The Educational Philosophy of John DeweyJohn Dewey is known as a leader of the progressive movement in the history of the American educational system and his book, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, could be used as a textbook to teach the fundamentals of the movement. Discrediting all previous educational and philosophical approaches as intellectually incomplete or inaccurate, Dewey first presents a new perspective on the nature of knowledge, education, society, and philosophy. One of the fundamental themes of Dewey's progressive movement is that education is growth and that growth is, in itself, the goal. Rejecting any notion of innate knowledge or ideal goal to strive for, the progressive movement calls for growth as an end in itself and that this growth be directed to the benefit of society. This comprehensive work then analyzes and devalues ​​popular notions of teaching methods, subjects, and even the duality of work and play, and replaces them with the more pragmatic beliefs of the progressive movement. The central theme prevalent in Dewey's philosophy is that education is a social function. and necessary for the continuity of life within a society. Pre-industrial tribal societies also needed education to ensure their continuity and the transfer of accumulated knowledge to future generations. These simple societies made use of informal educational theories such as imitation, custom and habit through the methods of imitation and memorization of oral traditions to ensure the consistency of the tradition from generation to generation. As the industrial age approaches and the increasing globalization brought about by technology, trade and diplomacy, there is a need for greater... half of paper... through real-life use. Despising the idea that schools are mere preparatory institutions that prepare young people to enter real society, Dewey envisioned school as a natural part of life, a mini-society unto itself filled with laboratories that could faithfully replicate the circumstances of world outside the school, allowing students to experiment with different variables and learn their consequences on laboratory safety. He considered any activity that did not bring with it consequent action or application a waste of time. For example, learning to spell simply for the sake of it without the necessary associations with meaning, usage, and context was a futile exercise in regurgitating meaningless symbols. Works Cited Dewey, John (2012-05-12). Democracy and education: an introduction to the philosophy of education. . Kindle edition.