John Dewey was a progressive theorist, a pragmatist, a philosopher, and probably the most influential American educator of the twentieth century (Deen, 2012; Vaughan, 2018). He was widely regarded as the father of progressive education and was a strong proponent of developing social consciousness and social ideals among children in schools and keen to reform education in America postwar. Vaughan (2018) asserted that Dewey “normalized the experience…and implicitly endorsed accommodationist education reforms for African American children.”

In an article published by Dewey in The Journal of Education, he mentioned two elements that American education should cultivate. First is to “breed enmity and division in [America’s] efforts to secure unity” and also “to use the schools as a means of making the idea [of equal opportunity for all] effective” (Dewey, 1916). Dewey suggested the idea of cultivating international mindedness among students to promote intercultural understanding in a widely diverse nation. He posited that America is in itself complex and compound. Dewey believed that the nation itself is international, composed of people speaking various languages, living with a myriad of cultures, and appreciating diverse ideals in life.

Thus, John Dewey (1916) firmly believed that education is the gateway “to promote [America’s] national idea – which is the idea of democracy.” He strongly suggested that it is the school that should inculcate “integrity, cohesion, feeling of sympathy and unity” among children (Dewey, 1923). He greatly emphasized strengthening moral character which should be the aim of school for educating children.

In his article, The School as a Means of Developing a Social Consciousness and Social Ideals in Children, Dewey (1923) cited some points that are integral in education. According to Dewey, education should have a special responsibility

“[to connect students] with international and interracial questions, not merely as we look abroad in our relationships to other political units, but as we ourselves, within ourselves, are international and interracial. we must realize that whatever breeds hostility and division without is bound to react and produce hostility and division within” (Dewey, 1923).

Dewey realized that probably because of the war or the aftermath of war, people developed intolerance, social distrust, and lack of confidence with each other. These lead to separation and division that might eventually lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Thus, education needs to reconstruct a positive social mindset inculcating nationalism in a wider perspective – inter-racial and inter-national nationalism. He proposed that “[America] need[s] a program and a platform for teaching genuine patriotism and a real sense of the public interests of [the] community…a program of international friendship, amity and good will” (Dewey, 1923).

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In Dewey’s book, Human Nature and Conduct, he developed a theory of human nature in a triad (Kanne, 1988). One part of the triad he formed is – Intelligence. According to Kanne, Dewey emphasized the significant role of intelligence in shaping human behavior. He proposed that the primary use of intelligence is deliberation.

Dewey believed that children should celebrate their youth, innocence, and hopefulness (Dewey, 1923). However, Dewey affirmed that separations in the social community can be caused by economic and political nature. He does not want to give students false impressions of the reality of how society works, thus, letting them explore the existing rather than inculcating too much idealism among the students. Education should provide a platform where students celebrate learning and development while recognizing the actual demands and social conditions, which “are opportunities and calls to cooperative service…[that] aims…human liberty and human justice.”(Dewey, 1923)

Dewey sought to demonstrate that there are no fixed truths (Hickman, 2007). He postulated, in accordance with Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”, that human adaptation is imperative to its ever-changing environment. In order to be adaptable, Dewey pointed out that inquiry should be utilized to attain equilibrium and balance in nature. It is through one’s inquiry that reflective organisms are able to contemplate with probable actions and measures for self-sustenance and improvement of conditions.

The International Baccalaureate Mission statement states that:

“The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect” (IBO, n.d.).

Furthermore:

“The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world” (IBO, 2013).

In an analysis, we can relate the mission statement and learner profile of IB education to some of the principles of John Dewey towards education. IB education intends to develop inquiring and knowledgeable students. It aims to nurture its student’s curiosity and develop skills for inquiry and research (IBO,2013). This is directly associated with Dewey’s view of adaptability. He believed that in order to adapt to the rapidly changing society, students should be inquisitive and be curious about its surrounding. Through questioning, students will be able “to exert control over their own habit formation, thereby creating new instruments” (Hickman, 2007).

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Also, as stated in the IB Learner profile, all the programmes of the IB are geared towards developing internationally-minded people. This is one of the major focuses of John Dewey as he views education in America. He affirmed that in order for students to achieve social tolerance and trust, students should develop international mindedness, who are open to the belief and values of other countries. Students should be able to appreciate their own cultures and personal histories while respecting the values and traditions of others (IBO, 2013).

Lastly, Dewey also emphasizes the importance of being socially responsible and aware of his surroundings in order to attain liberty. In relation to the IB education, the programme aims to develop students who value common humanity and understands that creating a better and more peaceful world is a shared responsibility. It aspires not only for students to flourish and be knowledgeable and thinkers, but also to show compassion and care especially to those in dire needs.

In conclusion, we can relate John Dewey’s ideals and principles towards education and the programme of the International Baccalaureate. We can highly associate the IB Education to the philosophies of Dewey and how it impacts it. The IB Mission statement and the IB Learner Profile greatly reflect Dewey’s perception of the purpose of education.

Dewey, J., Deen, P., and Hickman, L. (2012). Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy. Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved April 13, 2020 from https://proxy.lirn.net/MuseProxyID=mp02/MuseSessionID=0007pl5/MuseProtocol=https/MuseHost=ebookcentral.proquest.com/MusePath/lib/univ-people-ebooks/reader.action?docID=1386844

Dewey, J. (1923). The School as a Means of Developing a Social Consciousness and Social Ideals in Children. The Journal of Social Forces, 1(5), 513-517. doi:10.2307/3005121. Retrieved April 13, 2020 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3005121?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=au%3A&searchText=%22John+Dewey%22&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FsearchType%3DfacetSearch%26amp%3Bsd%3D%26amp%3Bed%3D%26amp%3BQuery%3Dau%253A%2522John%2BDewey%2522%2B%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bpagemark%3DcGFnZU1hcms9Mg%253D%253D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5152%2Ftest&seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents

Dewey, J. (1916). Nationalizing Education. The Journal of Education, 84(16 (2102)), 425-428. Retrieved April 13, 2020  from www.jstor.org/stable/42807817

Vaughan, Kelly (2018) “Progressive Education and Racial Justice: Examining the Work of John Dewey,” Education and Culture: Vol. 34 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Retrieved April 13, 2020 from https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/eandc/vol34/iss2/art4

Kanne, M. (1988). John Dewey’s Conception of Moral Good. Journal of Economic Issues, 22(4), 1213-1223. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/4226079

Hickman, L. (2007). BEYOND THE EPISTEMOLOGY INDUSTRY: Dewey’s Theory of Inquiry. In Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism: Lessons from John Dewey (pp. 206-230). NEW YORK: Fordham University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvh4zdh4.16

IBO. (2013). The IB learner profile. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/fd82f70643ef4086b7d3f292cc214962/learner-profile-en.pdf

IBO. (n.d). About the IB. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/

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