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 MeThe CompanionPreface, 19151          Education as a Necessity of Life2          Education as a Social Function3          Education as Direction4          Education as Growth5          Preparation, Unfolding, and Formal Discipline6          Education as Conservative and Progressive7          The Democratic Conception in Education8          Aims in Education9          Natural Development and Social Efficiency as Aims10        Interest and Discipline11        Experience and Thinking12        Thinking in Education13        The Nature of Method14        The Nature of Subject Matter15        Play and Work in the Curriculum16        The Significance of Geography and History17        Science in the Course of Study18        Educational Values19        Labor and Leisure20        Intellectual and Practical Studies21        Physical and Social Studies: Naturalism and Humanism22        The Individual and the World23        Vocational Aspects of Education24        Philosophy of Education25        Theories of Knowledge26        Theories of Morals