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John Dewey

John Dewey was an important force in the development of educational philosophy in the United States. Born in Burlington VT on October 20, 1859, Dewey attended public schools in Burlington and afterwards the University of Vermont. After graduating from the university in 1879, Dewey taught in public schools for three years before entering Johns Hopkins University/Medical to study philosophy. He got his PhD there in 1884 and went to the University of Michigan as an instructor, spending 10 years there.

At Michigan, Dewey became convinced the education was following old procedures without regard to modern knowledge about psychology. His philosophy was based on empiricism, experimentalism, and pragmatism. He wrote many influential books, including "The School and Society" in 1899 and "Essays in Experimental Logic" in 1916. From 1894 to 1904 he was at the [il:uchi]. From 1904 until 1930, he was a professor of philosophy at Columbia University. He died on June 1, 1952, in [ny:newyork].