Ideas regarding Philip Jackson

In his analysis of Dewey's 1906 speech, Philip Jackson writes that Dewey is expressing the importance of experiencing things fully and translate personal passions into lesson plans and instruction. He writes in his analysis, "He [Dewey] is speaking of the promise of art, not its hardships." This is what we as teachers truly believe in - isn't it? We believe in promise, we believe in results, we believe in making a difference. I don't know anyone who has become a teacher just for the hardships. Obviously passion and motivation and positivity are not always what we encounter, but it is usually our intention. 

Dewey believed in incorporating passion and hands-on lessons into a curriculum. I think it is important to remember, as we create our curricula, that we should always try to incorporate our own passions into what we teach. 

My first thought is to incorporate photography into my lesson plans. I think it would be really neat to go on a photographic alphabet hunt around our school. The students could find all of the letters of the alphabet on signs, posters, and bulletin boards, and we could make an alphabet photo collage. My four year old students would love a project like this because they are trying so hard to learn what each letter of the alphabet looks like. This would be great practice for them! 

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