How does Dewey's philosophy, implemented by Miss Caroline, compare to Atticus' theory of education and the impact both have on Scout?

In Chapter Two of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout goes to school, where she is introduced to a new way of teaching and learning. Her teacher, Miss Caroline, is fresh from college, and she uses a new method of teaching based on the philosophy of John Dewey. As Jem explains it to Scout, "Our teacher says Miss Caroline's introducing a new way of teaching. She learned about it in college. It'll be in all...

In Chapter Two of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout goes to school, where she is introduced to a new way of teaching and learning. Her teacher, Miss Caroline, is fresh from college, and she uses a new method of teaching based on the philosophy of John Dewey. As Jem explains it to Scout, "Our teacher says Miss Caroline's introducing a new way of teaching. She learned about it in college. It'll be in all the grades soon. You don't have to learn much out of books that way--it's like if you wanta learn about cows, you go milk one, see?" Jem mistakenly calls this system the Dewey Decimal System, which is unrelated to the concepts of John Dewey. Instead, John Dewey thought that children should learn through an interactive process instead of just being lectured to. Miss Caroline is new to teaching and to Maycomb, and her methods are strange and perturbing to Scout. Instead of teaching children to read directly, Miss Caroline shows the class cards with words such as "cat" on them.

Scout already knows how to read because Atticus reads to her, and Calpurnia asks Scout to copy out passages from the Bible on rainy days. She rewards Scout with butter and sugar sandwiches. Miss Caroline thinks that Scout shouldn't learn to read until she is older.

Miss Caroline's method of teaching relies on educational philosophies, and she employs them rigidly without understanding much about Scout or appreciating the way in which Scout already knows how to read. Atticus, on the other hand, is natural with Scout, and, without pressuring her, understands that she is ready to read. Miss Caroline's methods make Scout dislike school, while Atticus's methods encourage Scout to read and learn because they are more in line with the way she thinks and feels.