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MyPedagogicCreedbyJohnDeweyJohnDewey'sfamousdeclarationconcerningeducation.FirstpublishedinTheSchoolJournal,VolumeLIV,Number3(January16,1897),pages77-80.ARTICLEI--WhatEducationIsIbelievethatalleducationproceedsbytheparticipationoftheindividualinthesocialconsciousnessoftherace.Thisprocessbeginsunconsciouslyalmostatbirth,andiscontinuallyshapingtheindividual'spowers,saturatinghisconsciousness,forminghishabits,traininghisideas,andarousinghisfeelingsandemotions.Throughthisunconsciouseducationtheindividualgraduallycomestoshareintheintellectualandmoralresourceswhichhumanityhassucceededingettingtogether.Hebecomesaninheritorofthefundedcapitalofcivilization.Themostformalandtechnicaleducationintheworldcannotsafelydepartfromthisgeneralprocess.Itcanonlyorganizeitordifferentiateitinsomeparticulardirection.Ibelievethattheonlytrueeducationcomesthroughthestimulationofthechild'spowersbythedemandsofthesocialsituationsinwhichhefindshimself.Throughthesedemandsheisstimulatedtoactasamemberofaunity,toemergefromhisoriginalnarrownessofactionandfeeling,andtoconceiveofhimselffromthestandpointofthewelfareofthegrouptowhichhebelongs.Throughtheresponseswhichothersmaketohisownactivitieshecomestoknowwhatthesemeaninsocialterms.Thevaluewhichtheyhaveisreflectedbackintothem.Forinstance,throughtheresponsewhichismadetothechild'sinstinctivebabblingsthechildcomestoknowwhatthosebabblingsmean;theyaretransformedintoarticulatelanguageandthusthechildisintroducedintotheconsolidatedwealthofideasandemotionswhicharenowsummedupinlanguage.Ibelievethatthiseducationalprocesshastwosides-onepsychologicalandonesociological;andthatneithercanbesubordinatedtotheotherorneglectedwithoutevilresultsfollowing.Ofthesetwosides,thepsychologicalisthebasis.Thechild'sowninstinctsandpowersfurnishthematerialandgivethestartingpointforalleducation.Saveastheeffortsoftheeducatorconnectwithsomeactivitywhichthechildiscarryingonofhisowninitiativeindependentoftheeducator,educationbecomesreducedtoapressurefromwithout.Itmay,indeed,givecertainexternalresults,butcannottrulybecallededucative.Withoutinsightintothepsychologicalstructureandactivitiesoftheindividual,theeducativeprocesswill,therefore,behaphazardandarbitrary.Ifitchancestocoincidewiththechild'sactivityitwillgetaleverage;ifitdoesnot,itwillresultinfriction,ordisintegration,orarrestofthechildnature.Ibelievethatknowledgeofsocialconditions,ofthepresentstateofcivilization,isnecessaryinorderproperlytointerpretthechild'spowers.Thechildhashisowninstinctsandtendencies,butwedonotknowwhatthesemeanuntilwecantranslatethemintotheirsocialequivalents.Wemustbeabletocarrythembackintoasocialpastandseethemastheinheritanceofpreviousraceactivities.Wemustalsobeabletoprojectthemintothefuturetoseewhattheiroutcomeandendwillbe.Intheillustrationjustused,itistheabilitytoseeinthechild'sbabblingsthepromiseandpotencyofafuturesocialintercourseandconversationwhichenablesonetodealintheproperwaywiththatinstinct.Ibelievethatthepsychologicalandsocialsidesareorganicallyrelatedandthateducationcannotberegardedasacompromisebetweenthetwo,orasuperimpositionofoneupontheother.Wearetoldthatthepsychologicaldefinitionofeducationisbarrenandformal--thatitgivesusonlytheideaofadevelopmentofallthementalpowerswithoutgivingusanyideaoftheusetowhichthesepowersareput.Ontheotherhand,itisurgedthatthesocialdefinitionofeducation,asgettingadjustedtocivilization,makesofitaforcedandexternalprocess,andresultsinsubordinatingthefreedomoftheindividualtoapreconceivedsocialandpoliticalstatus.Ibelievethateachoftheseobjectionsistruewhenurgedagainstonesideisolatedfromtheother.Inordertoknowwhatapowerreallyiswemustknowwhatitsend,use,orfunctionis;andthiswecannotknowsaveasweconceiveoftheindividualasactiveinsocialrelationships.But,ontheotherhand,theonlypossibleadjustmentwhichwecangivetothechildunderexistingconditions,isthatwhicharisesthroughputtinghimincompletepossessionofallhispowers.Withtheadventofdemocracyandmodernindustrialconditions,itisimpossibletoforetelldefinitelyjustwhatcivilizationwillbetwentyyearsfromnow.Henceitisimpossibletopreparethechildforanyprecisesetofconditions.Topreparehimforthefuturelifemeanstogivehimcommandofhimself;itmeanssototrainhimthathewillhavethefullandreadyuseofallhiscapacities;thathiseyeandearandhandmaybetoolsreadytocommand,thathisjudgmentmaybecapableofgraspingtheconditionsunderwhichithastowork,andtheexecutiveforcesbetrainedtoacteconomicallyandefficiently.Itisimpossibletoreachthissortofadjustmentsaveasconstantregardishadtotheindividual'sownpowers,tastes,andinterests-say,thatis,aseducationiscontinuallyconvertedintopsychologicalterms.Insum,Ibelievethattheindividualwhoistobeeducatedisasocialindividualandthatsocietyisanorganicunionofindividuals.Ifweeliminatethesocialfactorfromthechildweareleftonlywithanabstraction;ifweeliminatetheindividualfactorfromsociety,weareleftonlywithaninertandlifelessmass.Education,therefore,mustbeginwithapsychologicalinsightintothechild'scapacities,interests,andhabits.Itmustbecontrolledateverypointbyreferencetothesesameconsiderations.Thesepowers,interests,andhab