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Birth and Family
John Dewey was born on October 20, 1859, he was one of four boys. His dad was Archibald Sprague Dewey and Lucina Artemesia Rich in Burlington, Vermont. His oldest brother died at a very young age. John and his surviving two brothers all went to public school and then attended the University of Vermont. -
Graduated from the University of Vermont
John Dewey graduated with a philosophy degree from the University of Vermont. Then for two years, he worked at a high school in Oil City, Pennsylvania teaching Latin, algebra, and science for $40 a month. In his third year as a teacher, he went back to Vermont to teach at an elementary school in Charlotte. -
Graduates John Hopkins University
After teaching for a few years John discovered that teaching as a schoolmaster was not for him and went back to school to get his doctorate in philosophy. Dewey received his PhD in philosophy 1884 and his dissertation was entitled 'The Psychology of Kant'. -
Dewey Established the University Elementary School
Dewey established University Elementary School, an experimental primary school at the University of Chicago, with his wife, Harriet, as its principal. His main intention was to test his educational theories, which he had formed after extensive study of child psychology. -
The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology
Dewey wrote an article called 'The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology. Dewey argued for an alternative view: the organism interacts with the world through a self-guided activity that coordinates and integrates sensory and motor responses. The implication for the theory of knowledge was clear: "the world is not passively perceived and thereby known; active manipulation of the environment is involved integrally in the process of learning from the start." -
President of the American Psychological Association
Dewey was elected President of the American Psychological Association. The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific organization of psychologists in the United States. -
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The Meaning of Truth
In a series of essays, Dewey addresses the meaning of truth. At that time he considered the pragmatic theory of truth as central to the pragmatic school of thought, and vigorously defended its viability. -
'Democracy and Education'
Dewey publishes 'Democracy and Education'. This is one of Dewey's greatest works, where he discusses his belief in an educational system designed around preparing students for an uncertain future. -
RIP John Dewey
Dewey died of pneumonia at age 92 inside his and his wife's apartment in New York City on June 1, 1952