Dewey and Rousseau on Experience-Based Science Education

Overview & Synopsis

Science education researchers suggest teaching activities that are based on students' experience. Since anything and everything that happens in one's life can be called "experience" however, it is important to pause and ask what kinds of experiences promote science education. In this paper, we will turn to two philosophers that are considered the forefathers of "experience based education," J.J. Rousseau and J. Dewey, and discuss their proposals. We will start with Dewey, one of the most influential philosophers of science education research; his distinction between "educative" and "miseducative" experiences should inform any experience-based teaching intervention. Then, we will turn to J.J. Rousseau. Rousseau not only anticipated but also elaborated on the criteria that experience-based science education should satisfy, in his work "Emile." Reading Dewey and Rousseau side by side elaborates the kinds of experiences that promote science education; it can also help us realize that, moving forward in time, science education theory and research has forgotten many of Rousseau's essential teachings. Revisiting "Emile" then, will help further Dewey's criteria for educative experiences and revitalize science education.