The theory of unit instruction on 'Safety' by a US elementary school teacher ― Modern developments of John Dewey’s theory of citizenship education ―

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the contemporary practicability of Dewey’s theory of citizenship education. To achieve this purpose, first, this paper considers the theory of citizenship education in Dewey’s works: “Ethical Principles Underlying Education” (1887) and “Moral Principles in Education” (1909). Second, this paper analyzes the citizenship education practices of modern elementary school teachers from the viewpoint of Dewey's theory of citizenship education. In order to practice Dewey’s theory of citizenship education in modern times, the following three points have been drawn from the above considerations: (1) it is necessary to have an integrated unit plan that manages the curriculum and extracurricular activities; (2) unit content is selected based on pragmatic usefulness in the real world; and (3) the unit is the process by which children, as citizens, create and implement a plan to actually transform society.