Dewey's Curriculum Thought And Its Realistic Connotation

Dewey was a widespread influential educationalist in the world education history of transformation from traditional education to modern education. Later researchers always preferred to transcend Dewey's education thought and curriculum thought rather than to attempt to bypss it.Dewey's curriculum thought influences not only the curriculum research and reform of United States, and also the curriculum research and reform of the other countries. In the past curriculum reform, there are some curriculum issues in the curriculum reform and practice which cause people's concerns and thinking. The curriculum issues are as the following: (a) how should we comprehend and hold a curriculum? (b) how should we handle the relation between curriculum theories and curriculum practice? (c) how do curriculum theories serve curriculum practice better than ever?After arranging Dewey's curriculum thought and analyzing it from the historical background, the theoretical basis, the foundation of his educational practice, and the influence on evolution of American curriculum theory, we come up with some conclusions. Firstly, curriculum research should be based on understanding and holding the curriculum. Secondly, curriculum theory should return to and be rooted in the curriculum practice. Thirdly, we should compromise curriculum theory and curriculum practice, and the integration of the study of curriculum theory and exploration of the curriculum practice is necessary. Thereby curriculum research and reform can be promoted.