This paper is about the notion of conflict in the work of John Dewey. Special attention is given to "Democracy and Education" (1916) because of its centennial and its acclaimed status of "magnum opus". After depicting "conflicts as gadflies" that stir thinking--reflection and ingenuity--and relating it to Socrates, in…

Fifth grade students with socially deprived family backgrounds met weekly with a teacher for twenty minute discussions. They progressed from a need to resolve conflict, through sharing of thinking and objectives, to a degree of self-understanding and an awareness of one another's needs. (Author/JB)