Mallory Alves
ENGL 333
05 February 2013

Reading Response for Dewey

While reading Dewey I found many points to be very interesting. I liked the example they used when talking about furniture and desks in the classroom. The main functions for these desks and furniture is solely based on listening and doesn't incorporate artistic, hygienic, or educational. These characteristics are what we need in the classroom not just listening. I also found it interesting how the classroom is evolving in which it should be. In earlier education the gravity in the classroom was not focused on the child individually but  the group as a whole. But nowadays that is changing and the child is becoming the center in which the appliances of education revolve. I feel this is the way I classroom should be centered. It should be centered around the child’s needs and ways the learn best. The children in the classroom should be able to express themselves on their own but they need someone to guide them and that’s the role of the teacher. We can direct the child’s activities but still letting them end up with their own solutions and paths which was explained in the reading. Children have the simple desire to “mess around” and imitate others and this is a way for them to express what they see in their lives and what they are learning for others. This is why children need time to outside of the classroom and not just sitting in a desk all day. I have helped in a preschool classroom and if you want the children when they are playing during free play they will be imitating parents, teachers, and other older people in their lives. They are learning through observation just like we do.  Children learn through social expression and this is a key concept that we need to incorporate in the classroom. Children learning better in social situations then just sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher. For example children using their imagination allows for them to express new ideas and use objects in their environment to act out different situations. Imagination is key in a child’s learning and we shouldn't take that away. We can set guidelines to help the children understand how and where they came up with theses ideas so they can see understand their own process of thinking.