超越知识与活动的二元对立——杜威教学思想再认识

Transcending Dualism of Knowledge and Activity——A Restatement of Dewey's Teaching Theory

长期以来,人们往往错误地认为杜威的教学思想轻视知识,过分重视活动。杜威的活动观认为,活动不仅是身体活动,而且是智力活动和社会活动。实用主义知识观认为,知识是工具,知识与活动不是二元对立的,而是连续的、统一的。创造是知识与活动统一的中介。在教学中,知识与活动的统一意味着教学是一种师生平等参与、自由交流的创造活动和民主活动。因此,杜威的教学论是民主教学论。杜威不仅在理论上把知识与活动统一起来,而且在杜威学校的实践中通过以创造性研究为核心的教学法超越了知识与活动的二元对立。

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 com- municate 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.