My-Pedagogic-Creed--我的教育信条

1、MyPedagogicCreedbyJohnDeweyJohnDewey'sfamousdeclarationconcerningeducation.FirstpublishedinTheSchoolJournal,VolumeLIV,Number3(January16,1897),pages77-80.ARTICLEI--WhatEducationIsIbelievethatalleducationproceedsbytheparticipationoftheindividualinthesocialconsciousnessoftherace.Thisprocessbeginsunconsciouslyalmostatbirth,andiscontinuallyshapingtheindividual'spowers,saturatinghisconsciousness,forminghishabits,traininghisideas,andarousinghisfeelingsandemotions.Throughthisunconsciouseducationtheindi。

2、vidualgraduallycomestoshareintheintellectualandmoralresourceswhichhumanityhassucceededingettingtogether.Hebecomesaninheritorofthefundedcapitalofcivilization.Themostformalandtechnicaleducationintheworldcannotsafelydepartfromthisgeneralprocess.Itcanonlyorganizeitordifferentiateitinsomeparticulardirection.Ibelievethattheonlytrueeducationcomesthroughthestimulationofthechild'spowersbythedemandsofthesocialsituationsinwhichhefindshimself.Throughthesedemandsheisstimulatedtoactasamemberofaunity,toemergef。

3、romhisoriginalnarrownessofactionandfeeling,andtoconceiveofhimselffromthestandpointofthewelfareofthegrouptowhichhebelongs.Throughtheresponseswhichothersmaketohisownactivitieshecomestoknowwhatthesemeaninsocialterms.Thevaluewhichtheyhaveisreflectedbackintothem.Forinstance,throughtheresponsewhichismadetothechild'sinstinctivebabblingsthechildcomestoknowwhatthosebabblingsmean;theyaretransformedintoarticulatelanguageandthusthechildisintroducedintotheconsolidatedwealthofideasandemotionswhicharenowsummed。

4、upinlanguage.Ibelievethatthiseducationalprocesshastwosides-onepsychologicalandonesociological;andthatneithercanbesubordinatedtotheotherorneglectedwithoutevilresultsfollowing.Ofthesetwosides,thepsychologicalisthebasis.Thechild'sowninstinctsandpowersfurnishthematerialandgivethestartingpointforalleducation.Saveastheeffortsoftheeducatorconnectwithsomeactivitywhichthechildiscarryingonofhisowninitiativeindependentoftheeducator,educationbecomesreducedtoapressurefromwithout.Itmay,indeed,givecertainexter。

5、nalresults,butcannottrulybecallededucative.Withoutinsightintothepsychologicalstructureandactivitiesoftheindividual,theeducativeprocesswill,therefore,behaphazardandarbitrary.Ifitchancestocoincidewiththechild'sactivityitwillgetaleverage;ifitdoesnot,itwillresultinfriction,ordisintegration,orarrestofthechildnature.Ibelievethatknowledgeofsocialconditions,ofthepresentstateofcivilization,isnecessaryinorderproperlytointerpretthechild'spowers.Thechildhashisowninstinctsandtendencies,butwedonotknowwhatthes。

6、emeanuntilwecantranslatethemintotheirsocialequivalents.Wemustbeabletocarrythembackintoasocialpastandseethemastheinheritanceofpreviousraceactivities.Wemustalsobeabletoprojectthemintothefuturetoseewhattheiroutcomeandendwillbe.Intheillustrationjustused,itistheabilitytoseeinthechild'sbabblingsthepromiseandpotencyofafuturesocialintercourseandconversationwhichenablesonetodealintheproperwaywiththatinstinct.Ibelievethatthepsychologicalandsocialsidesareorganicallyrelatedandthateducationcannotberegardedas。

7、acompromisebetweenthetwo,orasuperimpositionofoneupontheother.Wearetoldthatthepsychologicaldefinitionofeducationisbarrenandformal--thatitgivesusonlytheideaofadevelopmentofallthementalpowerswithoutgivingusanyideaoftheusetowhichthesepowersareput.Ontheotherhand,itisurgedthatthesocialdefinitionofeducation,asgettingadjustedtocivilization,makesofitaforcedandexternalprocess,andresultsinsubordinatingthefreedomoftheindividualtoapreconceivedsocialandpoliticalstatus.Ibelievethateachoftheseobjectionsistruewh。

8、enurgedagainstonesideisolatedfromtheother.Inordertoknowwhatapowerreallyiswemustknowwhatitsend,use,orfunctionis;andthiswecannotknowsaveasweconceiveoftheindividualasactiveinsocialrelationships.But,ontheotherhand,theonlypossibleadjustmentwhichwecangivetothechildunderexistingconditions,isthatwhicharisesthroughputtinghimincompletepossessionofallhispowers.Withtheadventofdemocracyandmodernindustrialconditions,itisimpossibletoforetelldefinitelyjustwhatcivilizationwillbetwentyyearsfromnow.Henceitisimposs。

9、ibletopreparethechildforanyprecisesetofconditions.Topreparehimforthefuturelifemeanstogivehimcommandofhimself;itmeanssototrainhimthathewillhavethefullandreadyuseofallhiscapacities;thathiseyeandearandhandmaybetoolsreadytocommand,thathisjudgmentmaybecapableofgraspingtheconditionsunderwhichithastowork,andtheexecutiveforcesbetrainedtoacteconomicallyandefficiently.Itisimpossibletoreachthissortofadjustmentsaveasconstantregardishadtotheindividual'sownpowers,tastes,andinterests-say,thatis,aseducationisco。

10、ntinuallyconvertedintopsychologicalterms.Insum,Ibelievethattheindividualwhoistobeeducatedisasocialindividualandthatsocietyisanorganicunionofindividuals.Ifweeliminatethesocialfactorfromthechildweareleftonlywithanabstraction;ifweeliminatetheindividualfactorfromsociety,weareleftonlywithaninertandlifelessmass.Education,therefore,mustbeginwithapsychologicalinsightintothechild'scapacities,interests,andhabits.Itmustbecontrolledateverypointbyreferencetothesesameconsiderations.Thesepowers,interests,andhab。