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Randolph Bautista
Professor Maria Ogbara
English 101
29 September 2015
John Deweys Thinking in Education: A Rhetorical Analysis
John Dewey is an excellent education with a different point of view. In his writing,
Thinking in Education, he states that the educational system is outdated. In his first paragraph, he
says the parceling out of instruction among various ends such as acquisition of skill; acquiring
information; and training of thinking is a measure of the ineffective way in which we accomplish
all three. Basically, Dewey is saying that students should not learn to memorize information that
they will forget right after the test. The lessons taught should be more relative to the students
life. John Dewey uses relatable examples that shows the errors in traditional education, provides
a solution, or alternative, in his judgment, and appeals to the audience by viewing both sides of
the argument.
The sole direct path to ensuring improvement in the methods of instruction and learning
consists in centering upon the conditions which exact, promote, and test thinking. Dewey, in his
writing, likes to claim ideas like that quote, that surrounds his main topic, then use examples to
further explain what he means. Dewey argues that thinking is not properly taught in todays
educational system. He cares to explain what thinking is: thinking is the method of intelligent
learning, of leaning that employs and rewards mind. Dewey has another claim on learning. An
individual must actually try, in play or work, to do something with material He is claiming
that to learn something, an individual must put the information in use with real life situations.
Deweys example was this is what happens when a child at first begins to build with blocks

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By using these examples, Dewey draws the audience in using ethos and logos. Dewey uses his
credibility as an educator for the opposing view, then further uses it to show reason behind his
argument.
It consequently leaves a man at the mercy of his routine habits and of the authoritative
control of others Dewey sticks to his argument throughout his writing, and provides solutions
to fix the problem. His overall topic is the education system is not teaching students how to
think. He, then, provides three clear solutions to teach the method of thinking. Now, after
claiming each solution, Dewey brings up other problems; on the contrary, thinking of often
regarded both philosophic theory and in educational practice as something cut off from
experience Dewey has stated experience is needed to think, however includes the problem
that thinking is often not associated with experience. He uses an example about a scientist
experiencing an experiment with unfamiliar objects to support his claim that experience is
needed to think. Another example Dewey uses is sometimes they overwhelm and submerge and
discourage. Dewey claims the problem that the difficulty of thinking can discourage a person.
He provides the solution that problems must be sufficient enough so student can control and
handle it. Dewy use logos and pathos for his solutions. He uses common sense in his solutions,
and these solutions provide a sense of hope to the problems explained.
Throughout his writings, Dewey uses his credibility as an education to provide an
opposing view to his argument. This gives Dewey a persuading tone because with his opposing
view, he claims his arguments is right. His side of the argument states pupils who have stored
their minds with all kinds of material which they have never put to intellectual uses are sure to
be hampered when they try to think. He sticks to his argument that thinking is not being taught.
He, then, provides the opposing view with on the other hand, it is quite open to question

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whether, if information actually functioned in experience through use in application His
argument is that data is needed to think, however states that there are many ways the educational
system provides data.
Deweys examples, solutions, and unbiased statements keeps the audience engaged on his
writing. He represents his credibility through his essay by providing problems an educator would
come across on his argument. Dewey appelas to the reader logic by using relatable examples.
Within those examples, Dewey expresses that though he has a negative argument, he has a
positive solution.

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Work Cited
Dewey, John. "Thinking in Education." A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers 9th
(2013): 558-67. Print.