What is required of a democratic school? John Dewey’s Democracy and Education in a contemporary curriculum theory perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore a topical issue raised by John Dewey in his book Democracy and Education: How shall we secure the diversity of interests, without paying the price of isolation? To problematize the tension between individuals’ beliefs, desires and needs and a society’s need for cohesion, I read Dewey’s book through a lens of curriculum theory to elucidate the role of the school as deeply imbedded in the society’s interpretation of the concept of democracy. By analyzing the society arena, the programmatic arena and the classroom arena in Democracy and Education, it becomes clear that the fundamental principles for democracy in society also have implications for the curriculum and the teaching in classroom. By recognizing the democratic needs of a lively dialogue between different social groups, and to base the school on such a principle, we can reduce the risk that pluralism is manifested in the form of isolated communities and enclaves.