong proponent of the role of education in molding democratic principle, and planting the seeds of social reform. Conclusively, Dewey’s general view of the Brooklyn Free School would be positive –albeit not without some misgivings.
I feel Dewey would have mixed feeling towards the methods practiced by Brooklyn Free School. I feel he would lean towards the Brooklyn Free School because of the possibilities that the school provides for students to expand how they learn and look at things. The concept behind the school would cause problems for Dewey due to differences in methodology. Dewey requires work and effort from the students even if they are uninterested in the subject, while the school the school does not have any set of guidelines to structure student participation or interaction. I have to agree with Dewey in the sense that work is necessary, especially because of the world we live in. Students have to be exposed to the way things work and the way jobs tend to work. The school does not quantify the students learning, which poses problems for those who believe in the standards set by the government. Dewey just presents a more structured system that has many of the same goals of the school.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, I agree with my classmates. Dewey would, very likely, support the thought behind Brooklyn Free School. He may not agree with every aspect, or have misgivings, as my classmates have also said. However, his misgivings, at the end of the day, would likely make him not support the Brooklyn Free School itself, as Courtney pointed out. While he would value students taking a hands-on approach with their education, he seemed to place a great deal of particular values on what children ought to learn. He wouldn't want them to have free reign to pick whatever they may want to study if it had no benefit to society or to the students' likely futures.
ReplyDeleteI think Dewey would agree with the idea of Brooklyn free school. I agree with Aidan where she said Dewey would like the idea that Brooklyn free school does not provide any tests or exams. Dewey thought of importance of Education is something should be learned hands on and you can use them in your daily lives, you cannot simply memorize which will not be helpful for the children. But Brooklyn free school is not preparing the children well enough and this school is extremely democratic where students can do whatever they want, not providing disciplined which Dewey would not appreciate. One thing that Dewey thinks it is important about education is that schools should teach the children how to be discipline/active with community life where Brooklyn school does not think it is important.
ReplyDeleteLike most of my classmates I agree that Dewey would support the Brooklyn Free School as a viable option for school, since it is another progressive form a schooling and does share some of his ideals for schooling. However, I'm sure he would disagree with some of their practices. While he would like the democratic community of the school, he would not have favored the freedom children are given to pursue any subject that holds their interest. Dewey believed in teaching the basic subjects in schools but in a different more hands on way of learning. Therefore he probably would have disapproved of the Brooklyn Free School's abandonment of traditional school subjects for all children.
ReplyDeleteDewey also would like the hands-on techniques to learning they are applying, how they take "frequent trips to visit individuals, organizations, businesses, and/or communities in the New York Metropolitan area that can enlighten and enrich students' understanding, knowledge and experience in a given area of interest". I believe Dewey would appreciate their application of learning to a broader understanding through applied learning and individual attention. I'm not sure how Dewey would feel about the mixed-age teaching or the lack of testing and homework. While he would probably support doing away with repetitive memorization of facts, he still might favor some form of alternative testing to gauge how a child is doing and what they need help on.
Dewey would both agree with many aspects of the Brooklyn Free School; however, there are a few bold ideas that Dewey would greatly disagree with. For example, the idea of service to the community is a highly important aspect for Dewey; however, it was nonexistent in the Brooklyn school system. Moreover, Dewey is and advocate for applying learning and wants students to be able to have freedom and pursue more career-oriented skills. In my eyes, Dewey is a more logical thinker and wants student to be the most efficient.
ReplyDeleteThe Brooklyn Free School reminds me of a pedagogical progressive in Dewey’s time, William Heard Kilpatrick. We read that Kilpatrick developed an approach to teaching that was based on the students’ interests and experiences. Often, students’ projects and trips, though they incorporated more hands-on learning and likely increased student engagement, strayed too far from academic expectations for Dewey’s liking. Dewey, I believe, would not fully support schools like the Brooklyn Free School primarily because there is too little structure in the program to ensure a sustained democratic citizenry as its output. Perhaps, this modern take on schools is a new stem in progressive education ideology; it just seems inconsistent with Dewey’s desire, not to supplant the whole idea of conventional learning (Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!), but to expand on it by involving the students as active participants in their education and including rich, real-world learning experiences.
ReplyDeleteThe Brooklyn Free School, like the majority of my fellow classmates have already stated, is probably a place that Dewey would have promoted. The school enriches students to actively participate in critical thinking, legislation, and overall freedom for the classes that a student wishes to take. However, Dewey calls for students to be prepared, disciplined, and "alert and active" at all times. The Brooklyn Free School, in my opinion, is not fulfilling these characteristics and are not truly preparing students for the real world and the modern economy. Students have the privilege for choosing their own classes and receiving hands on experience; but how will they fare against a well-educated collegian counterpart?
ReplyDelete