John Dewey's Educational Philosophy: Museum as an Experimental Platform

John Dewey (1859-1952), an American philosopher, was recognized as one of the outstanding philosophers and educational theorists in the 20th century, but the influence of his ideas remains substantial in the 21st century. Dewey believed that philosophy should be closely connected with life activity or even flow out of it, which he proved by his own example. In his philosophical works, Dewey sought to achieve a balance of ideas and avoided dualism, believing that the latter would lead to the formation of a hierarchy of values. He insisted on the application of democratic, progressive concepts in all spheres of life (political, economic, social, cultural, educational, etc.). The axial concept of his philosophy was "experience". The foundation of the educational philosophy, according to Dewey, was the close relationship between current experience in all its diversity and education. It is also important that one should take into account the quality of experience, expressed in two aspects: immediate agreeableness or disagreeableness and influence on subsequent experience. To determine the pedagogical value of experience, Dewey used the principles of continuity, or the experiential continuum, and interaction. Progressive education refers to problem-based experiences. Dewey viewed museums as an integral part of a rich life-experience that promotes education. He believed that people learned in museums, just like they could learn in schools and from books. Moreover, this learning can last as long as a person's life. The pragmatist ideas about education reflect the problems of lifelong learning (adult learning), updated in the second half of the 20th century, while the idea of lifelong learning is not new, its origins are found in ancient philosophy. Based on Dewey's instrumental practice, constructivists described the practice of learning in museums. Ted Ansbacher analyzed museum learning and its effectiveness. George E. Hein focused on the educational role of museums. David F. Monk revealed features of adult learning in museums. By the end of the 20th century, the museum began to be perceived as an experimental platform for receiving continuous and informal education in modern society.

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