Woody Guthrie and John Dewey: Pedagogy of the expressed

Abstract

Although John Dewey wrote extensively on the subject of the dignity and centrality of the everyday experience as the basis for the construction of knowledge little has been written explaining or depicting examples of this concept. This study attempts to establish how John Dewey's stated educational theory finds a vernacular and artistic expression in the life experiences of Woody Guthrie. Dewey's theoretical concepts of experience, continuity, and interaction are used as the analytical framework through which multiple examples of Guthrie's expressed works are analyzed. The analysis animates and clarifies Dewey's thinking while concurrently expanding the understanding and significance of the artistry of Guthrie. While utilizing Guthrie as an exemplar the study emphasizes Dewey's conceptualization of the artistry involved in everyone's learning process. Lastly, the study reconnects Dewey's theory of democracy and education to the artistically lived life experiences of all learners and citizens.