Democracy+and+Education+Chapter+1

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 * Democracy and Education Chapter 1**


 * Education as Necessity of Life**
 * The first chapter of __Democracy and Education__ introduces the philosophy of education and how it relates to people and their need for learning. There are three significant ideas which are focused upon within the chapter. These ideas include the notion of renewal of life by transmission, education and communication, and lastly, the place of formal education. Dewey presents the idea that education is needed because people biologically die so, knowledge needs to be preserved in order to renew life and preserve what was previously established. It is through transmission that such renewal can occur as the young must be educated by the old through communication. The book describes communication as " A process of sharing experience till it becomes a common possesion." Loosely defined, this means that every new generation takes previous knowledge and makes it their own. Common knowledge is universal; 2+2= 4 across the world and we wouldn't believe anyone who tells us differently, because we have a "common possesion". This kind of thought process has evolved and has been edited to encompass different ideas. The key to self-preservation is passing knowledge on. The book states that "as societies become more complex in structure and resources, the need of formal or intentional teaching and learning increases." However, formal schooling is not necessarily beneficial. A child might not fully understand a concept without experiencing it themselves. This chapter proposes the question, where should the line be drawn between informal and formal education?**

__Renewal of Life by Transmission__: "While the living thing may easily be crushed by superior force, it none the less tries to turn the energies which acts upon it into means of its own further existence." p1 "The continuity of any experience, through renewing of the social group is a literal fact. Education in its broadest sense, is the means of this social continuity of life." p2 "Society exist through a process of transmission...Transmission occurs by means of communication of habits of doing, thinking and feeling from the older to the yonger. Without this communication of ideals, hopes, expectations, standards, opinions, from those members of society who are passing out of the group life to those who are coming into it, social life could not survive." p3
 * Key Passages:**

__Education and communication:__ “Society not only continues to exist //by// transmission, //by// communication, but it may fairly be said to exist //in// transmission, //in// communication…in order to form a community or society are aims, beliefs, aspirations, knowledge - a common understanding.” p4

“cognizant of the common end and all interested in it so that they regulated their specific activity in view of it, then they would form a community…consensus demands communication.” p5 “All communication (and hence all genuine social life) is educative.” p5

__The Place of Formal Education:__ “The measure of the worth of any social institution, economic, domestic, political, legal, religious, is its effect in enlarging and improving experience.” p6

“The ultimate value of every institution is its distinctively human effect-its effect upon conscious experience.” p7

Schooling at times does not include the importance of the reality of life:

“There is the standing danger that the material of formal instruction will be merely the subject matter of the schools, isolated from the subject matter of life experience.” p8 “The ordinary notion of education: the notion which ignores its social necessity and its identity with all human association that affects conscious life, and which identifies it with imparting information about remote matters and conveying of learning through verbal signs: the acquisition of literacy.” p8-9 “One of the weightiest problems with which the philosophy of education has to cope is the method of keeping a proper balance between the informal and formal, the incidental and the intentional, modes of education.” p9

Renewal- To make new or as if new again; restore the process of being renewed. "Life is a self-renewing process through action upon the environment." pg1 In Dewey's eyes life is a form of the "unchanged"pg1 becuse when you hit something like a rock according to Dewey it remain the same it resist. In other words human beings do not change or renew themselves their former self is just covered up internal.
 * Important Terminology:**

Experience- a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something. According to Dewey, experience is lifes trials and in life there are stages for example "a savage tribe, is born immature, helpless, without language" but "each individual, each unit who is the carrier of the life-experience of his group, in time passes away. Yet the life of the group goes on."pg2 You still have to drive on Dewey is stating and face lifes experience and build form them.

Formulate- to express in precise form; state definitely or systematically. To formulate as stated in the book means "requires getting outside of it, seeing it as another would see it."pg4 Dewey uses this word as another form of "communication" which to Dewey is very important for human survival and also and important "necessity of teaching and learning." pg3

Transmission- The sending of a signal, picture, or other information. Dewey says, that the society not only continues to exist by transmission but also by communication. P. 4

Cognizant- Fully informed; conscious. Dewey states, "If, however, they were all cognizant of the common end and all interested in it so that they regulated their specific activity in view of it, then they would form a community." p.5

Communication- the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Dewey states, that communication is a process of sharing experience till it becomes a common possession. p.9

Contribution- the part played by a person in bringing about a result. Dewey states that the ulterior significance of every mode of human association lies in the contribution which it makes to the improvement of the quality of experience is a fact most easily recognized in dealing with the immature. P. 9

According to Dewey, what does he propose are two undesired dangers of formal teaching? Do you feel these are valid concerns?
 * Discussion Guiding Questions:**

Dewey believe that the young are very vital and education start with them. It is the adults responsibility to make sure the young gain all their knowledge. Do you agree with these statments? Do you think "children reproduce the actions of grown-ups and thus learn to know what they are like"?pg6