John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching: Combining Theory and Practice(Academy for Educational Studies)

About the Book

John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching explores key philosophical topics in John Dewey’s work, including epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics, and relates them to teacher practice and education policy. Each chapter begins with theory and ends with practical implications. While there are numerous books on Dewey, there are relatively few that connect his philosophy of education to actual practice. By linking primary fields of philosophy with classroom teaching and education policy, Boyles suggests that the binary between theory and practice is a false chasm that can and should be bridged if teaching and learning are to change into more dynamic, reflexive, and authentic interactions.

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1.
• John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching
• Chapter 2.
• Dewey and the Arts: Everyday Experience, Advocacy, Policy, and Critical Problems for Imaginative Teaching
• Chapter 3.
• Dewey's Theory of Knowledge: Knowing as Meaningful Classroom Practice
• Chapter 4.
• Dewey's Naturalism and Realism: Ecology and Classroom Practice
• Chapter 5.
• Dewey's Ethics Applied to Schools: Against School-Business Partnerships and Corporate Exploitation
• Chapter 6.
• Dewey and Diversity
• About the Author
• Index

About the Author :
Deron Boyles is Professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His areas of research include school-business partnerships, epistemology, and the philosophy of John Dewey.

Review :

"Deron Boyles is a wonderful writer and a powerful thinker. In this book, he brings together a lifetime of theory and practice in defense of public education. He addresses his undergraduate audience in a way that both challenges and instructs them--but, even more importantly, reassures them that they have the capacity to humanize schools through their intelligent action."

--Kyle Greenwalt, Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University and President-Elect of the John Dewey Society "John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching: Combining Theory and Practice by Deron Boyles (2020) stands apart from other texts on Dewey by speaking directly to under-graduate students to help them reconceptualize teaching and learning as transactional inquiry. Deron Boyles uses a conversational and approachable tone throughout the book. As a result, this new text provides both clarity and practical examples that illustrate teachers' power as co-learners who can change the course of education in U.S. schools. (The book) will guide the serious undergraduate student in imagining a classroom where the joy and beauty of learning take place "in the doing instead of the preparing to do" (p. 54). Further, it will encourage students to question the very nature of the structure and curriculum of U.S. schools."--Reviewed by Cristy Sellers Smith, Pacific University, for Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, Volume 23, Numbers 1 & 2 "John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching is a remarkable achievement. Here, a first-rate scholar deliberately and successfully writes a philosophical text for undergraduates and does so without compromising scholarly integrity. Dewey advocated teaching and curriculum that addresses not only the students' intellect, but their needs, desires, and interests in a demanding and disciplined manner. Deron Boyles enacts Dewey's philosophy of education rather than just writing about it. Established scholars will also find the book a rewarding read."--Jim Garrison, Virginia Tech Past President, John Dewey Society, Philosophy of Education Society, and Society of Professors of Education