1. Vijay Keshaorao Paralkar PhD Candidate Department of Educational Leadership Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2018 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association Session “Dewey and Philosophical Inquiries in Democracy” for the SIG- Dewey Studies April 15, 2018 Education, Social Control, and a Creative Democracy: An Integrated System Approach

2. Background Education Social Control Creative Democracy Integrated System Thinking

3. Objective To explore Dewey’s concepts of education, society, and a creative democracy through systems thinking leading toward democracy as a way of life, not just a political system.

4. Conceptual Framework Informed by the Systems Theory ・ Systems thinking includes holism – An ability to think about the system as a whole. ・ Four common properties of system: Purposes, Processes, Interactions, and Integration. ・ Open and Complex system ・ Functionalism / Equilibrium / Adaptation (Shaked & Schecter, 2013; Cunningham, 2014)

5. Education Good Education have both individual and societal purposes Education is a social process – Interactions Liberating educational experiences Progressive education – isms’ vs whole (Dewey, 1916; Dewey, 1938)

6. Social Control A way of working as a social enterprise in which all individuals have an opportunity to contribute and to which all feel a responsibility Role of educator as a facilitator, not the umpire (Dewey, 1899)

7. Creative Democracy Democracy should be revitalized as a means of creating the good society and combating the growth of fascism. Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife. How education fulfill the needs of society that defines democracy as a way of defining culture. Democracy is not external institution but it lies in free gathering of neighbors on the street corners, of friends in the houses. (Dewey, 1899; Dewey, 1916)

8. Summary The concepts of education, social control, and a creative democracy are embedded in each other leading to achieve a freer and more humane experience in which all share and to which all contribute.

9. Significance Our faith in Dewey’s concept of interaction and continuity in and between the interconnected and interdependent individuals, education, society, and a creative democracy as a whole system of living life would help shape “just and fair” future for all.

10. Now What? Next step: How public education can lead the processes, purposes, interactions, and integration in a whole system of living “fair and just” life for ALL?

11. Acknowledgment Department of Educational Leadership, Miami University scholarship Miami University Graduate School and GSA travel funds FLC on accessibility and inclusion professional development fund AERA Division J Travel Award Global Initiative, Miami University travel grant award Thank you!