PR Log - Global Press Release Distribution

Influence of Educational Theorists on Thinking in Education

By Cynthia Joffrion
Dated: Jul 23, 2010

This article will assess the influences of Dewey, Lewin, Piaget, and Kolb to the current trends in education

This article will assess the influences of Dewey, Lewin, Piaget, and Kolb to the current trends in education.
Each theorist will be reviewed separately. The review will include information related to each theorist’s
seminal work followed by examples of how they influenced educational approaches today.
John Dewey
Dewey’s influence on today’s education system is significant. Dewey was one of the first theorists to
propose the connection of education to the meaningful experience. Tenets of that connection can be found
in the curriculum of K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, which embrace the idea of authentic
experiential instruction. These schools provide course offerings that include internship, externships,
work-study arrangements, and credit based on prior experience. The learner is directly in touch with the
realities studied. Often, it involves direct encounters with the phenomenon being studied rather than merely
thinking about the encounter or only considering the possibility of doing something with it (Keeton & Tate,
1978, p. 2). The internship type courses provide students with real-world experiences which can be applied
to day-to-day situations. According to Dewey’s theory, instruction through application has relevance to the
student.
Dewey’s theory also has influenced the current theory of constructivism. He encouraged the students to
take an active role in the learning process. The constructivist teacher designs lessons which allow students
to be participants in the construction of their own knowledge. Gertek (2004) explains that Dewey’s concept
of experience as the interaction of the person with his or her environment reflects constructivist
beliefsp.11). In simple terms, learning occurs during the interaction through which the learner gains
knowledge.
Kurt Lewin
Lewin also strongly believed that the experience was a construct of the learning process. Lewin added the
additional propositions to Dewey’s theory that took into account the interactions of group dynamics, action
research, laboratory training, and the training group. His work, which is related to groups, serves as a
medium for learning how to encourage planned change within organizational social systems. He
emphasized basic values of a humanistic scientific process and authenticity in relationships which offered
new hope-filled ideals for the conduct of human relationships and the management of organizations (Schein
& Bennis, 1965). Today, many organizations planning change use Lewin’s three-stage change process
model.
Lewin’s work on the Laboratory Training Model inspired the formation of the National Training
Laboratory in Group Development. Kolb (1984) explained that the laboratory training movement had a
profound influence on the concept of innovation and on the practice of adult education, training, and
organization development. The training center focused on teaching change motivation and management in
group situations, utilizing Lewin’s laboratory practices.
Jean Piaget
Piaget is most widely known of all the educational theorists and perhaps one of the most substantial
contributors to the current constructivist theory of education. Marlowe and Page (2005) say that one cannot
overestimate Piaget’s contributions to the direction, meaning, and understanding of contemporary
constructivism (p. 12). Examples of Piaget’s contributions include his ideas that knowledge should be
actively constructed by a child, and learning activities should match the level of the conceptual
development stage of each child. Also, several major approaches to curriculum and instruction are based
on the Piagetian theory (Berrueta-Clement, Schweinhart, Barnett, Epstein, & Weikart, 1984). For instance,
Piaget influenced many teaching techniques such as the focus on the process of the child’s thinking and the

Page 1/2
PR Log - Global Press Release Distribution

active role of the learner (Berk, 2001).

Piaget’s focus on the process of the child thinking promoted the development of the stages of Cognitive
Development Theory. Teachers use the stages in today’s classroom as a way to gauge a child’s cognitive
functioning. This permits the development of activities and learning experiences that are at the correct
cognitive development stage for the child’s ability to learn.
Piaget recognized that students must be self-initiated and actively involved in learning activities. A
current application of this concept today can be found with the teacher designing a variety of activities that
allow a child to act within the physical world. Today, many of the academic curriculum material include
interactive activities and even educational software for the student to engage in self-controlled learning.
David Kolb
David Kolb’s work has been very influential within the education system at the present time. His most
notable work is the LSI. The instrument offers educators and trainers the tools to assess and determine
behavior related to environmental interactions, which is useful in determining a match between the learner
and the learning experience. Sims explains that the effectiveness of Kolb’s model is contingent on a
dynamic match between the learner and the experience. In support, Tennant (1997) explains that Kolb’s
model can be used as a framework for planning, teaching, and learning activities, as well as a guide for
understanding learning difficulties, vocational counseling, and academic advising. Therefore, the inventory
provides the learner with the necessary information needed to support the learning process with direction.
Kolb’s measure of learning styles called the LSI has been used increasingly by both education and
business organizations. Kolb describes that the increased attention is due to the fact that very little in terms
of research and studies have focused on the relation of learning styles to one’s chosen field of specialization
in college. Honigsfeld and Schiering (2004) explain that empirical results with the Learning Styles
Inventory have shown differentiated learning style preferences in specified disciplines. This indicates that
there is a relation with academic choices, achievement, and teaching styles. Therefore, the information
obtained from the inventory can be applied to learning choices, career paths, and continued professional
development.
Kolb’s LSI is currently used in adult learning and development. Healey and Jenkins (2000) say that
Kolb’s inventory remains one of the most widely distributed instruments used in higher education. In fact,
the tool can be downloaded for a small fee from a number of web sites. Many management consultant firms
also use the model as a tool to develop personal development and planning.

Category Education, Research

Tags cynthia joffrion
Email Click to email author

Page 2/2