Towards a Flexible Curriculum: John Dewey\u27s Theory of Experience and Learning

Positively stated, a reconceptualization of curriculum will most certainly have to take its cue from the American philosopher and pedagogue John Dewey (1859-1952). His work in philosophy and education is one great attempt to overcome dysfunctional dualisms like between the child and the curriculum, freedom and discipline, the individual and the society, body and mind. I will use my reconstruction of his theory of experience and learning to challenge the claim made by the Tanners (Tanner and Tanner, 1980, 1988; D. Tanner, 1982; L.N. Tanner, 1982) that Dewey must be regarded as the ancestor of \u27modern\u27 curriculum theory as formulated in the Tyler rationale. In the next part of my paper I will go into Dewey\u27s attempt to reconceptualize the concept of experience as a way out of the dilemma of technology against Bildung. After that I will talk about Dewey\u27s curriculum theory as a theory of \u27planned experience.\u2