Transcending Dualism of Knowledge and Activity——A Restatement of Dewey's Teaching Theory
We always think that John Dewey despise knowledge and make too much of activities in schooling.This is a misunderstanding of Dewey's teaching theory.From the standpoint of pragmatism,an activity is not only muscular movement but an intellectual and social activity;knowledge is an instrument,and the relation of knowledge to activities is not opposite but continuous and unified.The creative activity is a media in unifying knowledge and activity.In schooling,the unity of knowledge and activity means that a teaching activity is a creative and democratic activity where teachers and students participate equally and communicate freely.So,Dewey's teaching theory is a democratic teaching theory.Not only John Dewey united knowledge and activity on theory,but also he transcended dualism of knowledge and activity by the method of creative inquiry in Dewey's Laboratory School.