Developing a Theory of Education

In his book Experience & Education, Dewey constantly stresses that each society should form a Theory of Education to establish the common grounding principles of education and to help avoid knee-jerk reactions to the newest research or learning theories. It seems that in America we are moving toward the goal of establishing a theory of education that is closely tied to the Constructivist theory of learning, where students are lead in a manner so as to 'construct' their own knowledge in a subject. This learning theory seems to go hand in hand with Dewey's statement that class material should be presented as a progressive organization of knowledge, building on what students already know and helping students make connections to other areas of learning. Is having a shared theory like this enough, or should each of us subscribe to a theory of education?

A major factor that Dewey calls for that seems to be missing, or perhaps is not yet expressed in the Constructivist theory, is that school should be a social experience. It seems to be a giant demand that Dewey makes on teachers to encourage students' individuality and non-conformity while maintaining order and an effective, positive learning environment in the class. How as future teachers can we do this, while being subject ourselves to the limiting rules of school and while having to enforce similar rules on the students? How can we as future teachers make school sufficiently social, and yet still maintain the value of individual work? Can leading purposeful classroom discourse alone meet this demand? I am left with many questions about how to implement a John Dewey approved learning environment and experiences for my future students.