Chapter 8: Aims in education

When I play golf, my goal is to shoot 45 for nine holes. That's bogey golf--one over par on each hole. On a par four, I aim for a drive, one fairway and one approach shot, and two putts. But standing on the tee, my end in view is to place the ball in the fairway about 180 yards out. The plan shows how intrinsically aims are built into my golf game. Dewey would explain that based on "observation of the given conditions", I have established a "proper sequence" and made my "choice of alternatives" to accomplish my "end in view"--the first in a progressive chain of aims.

...an end which grows up within an activity, as plan for its direction is always both ends and means...Every means is a temporary end until we have achieved it. Every end becomes a means of carrying activity further as soon as it is achieved. We call it end when it marks off the future direction of the activity in which we are engaged; means when it marks off the present direction.

This relationship between means and ends suggests why students find games so engaging--video games or school sports. It also explains why students are so engrossed by Ken Macrorie's I-Search or problem-based learning in community projects. In each case, there are clear, progressive aims along the way to a larger objective. Nevertheless, it leaves me wondering how that kind of engagement can be attained and the alienation of externally imposed aims be avoided in everyday school practice.