# Education as Preparation explained — Democracy and Education

> Chapter companion for Democracy and Education by John Dewey.

## What happens

This chapter critiques the idea that education is primarily a process of preparing for adult life or a distant future. Dewey argues that this view leads to loss of impetus, procrastination, reliance on conventional standards, and the use of external rewards and punishments. Instead, he maintains that education is a continuous process of growth, where the present experience should be made as rich and significant as possible, thereby naturally preparing for the future.

## Themes in this chapter

### Education as Life and Growth

Dewey contrasts the idea of education as preparation with his own conception of education as a continuous process of growth, where each stage aims at added capacity for growth.

### Critique of Traditional Curriculum

The chapter criticizes the traditional view that treats children as candidates for adult life, leading to practices that ignore present capacities and rely on external motives.

## Key lines

> We have laid it down that the educative process is a continuous process of growth, having as its aim at every stage an added capacity of growth.

Dewey asserts that education is an ongoing process of development, with the goal at each stage being to increase the ability to grow further.

_This foundational statement sets up the contrast with the preparation theory._

> The mistake is not in attaching importance to preparation for future need, but in making it the mainspring of present effort.

The error lies not in valuing future preparation, but in using it as the primary driver of current activities.

_Dewey clarifies that preparation is not wrong, but it should not dominate present educational efforts._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se/chapters/i-education-as-preparation
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se/chapters