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LOVE, JUSTICE, ANDEDUCATION

JOHN DEWEY AND THE UTOPIANS

A Volume inLandscapes in Education

Series Editors:

William H. SchubertUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Ming Fang HeGeorgia Southern University

Love, Justice, and Education • 13

.Dewey Outlines Utopian Schools

The most Utopian thing in Utopia is that there are noschools at all. Education is carried on without anything of thenature of schools, or, if this idea is so extreme that we cannotconceive of it as educational at all, then we may say nothing ofthe sort at present we know as schools. Children, however, aregathered together in association with older and more maturepeople who direct their activity.

The assembly places all have large grounds, gardens, orchards,greenhouses, and none of the buildings in which children andolder people gather will hold much more than 200 people, thishaving been found to be about the limits of close, intimate per-sonal acquaintance on the part of people who associate together.

And inside these buildings, which are all of them of the natureof our present open-air schools in their physical structure, thereare none of the things we usually associate with our presentschools. Of course, there are no mechanical rows of screwed-down desks. There is rather something like a well-furnishedhome of today, only with a much greater variety of equipmentand no messy accumulations of all sorts of miscellaneous fur-niture; more open spaces than our homes have today.

Then there are the workshops, with their apparatus for carry-ing on activities with all kinds of material-wood, iron, textiles.There are historic museums and scientific laboratories, and bookseverywhere as well as a centra! library.

The adults who are most actively concerned with the younghave, of course, to meet a certain requirement, and the first thingthat struck me as a visitor to Utopia was that they must all be

[First published in New York Times, 23 April 1933, Education section, p. 7, froman address on 21 April 1933 to the Conference on the Educational Status of theFour- and Five-Year-Old Child at Teachers College, Columbia Universiry.]

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ESSAYS 137 138 ESSAYS

married persons and, except in exceptional cases, must have hadchildren of their own. Unmarried, younger persons occupy placesof assistance and serve a kind of initiatory apprenticeship. More-over, older children, since there are no arbitrary divisions intoclasses, take part in directing the activities of those sti!1 younger.

The activity of these older children may be used to illustratethe method by which those whom we would call teachers are se-lected. It is almost a method of self-selection. For instance, thechildren aged say from about 13 to 18 who are especially fondof younger children are given the opportunity to consort withthem. They work with the younger children under observation,and then it soon becomes evident who among them have thetaste, interest and the kind of skill which is needed for effectivedealing with the young.

As their interest in the young develops, their own further edu-cation centres more and more about the study of processes ofgrowth and development, and so there is a very similar process ofnatural selection by which parents are taken out of the narrowercontact with their own children in the homes and are broughtforward in the educational nurture of larger numbers of children.

The work of these educational groups is carried on muchas painters were trained in, say, Italy, when painting was at itsheight. The adult leaders, through their previous experience andby the manner of their selection, combine special knowledge ofchildren with special gifts in certain directions.

They associate themselves with the young in carrying on someline of action. Just as in these older studios younger people wereapprentices who observed the elders and took part along withthem in doing at first some of the simpler things and then, as theygot more experience, engaged directly in the more complexforms of activity, so in these directed activities in these centresthe older people are first engaged in carrying on some work inwhich they themselves are competent, whether painting or musicor scientific inquiry, observation of nature or industrial coopera-tion in some line. Then the younger children, watching them, lis-tening to them, begin taking part in the simpler forms of the ac-tion-a minor part, until as they develop they accept more andmore responsibility for cooperating.

Naturally Iinquired what were the purposes, or, as we say now,the objectives, of the activities carried on in these centres. At first

nothing puzzled me mojectives was not at all rschool, of teachers andappeared that when Ia:riviry of these centres, 1

why children should Ii'my questions seriously.

After Imade them UI

dismissed with the reigrowing, "of course, W

worth while to them; (grow, that tbey really I

beyond the process ofthem quite silly. Thewhich the young shoutheir thoughts.

By observation, ho••••we would regard as dingrained in the workiguage it might be saictastes, the abilities amthen to develop their Irange and reinforce rhweak points but to of

I inquired, having chow with their methrand youth really leanjeer matter, geographever were sure that thure. Here, too, at firstin return to my quescame for a visit to Uwas normal physiokthings which he or slto them that it was nidiot to be born and

When they discovewhether it was true 1

teachers and exarninwalk and to talk.

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ral cases, must have hadet persons occupy placesy apprenticeship. More-arbitrary divisions intoes of those still younger.lay be used to illustrate)utd call teachers are se-:ction. For instance, thewho are especially fondrtunity to consort withlren under observation,among them have the

1 is needed for effective

, their own further edu-ie study of processes ofa very similar process of

aken out of the narrowerhomes and are brought-gernumbers of children.iups is carried on muchNhen painting was at its, previous experience and.ine special knowledge of.ections.rung in carrying on someIios younger people wereI1d took part along withr things and then, as they

Iy in the more complexdctivities in these centresirrying on some work in

whether painting or music.rre or industrial coopera-"dren, watching them, lis-le simpler forms of the ac-.op they accept more and

irposes, or, as we say now,.n in these centres. At first

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Love, Justice, and Education e 15

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nothing puzzled me more than the fact that my inquiry after ob-jectives was not at all understood, for the whole concept of theschool, of teachers and pupils and lessons, had so completely dis-

. appeared that when I asked after the special objectives of the ac-tivity of these centres, my Utopian friends thought I was askingwhy children should live at all, and therefore they did not takemy questions seriously.

After I made them understand what I meant, my question wasdismissed with the remark that since children were alive andgrowing, "of course, we, as the Utopians, try to make their livesworth while to them; of course, we try to see that they really dogrow, that they really develop." But as for having any objectivebeyond the process of a developing life, the idea still seemed tothem quite silly. The notion that there was some special endwhich the young should try to attain was completely foreign totheir thoughts.

By observation, however, I was led to the conclusion that whatwe would regard as the fundamental purposes were thoroughlyingrained in the working of the activities themselves. In our lan-guage it might be said to be the discovery of the aptitudes, thetastes, the abilities and the weaknesses of each boy and girl, andthen to develop their positive capacities into attitudes and to ar-range and reinforce the positive powers so as not to cover up theweak points but to offset them.

I inquired, having a background of our own schools in mind,how with their methods they ever made sure that the childrenand youth really learned anything, bow they mastered the sub-ject matter, geography and arithmetic and history, and how theyever were sure that they really learned to read and write and fig-ure. Here, too, at first I came upon a blank wall. For they asked,in return to my question, whether in the period from which Icame for a visit to Utopia it was possible for a boy or girl whowas normal physiologically to grow up without learning thethings which he or she needed to learn-because it was evidentto them that it was not possible for anyone except a congenitalidiot to be born and to grow up without learning.

When they discovered, however, that 1was serious, they askedwhether it was true that in our day we had to have schools andteachers and examinations to make sure that babies learned towalk and to talk.

16 • IMPROVISING RIFFS ON DEWEY AND THE UTOPIANS

ESSAYS 139

It was during these conversations that I learned to appreciatehow completely the whole concept of acquiring and storing awaythings had been displaced by the concept of creating.attitudes byshaping desires and developing the needs that .are significant inthe process of living.

The Utopians believed that the pattern which exists in eco-nomic society in our time affected the general habits of thought;that because personal acquisition and private possession weresuch dominant ideals in all fields, even if unconsciously so, theyhad taken possession of the minds of educators to the extent thatthe idea of personal acquisition and possession controlled thewhole educational system.

They pointed not merely to the use in our schools of the com-petitive methods of appeal to rivalry and the use of rewards andpunishments, of set examinations and the system of promotion,but they also said that all these things were merely incidental ex-pressions of the acquisitive system of society and the kind ofmeasure- and test of achievement and success which had to pre-vail in an acquisitive type of society.

So it was that we had .come to regard all study as simply amethod of acquiring something, even if only useless or remotefacts, and thought of learning and scholarship as the private pos-session of the resulting acquisition. And the social change whichhad taken place with the abolition of an acquisitive economic so- .ciety had, in their judgment, made possible the transformation of .the centre of emphasis from learning (in our sense) to the crea-tion of attitudes.

They said that the great educational liberation came aboutwhen the concept of external attainments was thrown awayand when they started to find out what each individual personbad in him from the very beginning, and then devoted themselvesto finding out the conditions of the environment and the kinds ofactivity in which the positive capacities of each young personcould operate most effectually.

In setting creation, productivity, over against acquiring, theysaid that there was no genuine production without enjoyment.They· .imagined that the ethics of education in the. older periodhad, been that enjoyment in education always had to be some-thing deferred; that the motto of the schools, at least, was thatman never is, but always is to be, blest; while the only educa-

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tion that really could discbrought these powers for i

Naturally, 1 inquired whportant to create, since th(place with the young of tlusome difficulty in rankingbeca use they were so OCCl

of the capacities of the yousay that they ranked thepositive power as at leastnot more so.

This attitude which resvalved, of course, eliminaistraint, of self-consciousrcreated the feeling of failrthe development of a coculties, of actual eagernesthem and running away Ifaith in human capacity. Ienvironment to support ,vironrnent was approach!

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tion that really could discover and elicit power was one whichbrought these powers for immediate use and enjoyment.

Naturally, I inquired what attitudes they regarded as most im-portant to create, since the formation of attitudes had taken theplace with the young of the acquisition of information. They hadsome difficulty in ranking attitudes in any order of importance,because they were so occupied with an all-around developmentof the capacities of the young. But, through observation, I shouldsay that they ranked the attitude which would give a sense ofpositive power as at least as basic and primary as the others, ifnot more so.

This attitude which resulted in a sense of positive power in-volved, of course, elimination of fear, of embarrassment, of con-straint, of self-consciousness; eliminated the conditions whichcreated the feeling of failure and incapacity. Possibly it includedthe development of a confidence, of readiness to tackle diffi-culties, of actual eagerness to seek problems instead of dreadingthem and running away from them. It included a rather ardentfaith in human capacity. It included a faith in the capacity of theenvironment to support worthwhile activities, provided the en-vironment was approached and dealt with in the right way.

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Love, Justice, and Education 0 17

ESSAYS 139 ESSAYS

learned to appreciate'ing and storing awayf creating. attitudes by.hat.are significant in

which exists in eco-.al habits of thought;late possession wereiconsciously so, theyors to the extent thatssion controlled the

[ schools of the com-e use of rewards and.ystem of promotion,merely incidental.ex-iery and the kind ofess which had to pre-

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_all study as simply a-nly useless or remote.nip as the private pos-! social change whichquisitive economic so-:the transformation ofur sense) to the crea-

iberation came about)S -was thrown away-ach individual person.en devoted themselves_ment and the kinds of')f each young person

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_5ains[ acquiring, they'\1 without enjoyment.on in the older period

vays had to be some--ols, at least, was thatwhile the only educa-

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