Chronology Entry
Year
1980-1992
Text
John Dewey and Tao Xingzhi.
Contemporary Chinese scholars hold three different views regarding the relationship between Tao Xingzhi and John Dewey's educational ideas. Some believe that Tao's educational theory is a direct product of Dewey's pragmatic philosophy and that Tao only made certain nonessential changes to adapt Dewey's theories to the Chinese conditions. A second school of thought maintains that there are essential differences between Tao and Dewey : Dewey's ideas belong to the old democratic pragmatism in capitalist societies while Tao's ideas belong to the new democratic culture in socialist countries ; Dewey's education serves the young students in schools while Tao's education serves people of all ages, especially those from poor, ordinary, and rural families. Dewey's purpose of education is to produce a labor force that serves bourgeois interests whereas Tao's purpose of education is to enlighten the oppressed and exploited masses of working people so that they become masters of their own fate and serve the interests of the common people ; and Dewey's educational methods try to make school imitate society and education imitate life whereas Tao's educational methods help students live the real life in the real, larger society.
Many Chinese scholars argue that Tao's educational ideas originate from Dewey but they are better developed and more suitable for Chinese educational practice. They maintain that Tao creatively and critically adapted Dewey's educational ideas to Chinese education and successfully used education as an instrument in the Chinese people's anti-imperialist and anti-feudalist struggle, which has far more significant meaning than Dewey's promotion of education as an instrument in an individual student's adaptation to the immediate environment. Their interpretation of Dewey's views on the relationship among the individual, the school, and the society is narrow and misconceptualized, but the important thing is that they have affirmed the positive and powerful influence of Dewey on Tao's ideas.
Contemporary Chinese scholars hold three different views regarding the relationship between Tao Xingzhi and John Dewey's educational ideas. Some believe that Tao's educational theory is a direct product of Dewey's pragmatic philosophy and that Tao only made certain nonessential changes to adapt Dewey's theories to the Chinese conditions. A second school of thought maintains that there are essential differences between Tao and Dewey : Dewey's ideas belong to the old democratic pragmatism in capitalist societies while Tao's ideas belong to the new democratic culture in socialist countries ; Dewey's education serves the young students in schools while Tao's education serves people of all ages, especially those from poor, ordinary, and rural families. Dewey's purpose of education is to produce a labor force that serves bourgeois interests whereas Tao's purpose of education is to enlighten the oppressed and exploited masses of working people so that they become masters of their own fate and serve the interests of the common people ; and Dewey's educational methods try to make school imitate society and education imitate life whereas Tao's educational methods help students live the real life in the real, larger society.
Many Chinese scholars argue that Tao's educational ideas originate from Dewey but they are better developed and more suitable for Chinese educational practice. They maintain that Tao creatively and critically adapted Dewey's educational ideas to Chinese education and successfully used education as an instrument in the Chinese people's anti-imperialist and anti-feudalist struggle, which has far more significant meaning than Dewey's promotion of education as an instrument in an individual student's adaptation to the immediate environment. Their interpretation of Dewey's views on the relationship among the individual, the school, and the society is narrow and misconceptualized, but the important thing is that they have affirmed the positive and powerful influence of Dewey on Tao's ideas.
Mentioned People (2)
Dewey, John
(Burlington 1859-1952 New York, N.Y.) : Philosoph, Pädagoge, Psychologe
Tao, Xingzhi
(Anhui 1891-1946 Shanghai) : Reformator für Erziehungswesen
Subjects
Philosophy : United States of America
/
Social History : Education and Schooling
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996 | Su, Zhixin. Teaching, learning, and reflective acting : a Dewey experiment in Chinese teacher education. In :Teachers College record ; vol. 98, no 1 (1996). | Publication / DewJ220 |