This year marks the centenary publication of John Dewey’s magnum opus, Democracy and Education. Despite its profound importance as a foundational text in education, it is notoriously difficult and—dare we say it—a little dry. In this charming and often funny companion, noted philosopher of education D. C. Phillips goes chapter by chapter to bring Dewey to a twenty-first-century audience. Drawing on over fifty years of thinking about this book—and on his own experiences as an educator—he lends it renewed clarity and a personal touch that proves its lasting importance.
           
Phillips bridges several critical pitfalls of Democracy and Education that often prevent contemporary readers from fully understanding it. Where Dewey sorely needs a detailed example to illustrate a point—and the times are many—Phillips steps in, presenting cases from his own classroom experiences. Where Dewey casually refers to the works of people like Hegel, Herbart, and Locke—common knowledge, apparently, in 1916—Phillips fills in the necessary background. And where Dewey gets convoluted or is even flat-out wrong, Phillips does what few other scholars would do: he takes Dewey to task. The result is a lively accompaniment that helps us celebrate and be enriched by some of the most important ideas ever offered in education.

Introduction: John Dewey and Me
The Companion
Preface, 1915

1          Education as a Necessity of Life
2          Education as a Social Function
3          Education as Direction
4          Education as Growth
5          Preparation, Unfolding, and Formal Discipline
6          Education as Conservative and Progressive
7          The Democratic Conception in Education
8          Aims in Education
9          Natural Development and Social Efficiency as Aims
10        Interest and Discipline
11        Experience and Thinking
12        Thinking in Education
13        The Nature of Method
14        The Nature of Subject Matter
15        Play and Work in the Curriculum
16        The Significance of Geography and History
17        Science in the Course of Study
18        Educational Values
19        Labor and Leisure
20        Intellectual and Practical Studies
21        Physical and Social Studies: Naturalism and Humanism
22        The Individual and the World
23        Vocational Aspects of Education
24        Philosophy of Education
25        Theories of Knowledge
26        Theories of Morals