PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION: How Children Learn

Whenever reform was needed, many progressive movements came out as a result. Progressive education is one of these reactions. It came out as a reaction to the traditional mode of education. The Theory of Progressive Education was propounded by John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator where he put more emphasis on practical way of learning rather than theoretical way of learning. Progressive Education is a instructional movement which began in the late 19^th century, it is still in existence now. The term progressive was used for this mode of education because it is different from other forms of education. This mode of education prefers experiential form of learning over cramming of facts, because understanding the concept is far better than cramming it as it will only be forgotten later. Upon examination of teaching practices that were being used in the 19^th century, one begins to understand the need of progressive education. All those people who support this style of education argue that children learn far better when they learn by doing rather than memorizing facts.

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So how does progressive teaching actually work?  This concept is also known as experiential learning. This mode of learning employs projects that allow students to learn by routine engagement with activities that actually put their learned knowledge to use every single day. Progressive learning helps students in developing skills that are actually needed for the real world, for example, a workplace, now when we work, we work as a team and perform tasks that require critical and analytical thinking, progressive education helps students in developing that skill-set which is required for performing well at a workplace. Progressive education has an integrated curriculum which focuses on thematic units which later leads to a strong ability concerning problem solving and critical thinking. This type of learning focuses on group interactions and discussions which in turn leads to the development of quick on-your-feet thinking and social skills. Wherever the module of progressive education is followed, their teachers are concerned with helping students become not only good learners but also good people. Here, schooling isn’t only focused on academics, it is also focused on developing the child in a wholesome manner. John Dewey once observed, “the center of gravity is outside the child”, this means that a student is expected to adjust to the school’s rules and regulations and rather it should be the other way around. Whereas, progressive schools tailor their curriculum according to the children’s needs. Students must not only help to form the course of their studies but also the outcomes of the said choice, there is no need for a tailor-made curriculum if students do not perform well. One of the most attractive features of progressive learning is that they take kids seriously. As kids take part in designing the curriculum of the school, their active participation leads them to construct their own ideas rather than passive learning and absorbing new information.  The great philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, “ A merely well-informed man is the most useless bore on God’s earth”. Facts and skills are only limited to a certain extent and a specific purpose. In order to combat this issue, progressive learning is focused on problems, projects and questions instead of endless lists of facts, skills, etc. The point is to invite students to create a deeper understanding about issues that matter and help them with solutions so that the problem can be solved from the inside out.

Although, progressive learning as a concept seems to be a brilliant idea but still many traditional schools oppose it. This may be because of the misconceptions that revolve around the idea. Traditionalists think that if we give students the absolute freedom to design their own curriculum, they will choose the easy way out, but this is not the case. Even though it is true that the kids design their own curriculum, this is so done in the presence of and under the guidance of teachers who ensure that the kids benefit from the curriculum in a wholesome manner.  For many, the main reason parents choose a progressive school for their children is because they think that meeting children’s needs must be preferred over preparing future employees. They have a desire to nourish their children with other virtues like curiosity, creativity, compassion, etc. all of which are essential to human life. Therefore, progressive education may be an unconventional source of learning but it has proved to be beneficial in the long-term for children because this type of approach towards academia challenges them to be better humans and civilized members of society.