Why did John Dewey emphasize experience in education?

John Dewey emphasized experience in education because he believed it was the essential catalyst for "growth," which he viewed as the primary aim of the educational process. For Dewey, experience is only truly educational when it fosters this ongoing development.1

His focus on experience was deeply connected to his vision of democracy. Dewey argued that a healthy democratic society requires citizens who are informed, engaged, and capable of critical inquiry. By centering education on the student's own interests and active participation, he sought to cultivate the habits of mind—such as cooperation, critical thinking, and public-spiritedness—necessary for individuals to contribute to a "mode of associated life".2341

While he is often associated with "child-centred" education, Dewey also stressed the importance of understanding traditional subject matter. He placed these ideas within a sophisticated framework of philosophy of education, viewing schools as the "church of democracy" where the skills for solving common problems through rational, experimental means are developed from a young age.14