1. Doing Dewey in the Digital Age
Ravyn Wilson-Bernard
Kristy Shuda McGuire
Ruth Baker
Community College of Philadelphia

2. Members of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)
Ravyn Wilson-Bernard
Instructor, English Department
Kristy Shuda McGuire
Assistant Professor, Biology Department
Ruth Baker
Assistant Professor, Library

3. Part I:The Problem of Training Thought
Chapter IV. “School Conditions and the Training of Thought”

4. “It’s the condition our condition is in
“It’s the condition our condition is in.” Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
1. “the mental attitudes and habits of the persons with whom the child is in contact;
2. the subjects studied;
3. current educational aims and ideals”
(Dewey 46,47)

5. Mental Attitudes and Habits
“Most people are quite unaware of the distinguishing peculiarities of their own mental habit. They take their own mental operations for granted, and unconsciously make them the standard for judging the mental processes of others.”
(Dewey 48)

6. Subjects
“In school, amassing information always tends to escape from the ideal of wisdom or good judgment ‘Covering the ground’ is the primary necessity; the nurture of mind a bad second.”
(Dewey 52)

7. Educational Aims and Ideals
“In instruction, the external standard manifests itself in the importance attached to the ‘correct answer.’ No one other thing, probably, works so fatally against focusing the attention of teachers upon the training of mind as the domination of their minds by the idea that the chief thing is to get pupils to recite their lessons correctly.”
(Dewey 53)

8. Summary “Education that takes as its standard the
improvement of the intellectual attitude and method
of students demands more serious preparatory
training, for it exacts sympathetic and intelligent
insight into the workings of individual minds, and a
very wide and flexible command of subject
matter—so as to be able to select and apply just
what is needed when it is needed.”
(Dewey 54)

9. Part II: Logical Considerations
Chapter VI. “The Analysis of a Complete Act of Thought”

10. “Five distinctive steps in reflection”
1. “a felt difficulty”
2. “its location and definition”
3. “suggestion of possible
solution”
4. “development by reasoning of the bearings of the suggestion”
5. “further observation and experiment leading to its acceptance or rejection; that is, the conclusion of belief or disbelief”
(Dewey 72)

11. Problem “The problem is the discovery of intervening terms
which when inserted
between the remoter
end and the given
means will harmonize
them with each
other.”
(Dewey 72)

12. Hypothesis “Occurrence of a suggested explanation
or possible solution”
(Dewey 75)

13. Reasoning “The development of an idea through
reasoning helps at least to supply the
intervening or intermediate terms that link
together into a consistent whole apparently
discrepant extremes.”
(Dewey 76)

14. Conclusion “The concluding and conclusive step is some kind of
experimental
corroboration, or
verification, of the
conjectural idea.”
(Dewey 77)

15. Summary “The trained mind is the one that best
grasps the degree of observation, forming
of ideas, reasoning, and experimental testing
required in any special case, and that profits
the most, in future thinking, by mistakes
made in the past.”
(Dewey 78)

16. Part III: The Training of Thought
Chapter XI. “Empirical and Scientific Thinking”
Chapter XII. “Activity and the Training of Thought”

17. Dewey's Constructivism
Experience/Empirical Observation
Social Interaction
Puzzlement/Curiosity
In our FLC, we discussed whether “confusion” is necessary part of learning.
We tended to agree but I now like Dewey's term “puzzlement” better since it implies curiosity

18. One-Minute Dewey
"...experience also includes the reflection that sets us free from the limiting influence of sense, appetite, and tradition." (p.156)
“...the business of education might be defined as...an emancipation and enlargement of experience.” (p.156)
"The attitude of childhood is naive, wondering, experimental; the world of man and natures new.  Right methods of education preserve and perfect this attitude..." (p.156)
"...useful work is not necessarily labor""...there's no contrast in doing things for utility and for fun." (p. 167)
“When one is doing something, one is compelled, if the work is to succeed...to use eyes, ears, and sense of touch as guides to action.” (p.188)
Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself." — John Dewey (My Pedagogic Creed, 1897).
Experience
Observation'reflection
Active learning
Puzzlement

19. Applying Dewey to Inquiry-based Learning
The 5 Phases of Inquiry: [Savery (2006), Coe (2001), & Dewey's How We Think (1910)]
Engagement: Begins with curiosity or puzzlement and recognition of existing knowledge
Exploration: Students gain expertise and experience in identifying/addressing a problem in groups and are, individually, responsible for their own learning
Use active learning: questioning, critical thinking, and problem-solving
Explanation: Investigate alternative solutions
Active, conscious thought and comprehension is achieved through use of curiosity, observation, reading, reciting and discussion (social learning)
Dewey's philosophy is ground in Inquiry-based Learning
growing trend in recent years--Short summary of Problem Based Learning (Butler, Gordon, Savery, Thanasoulas)
How are Problem-based and Inquiry-based Learning different ?
The role of the "tutor" in IBL is to be a guide on the side—a facilitator and provider of information; in PBL, the tutor is an observer
Dewey believed strongly in guiding students and inculcating in them a sense of curiosity and passion for learning
It is Student-Centered
creates a context where students take responsibility for their own learning
Promotes student engagement and critical thinking
Millennial Students: they want is easy and they want it now
who are they? students who seek interactive learning rather than traditional lecture format; they grew up with YouTube, the Web, and IM/texting; “ is too slow”
active learning is essential to engage this generation of students

20. The 5 Phases of Inquiry (cont’d)
Elaboration: Create new knowledge as information is gathered and understood
Evaluation: Reflect on new knowledge to form solution(s)
Recognize that there is no single “correct” answer
Action on a solution (implement a plan)

21. Stages of Problem-Solving http://fnopress.com/pbl3/pbl6.html
Engages Students through the Use of
active learning: questioning, critical thinking, and problem-solving
active, conscious thought is expressed through observation, reading, reciting and discussion
Addresses Real-World Problems
practical, hands-on activity
empirical observation and experimentation
online searching as an iterative process
build on existing knowledge, what Dewey refrs to as “past facts”—principle of investigation to work from the Known the the Unknown in very “Dewian”
improves student comprehension and self-reflection as well as research skills in a way that memorization cannot
Downside: it takes longer than traditional lecture-based instruction
Upside: learning is richer and potentially longer-lasting

22. Your Turn! Yellow Group Ravyn Wilson-Bernard Green Group
Kristy Shuda McGuire
Blue Group
Ruth L. Baker

23. Reflections on Your Experience in an FLC
Yellow Group
Ravyn Wilson-Bernard
Green Group
Kristy Shuda McGuire
Blue Group
Ruth L. Baker

24. Collaboration and Sharing
Dewey LibGuide:
Social Media space for sharing information
Collecting information for ongoing research
Collaboration with other faculty or students

25. Collaboration and Sharing in an FLC
Bringing Dewey into the Digital Age with LibGuides:
Collect information for ongoing research
Share information in a Social Media space
Collaborate with other faculty or students