It’s always interesting to read research, educational theory and philosophy, and consider what it is I agree or disagree with not that I might not have even considered 25 years ago – 15 years ago – 5 years ago. I like Dewey. He has offered a great deal to educational philosophy. One of my favourite quotes of his is that “The point of philosophy is not to make theory practical but to make practice intelligent” (Dewey, Democracy as a Way of Life, p. 49). While much of Dewey makes sense, what needs to be added are issues of self-efficacy, mastery learning, and the like, often seen in Bandura. In fact, if one were to review John Hattie’s 2009 meta-analysis on Visible Learning, things like some forms of inquiry do not score particularly well in terms of influencing student learning. So, the debate goes on. It’s all interesting though. And the concept that we make practice intelligent is one that I embrace. On purpose. Every time.
