John Dewey's Educational Philosophy of Functionalism

John Dewey "The Father of American Education" was a philosopher and psychologist who believed that American children attend school to learn to live in and contribute to a community.  He believed that education was too harsh and there were simpler ways to teach children seemingly difficult concepts. Dewey believed that math could be taught through cooking or distance and history could be taught through culture, plants or geography. These ideals were part of a movement known as Progressive Education which Dewey was a major representative of. Progressive Education focused on critical thinking, cooperative learning projects and personal responsibility. Dewey believed it was important to prepare students for the future. Experimental education also came out of Dewey's Progressive Education movement which emphasized experimentation and hands on learning in the classroom. Dewey has also been called the creator of "reflection" because of his emphasis on the importance of reflecting on thoughts. It has been hypothesized that Dewey's ideas would not have been as well received if it hadn't been for Darwin and his theories of evolution. I agree with John Dewey's concept of "functionalism" and see many similarities between today's American school system and Dewey's ideas.