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John Dewey and the Lessons of Art

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John Dewey and the Lessons of Art by Philip W. Jackson:
Jackson argues that Dewey may never really have enjoyed art for arts sake but dealt with art as something to explore how his philosophical principles should be applied to it. Among the interesting themes in this book concern the laboratory school's growth out of Dewey's goal to increase the attraction of education to more students. Most young people wanted to get to making and doing and work and did not have the interest in more abstract learning. The laboratory school was an attempt to get students to "make and do" but focus on abstract learning doing it. Jackson examines the dilemma this causes in that teachers tend to do less abstract learning and overall learning declines as a result, and that Dewey tried to work with this dilemma but didn't quite get the message out. It sounds a lot like the issues educators face today. If you keep the students interested will they be learning what they need to? Art is one way to make and do in the class room but does it achieve what classical education about art does?

This book has had a huge influence on my thinking. In clear prose Jackson lays out the phenomelogical approach of Dewey to art. It took me awhile to grasp where this was going, but when I did, it was trememdously rewarding. Highly recommended.