This paper re-examines John Dewey’s philosophy of experience as a foundation for life-oriented teaching innovation in contemporary higher education. Rooted in Dewey’s maxim that “education is life,” the study argues that genuine learning occurs through active engagement with lived experience, reflection, and social interaction. In many current university contexts—particularly within ideological and political education—teaching remains dominated by didactic transmission, which often disconnects students from the moral and experiential dimensions of learning. Drawing on Dewey’s principles of continuity and interaction, this paper proposes a “learning in action” model that integrates experience, reflection, and value formation into higher education pedagogy. Using case studies from life-oriented ideological and political education reforms in Chinese universities, it explores how Deweyan experiential learning can be recontextualized to foster moral imagination, democratic participation, and practical wisdom. The findings suggest that life-oriented teaching, when guided by Deweyan pragmatism, promotes a dynamic synthesis between individual growth and social responsibility. It further demonstrates that “education as life” is not merely a slogan, but a transformative framework for cultivating reflective, engaged, and value-conscious learners. This paper thus contributes to the ongoing global dialogue on rehumanizing higher education through experience-based and life-centered pedagogies.

Dewey, Philosophy of Experience, Life-oriented Education, Higher Education Innovation, Experiential Learning, Ideological and Political Education