How did the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools test John Dewey’s educational theories?

John Dewey founded the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in 1896 to serve as a research and demonstration center for the university's Department of Pedagogy. The schools functioned as a practical testing ground for his philosophy of education, where he sought to replace traditional methods of drill and memorization with approaches centered on the child.12

To test his theories, the schools implemented the following methods:

• Activity-Based Learning: Lessons focused on collaborative, hands-on activities rather than passive instruction.13
• Integrated Curriculum: Subjects such as reading, writing, history, and science were correlated and connected to real-life experiences, treating the classroom as a "miniature society".13
• Practical Skills: The curriculum emphasized manual training, domestic science, music, art, and physical training to draw out the child's latent possibilities.13
• Experimental Research: The schools operated on the principle that education should not be imposed from the outside but should facilitate the "reconstruction of accumulated experience," allowing Dewey to refine his pedagogy through direct observation and practice.13