John Dewey was one of the greatest American educators during the early 1900's. He believed in the power of creative learning and wanted studetns to apply their education to any standard of life. This rationalization of "real world" education is what made him ahead of any educator in his time. Dewey specifically wanted to see a classroom that educated students about freedom to choose vocation - so he aggresively stood out against the ideas that schools should prepare students for industry specific jobs. According to Dewey, his necessary vision of an education was one, "whose chief purpose is to develop initiative and personal resources of intelligence (Frazer 148)". Dewey clearly believes a larger democratic society would be successful with the freedom of choice driving labor. The society would be ran off "real world applications" and "intelligence in all areas" instead of one industrial job experiences.
David Snedden was another highly regarded educator in the same day as Dewey. Unlike Dewey however, he favored the idea that schools should be driven to prepare students toward a specific industry. Snedden with his progressive views objected the more free-driven thoughts have Dewey and his "New Republic" views. To Dewey, it was clear industry controlling the school system would lead to the most prepared and skilled workers for vocational fields. If professions such as lawyers and engineers were going to be pursued than why not lawyers and engineers be the teachers? Snedden pictured experience as the best preparation for a job. Snedden and his views won the day as the WWI era saw boys put into vocational schools for particular efforts. However, eventually the emplacements sought by Snedden and the industrial advocates became a symbolism for social inequality. The vocational track became a dumping ground for lower class immigrant boys (Urban 187).
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