PROGRESSIVISM Shena Anglin The Philosophy and Sociology of Education Dr. L. M. Malcolm November 13, 2009

Francis W. Parker Francis Parker was the most famous of the early educators who followed the progressive philosophy of pedagogy. Argued that educators should encourage students’ creativity and opposed rote memorization.

John Dewey Philosopher and educator - remembered as the Father of Progressivism and most famous spokesperson for Progressive Educational Philosophy His thinking was influenced by William James, a psychologist and philosopher at Harvard who believed in a connectivity between everything in the world. Dissatisfied with philosophy as pure speculation and sought-out ways that philosophy was relevant to the real world

John Dewey’s Model of Learning Progressive educators believe that children learn as if they were scientists following a process similar to John Dewey’s Model of Learning: Become aware of problem Define the problem Formulate hypotheses to solve the problem Evaluate the consequences of each hypothesis based on experience Test the most feasible solution

Goals of Progressive Programs A flexible curriculum that is influenced by students’ interests Teachers act as facilitators of learning who guide students in using varied activities to learn

Goals continued Teachers use many different materials which give opportunity for individual and group work Teachers support learning by discovery Programs frequently use community resources and service-learning projects.

Methods of Teaching to Achieve Goals Students learn by doing hands-on projects, in other words there is a focus on experiential learning. The curriculum is integrated and focuses on the themes to show how subjects are related. Problem solving and developing critical thinking skills is emphasized. There is also an emphasis on group work and developing social skills.

Methods of Curriculum cont. The goals of learning are real understanding and action or application instead of rote knowledge. Learning projects are collaborative and cooperative. Education aims at instilling social responsibility and teaching democracy. There is an orientation toward community service and service learning projects in the daily curriculum.

Methods of Curriculum cont. Subject content is chosen by thinking ahead to question what skills will be relevant in future society. Varied learning resources are employed instead of textbooks. There is a focus on promoting life-long learning and importance of social skills. A child’s performance is assessed by evaluating the child’s projects and productions.

Points of Interest in Progressivism Progressivism is an American philosophy Progressive education is adaptable for the current social state Goal is to help individuals develop analytical and critical, problem-solving skills in preparation for real- world situations Progressive curriculum provides students a range of instruction from basic skills to more complex investigation and analysis The progressive teacher is a facilitator to learning by giving students questions which exercise their minds and develop the skills needed to succeed in a competitive world

Shortcomings of Progressive Education Progressive educators do not believe in a basic skills approach, but a contextual one Some educators argue that progressive education segregates as it is mainly available to the upper-middle class and actually puts minority students at a disadvantage