Legacies of Horace Mann and John Dewey

Horace Mann (1796-1859) and bath Dewey (1859-1952) are of the essence(predicate) contributors in the development of American Educational system. Mann regarded tuition as an utile tool for training children and individuals into obedient workers go Dewey sees education as a doer for growth and preparation of individuals to become democratic citizens (Filler 128 Westbrook 171).In complaisance to their educational philosophies, Mann made efforts that result to an organized, centralized, democratic American education while John Dewey was responsible for the laying d ingest of American theories of democratic, science-respecting education.Mann firmly believed that education helps to alleviate poverty and he stressed this belief in his duodecimal Annual Report on education. He was convinced that educated and learn individuals arised productive labor, and hence contributes to the prosperity of a nation (Filler 128). However, when Horace Mann assumed the leadership of the Board of E ducation in Massachusetts in 1837, he was confronted with a sad condition of education in America. American educational ideals were natural depression and undemocratic.Further more, schools were poorly organized and its curricula and methods were limited and needs modernization. On top of that, schools were in bad physical condition (Graves 254-255). In short, education during Manns prize was a neglected and more or less an unimportant firearm of American society. Mann worked hard to elevate the status of education in his term by promoting education through personal visits of schools in his circuit and make Annual Reports.He also secured government funding for schools and established libraries and recipe training schools for teachers (Graves 256, 264). As a result, he earned the name the start of American public education. Manns legacy was long lasting, for public schools flourished end-to-end America today and regarded by most as the best means for transmitting knowledge a nd training in skills. Hence, the educated American is equipt to be productive.Mann adopted a democratic approach to education. He cut the public school as a means for equalizing education, where children of different fond classes learned together. He believed that education should be universal and sluttish (Graves 264). However, it is unusual for modern minds that while Mann envisioned children of all classes acquirement together in schools he did not oppose segregation (Horace 2001). Nevertheless, Manns universal and free view of education is still widely held in America today, overlook that in modern times school attendance is not all composed of individuals of different social classes but also of different races.John Dewey on the other hand, proposed that the goal of education should produce democratic individuals for a democratic nation. He likened classrooms as representations of a democratic society. He effectual that the success of a democratic nation lies on its edu cated lot who had developed democratic knowledge and skills needed for a democratic society.Dewey advocated instruction by method type of education and not by committal to memory by repetition (Westbrook 172 Archambault 10-12). In short, his educational style was highly synergistic and unites theory and practice. This kind of educational style had been proven effective for learning and American schools today had lessons and curricula designed for both instructing and experiencing theories. Unlike Mann, Dewey believed that schools should not produce productive worker alone but a citizen whose skills and democratic experiences met the demands of a democratic society. For Dewey, acquiring this skill and knowledge is not dependent on the subject matter but on the childs own instinctive ability and power (Westbrook 177).John Deweys supports progressive education. As such, he liberated scholarly persons from becoming a slave to traditional knowledge. For him the student is central to education. He encouraged scientific inquiry in the classroom. In fact, John Dewey was interested to fuse the imperatives of science and nature, democracy and humanity in educational instruction (McCluskey 177). In this sense, he has in some measure touched every stone in the modern American educational structure.It can be said that Horace Mann laid the origination for the effective subprogram of American public school while John Dewey provided the theory for it. Of the two, Dewey was more of the philosopher. Mann, on the other hand was not a philosopher, he was a practical man of action whose moral earnestness laid the foundation of American public schools (Graves 266).Works CitedArchambault, Reginald D. John Dewey on Education. lettuce University of Chicago Press, 1974.Filler, Louis. Horace Mann on the Crisis of Education. Yellow Springs, Ohio Antioch Press, 1965.Graves, Frank Pierrepont. Great Educators of Three Centuries Their Work and Its exercise on Modern Education. New Yo rk Macmillan, 1912.Horace Mann. 2001. Roundtable, Inc.Accessed April 7, 2008McCluskey, Neil Gerard. Public Schools and Moral Education The figure out of Horace Mann, William Torrey Harris, and John Dewey. New York Columbia University Press, 1958.Westbrook, Robert B. John Dewey and American Democracy. Ithaca, NY Cornell University Press, 1991.