Lesson 3.7 -Progressivism

“Learn by Doing”

Educational Progressivism

• the belief that education must be based on the principle that humans are social animals who learn best in real-life activities with other people
• a set of reformist educational philosophies and methods that emphasize individual instruction, informality in the classroom and the use of group discussions and laboratories as instructional techniques

Progressivism

• movement that took form in Europe and North America during the late 19^th century as a reaction to the alleged narrowness and formalism of traditional education
• opposed formalized authoritarian procedure and fostered reorganization of classroom and curriculum as well as new attitudes toward individual students

Tenets

• emphasis on learning by doing – hands-on projects, experiential learning
• integrated curriculum focused on thematic units
• strong emphasis on problem-solving and critical thinking
• group work and development of social skills
• understanding and action as the goals of learning as opposed to rote knowledge

• collaborative and cooperative learning projects
• Education for social responsibility and democracy
• integration of community service and service learning projects into the daily curriculum
• selection of subject content by looking forward to ask what skills will be needed in future society
• de-emphasis on textbooks in favor of varied learning resources
• emphasis on life-long learning and social skills
• assessment by evaluation of child’s projects and productions
• Children learn best in those experiences in which they have a vital interest and that modes of behavior are most easily learned by actual performance.
• Education must be a continuous reconstruction of living experience based on activity directed by the child.
• The recognition of individual differences was also considered crucial.

Aim of Education

The main objective was to educate the “whole child” - to attend to physical and emotional as well as intellectual growth.

Curriculum

more flexible and is influenced by student interest
Creative and manual arts gained importance in the curriculum and children were encouraged toward experimentation and independent thinking.

Teacher’s Role

facilitators of learning who encourage students to use a wide variety of activities to learn

Progressive teachers:

• Ø  use a wider variety of materials allowing for individual and group research;
• Ø  encourage students to learn by discovery;
• Ø  desire to provide not just reading and drill, but also real-world experiences and activities that center on the real life of the students.
• view existing schools as too rigid, formal, and detached from real life.
• prefer informal classroom arrangements and informal relations between students and teachers
• prefer that schools teach useful subjects (including occupations) and emphasize “learning by doing” rather than instruction purely from textbooks

Proponent

John Dewey (1859-1952)
Ø  Father of Progressive Education
Ø  emphasized on the importance of democratic relationships in the classroom setting which shifted the focus of educational theory from the institution of the school to the needs of the school’s students
John Dewey
Ø  believed that his educational philosophy could equip each child with the problem-solving skills required to overcome obstacles between a given and desired set of circumstances
Criticism
The movement elicited rather sharp criticism from a variety of sources, particularly for its failure to emphasize systematic study of the academic disciplines.

“Education is not simply a means to a future life, but instead represented a full life unto itself.”

 - John Dewey