"Education As Life" And "Education For Life"

Dewey is an American well-known pragmatist philosopher and educator,whose“education as life ”is based on his critique of traditional educational disadvantages in the course of American social transformation,and built according to American own national conditions in thevery late nineteenth and early twentieth century.Tao Xingzhi is a Chinese renowned educator,whose “education for life” is under the influence of Dewey's “education as life ”,which was put forward on the basis of China's special national conditions.Tao Xingzhi learnt from Dewey,so that there are some relationships and differences between the two educational thoughts.The article is meant to sort out the relationship of their educational thoughts as well as explore the potential theoretical value and practical significance by means of comparing.The main idea of the article: first,states social background and theoretical origin of Dewey's “education as life” and Tao Xingzhi's “education for life”.Secondly,the article teases out core content of the two educational thoughts,expounds that Dewey's“education as life” mainly includes “education is life”,“school is society”and“learning from doing”;Tao Xingzhi's “education for life” mainly includes “life is education ”,“ society is school ” and “integrity of teaching,learning and practice”.The article expounds differences and similarities of the two educational thoughts and points out that the same between them: emphasis on close contact of education and life,education playing a major role in social transformation,insisting carrying out the concept to create schools,focus on the sustainability of education,as well as analyzing the differences of the two educational thoughts in several ways:social cultural background and breakthrough point,emphasis of educational thoughts,and educational objects.Finally,from two perspectives the article expounds the two educational thoughts haves revelations to China's educational development in the new era.Although the educational thoughts of Dewey and Tao Xingzhi have some reference for contemporary educational development,as time going on and with the continuous changes of educational situation in China's modernization,plagiarism and bookishness cannot solve the existing education problems.According to thoughts of education of Dewey and Tao Xingzhi,we need to discard the false and retain the true,discard the dross and select the essential,and we can truly provide theoretical guidance and effective reference for the new age education development combining with the reality of our country,continuously practice based on previous experience advance with times,explore and innovate.