ABSTRACT
Kurt Lewin saw education as a reflection of the broader culture in which it resides, and as an influence in promulgating or changing that culture. Active group participation, shifting the group from a restraining force to a driving force, was essential to the difficult goals of re-education. Indeed, two of Lewin's most important associates, Leland Bradford and Ken Benne, were both students of Dewey's philosophy of education. In Lewin's mind, experiential learning became critical to re-education. If behavior is only enforced from outside, re-education has failed. It was brought about partly by observation of other leaders and a detailed discussion of the various possibilities of the leader's reactions to a multitude of situations arising from group life. It came about, in part, through the thrill of experiencing what a democratic group-life can do to children, and through the realization that one is able to create such an atmosphere.
