Classic of the Month: The Child and the Curriculum

Students and teachers recently returned to the classroom for a new school year, and in honor of their return to chalkboards, term papers, and exams, we've chosen John Dewey's The Child and the Curriculum: Including, The School and Society as September's Classic of the Month.

The essays that comprise this collection represent two of Dewey's most groundbreaking works on educational reform in the American school system.

"Abandon the notion of subject-matter as something fixed and ready-made in itself, outside of the child's experience."

A prolific philosopher, educational reformer, and professor, Dewey's essays meld his interests into profound philosophical meditations on the relationships between curriculum and student, teacher and student, as well education and democracy. Dewey believed that students should learn by doing: by interacting with the world and relating the concepts of a given curriculum to their lived experience. The ultimate goal of a teacher, Dewey believed, was not to produce a classroom of students with a shared knowledge set, but to produce a classroom of students who would ultimately realize their personal potentials and positively contribute to society.

A seminal work by one of the most respected educational reformers in American history, The Child and the Curriculum is an absolute Must Read for American educators. It is available for purchase in paperback.