Experience and growth... are two sides of the same coin, which is education... it is life

John Dewey, who lived nearly a century (1859-1952 AD), set out with his philosophy to every place in the world to confirm that experience and growth are two sides of the same coin, which is education, and that education is not preparation for life as it is circulated, but rather life itself. Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. The family, school, and society represent - usually - sources that constitute the experience of individuals, and the place of their growth. That develops and develops this experience, and directs this growth, and is not the vessel in which knowledge is stored and preserved for an unknown time.

This is how John Dewey painted his wonderful educational philosophical painting, which embodied the reality of the human condition, and achieved unparalleled mass acceptance, even though the Islamic approach to education - or as Dewey called it - "Muhammadian education" preceded him by hundreds of years in adopting this philosophy and presenting it as a way of life. The experience emphasized by Dewey requires a nurturing environment, a realistic context for practice, practical application and experimentation, to ensure problem solving and transition to other stages as a form of growth.

That is exactly the content of the idea that promotes a clear perception that; that experience and growth cannot be stopped in any way, but the standard for achieving them in a normal way varies; Depending on the amount of community participation directed and controlled for both, which meets the needs of the individual in the context of his current reality and his expected future, and here the school plays the most important role as it reflects the social reality in a miniature way, and in it the individual can control and direct, and build and employ his experiences to make his future and not necessarily his distant future .

In order for the school - as a microcosm of society - to remain untouched by the rapid developments and developments in life, and in order for it to play its role that embodies the concept actually intended for education as Dewey sees it, many of the owners of Dewey's philosophy in the modern era called for the adoption of different and modern methods such as the method (class Open Classroom, the method of learning by project, learning by doing and practice, learning by playing, and many other theories of educational reform that adopted this philosophy as a centerpiece.

As a result of the foregoing, it is necessary to change the policies and methodologies of educational and educational institutions, especially the universities that are concerned with the preparation of teachers, such as adopting experimental applied schools affiliated with them, to implement organized and monitored education implemented by teachers in a realistic context that is subject to real follow-up, measurement, modification and development, so that the teacher goes out to the field of work With efficient and effective experiences and practices, the concept and goals of education related to guiding growth and experience together to build the personality of the individual are achieved.

As for the school, which charts the way to the future on the basis that it is a societal and psychological entity and not just an epistemological entity, it is appropriate that its role shift - in light of the concept of growth and experience, which Dewey put forward as education in the sense of life - from indoctrination, stuffing, and restriction of thought, to creating a life context that simulates real society, and embodies Life’s problems and challenges, and it provides learners with opportunities to devise solutions, experiment with them, and differentiate between them, with the aim of building experience rather than accumulating knowledge, and directing their growth in a way that makes them able to adapt to life, face its developments, and overcome its challenges.

Accordingly; The role of the teacher - according to John Dewey's philosophy - is to reveal and enhance interests and inclinations, and the role of the teacher may even begin before that, by helping the learner to identify and diagnose himself and his interests and then reveal them, to facilitate their development and development to become a tributary for building a personality capable of entering the midst of the future. Even better than the teacher himself.

All of the above indicates that educational goals are not fixed, but rather changing and evolving according to social, economic, political and other conditions, and according to the changing needs and developmental characteristics as a result of the growth and experience obtained, and to be refined, organized and developed. The role of education is to prepare the learner to be able to live in a near reality and an expected future. Its role is also to serve the learner day by day in his reality before his future, and it simulates society in its goals, behavior, and aspirations. In a positive, balanced manner based on the skill of rational and systematic problem-solving.

In order to obtain real and solid experience; To form the required actual normal growth, John Dewey emphasized two issues, the first: the uniqueness of the school to play the role of the micro-social environment incubating the individual; controlling his behavior and directing his culture. The second: the role of education, which must shift from focusing on the abstract theoretical aspect of teaching values, ideals, and morals, to keen interest in transforming them into a real application that reflects tangible, behavioral material results through the daily practices and performances of individuals, and enhancing their ability to form a democratic society that accompanies problem-solving in a timely manner. His path to move into the future safely.

And experience, along with growth, remains two decisive elements for a person’s personality through life and upbringing, from his birth until his death, without regard to age or time, health or disease, wealth or poverty, or any change that occurs to individuals, so life does not stop and education does not falter, unless They may achieve desired goals as laid out, or other than what they are intended to be.

The two elements—experience and education—may make it possible to achieve the standards of progress and excellence however they are drawn and designed, and the individual may grow and his experiences and personality are formed in a way that does not achieve any of these standards. It is, so making a difference and transcending what is to what ought to be cannot happen without a combination that achieves the conscious merging of these two elements, so that education becomes a tool for change in the true sense.