At the end of his life, John Dewey, the most prolific educational philosopher in American history, was asked by a young reporter to summarize his career. One might think that this question was impossible to answer in summary form. But Dewey quickly replied: “Democracy is conversation!” Likewise, current cognitive science posits that “understanding” requires “conversing with” and seeing all possible perspectives on an issue, deeply considering the evidence and disciplinary-based reasoning about the evidence regarding the issue, and then making reality-based decisions about where to stand, justifying why one stands there and why one does not stand elsewhere, always being categorically tentative in conclusions and willing to change one’s mind in the face of new evidence or ways of reasoning about it. 

This website showcases the work of Idaho teachers involved in an institute focused on Dewey’s notion of conversation and the current cognitive science: our purpose and deep commitment is to foster more open inquiry and dialogue in schools around the issues that have historically preoccupied us as Americans – and more locally as Idahoans. The purpose is to learn to teach and think historically, to promote civic engagement through the humanities, and to appreciate the deep history of American conversations – and of Idaho in the context of national conversations.