ABSTRACT
Within the context of ‘teacher as researcher’ and ‘action research’, the relevance of John Dewey’s ‘pragmatism’ is introduced – namely, the practical nature of that which is to be researched into, the tentative nature of conclusions reached, the openness to criticism in the light of new experiences, the nature and importance of ‘inquiry’, and the crucial role of experience. Such a practical approach to learning was foreshadowed in My Pedagogic Creed, and later reflected in the significantly called ‘Laboratory School’ (which was established by Dewey in Chicago) and in ‘the project method’ promoted by a ‘follower’ of Dewey, namely, W.H. Kilpatrick, which remained influential in schools both in the United States and in Britain.
