Upon self-evaluation and reflection of the chapter on philosophies of education, I have determined that I lean mostly towards progressivism and I will explore the role as a teacher, the students’ cognitive development, curriculum development, and the ways people learn best, in the American history classroom scenario. Progressivism sees learning as student-centered, therefore, the teacher’s role is the facilitator. As a progressive teacher, I believe that students should be problem-solvers in order to adapt to the ever-changing world. In a progressive classroom, a curriculum is not a collection of standards and facts, it is, instead, ongoing “hands-on investigations, projects, and design challenges that inspire greater interest, depth and understanding” (“Progressive Education”, 2017, para. 2). Constructivism is the paradigm where students learn through experimenting and real-world problem solving to construct their own understanding of the world. As a subject, American history lends itself to becoming a microcosm of the ideals and practices of a democratic community with simulated, real-world problems in the historical setting.
In my classroom I am the facilitator of my students learning. I began by training them in critical thinking skills, communication and collaboration, as well as, effectively using, managing, and evaluating information (“Progressive Education”, 2017, para 5). Providing resources and activities for developing students’ problem-solving abilities includes setting up multiple learning spaces with several resources for exploration that are both print and technology based. Student-centered classrooms require that the teacher acts as guide in helping children do what they want to do and learn. In the provided American History Teacher scenario, the teacher needs to scaffold the children from the traditional classroom expectations and habits to more independent, critical thinking skills. This will eliminate students’ responses such as, “I didn’t have my hand up” or “I don’t know.” C’mon, just tell us what you want us to know, “Why do we have to learn this stuff?” (Philosophy Essay, n.d., para. 2).
The aim of progressive education is to nurture the student’s curiosity about their world and
Democratic and “freedom-based education” (Koonce, 2015, p. 79) is anchored in the belief that people are “naturally curious” (Koonce, 2015, p. 80) and have an “innate desire to learn” (Koonce, 2015, p. 80). Children are more engaged in learning by what motivates them.
A large part of my educational philosophy is based on the fundamentals of Progressivism. This philosophy, founded by John Dewey, organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real world experiences of students. I agree with these ideas because people must continually learn to keep up with today’s fast paced world. I believe that when learning is relevant and enjoyable students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. Progressivism has respect for individuality, a high regard for science, and a receptivity to change that I feel is critical to successful education. As a Progressive teacher I will facilitate learning by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those questions. In my opinion, answers are best discovered through real world experience, especially hands on learning or pragmatism. I believe that there is a time and place for book-learning; however, there is no substitute for actually doing things. I
The second principle in support of educational philosophy is that educators should allow the student’s natural curiosity to steer his or her learning for personal development. It is significant that students have the opportunity to study things
Numerous studies confirm the benefits of using graphic organizers in the classroom in terms of helping students develop and process information. The mere fact this is a method that has been backed by such a strong body of evidence has imbued me with confidence that this intervention will yield positive results. Graphic organizers are a way to help students "grapple with core ideas of the content and develop sophisticated relational understandings of it" (Ellis 2004). They help students to process information as opposed to memorizing and stressing facts (Ellis 2004), which is what history, is predominantly concerned with. Too often when we teach children in our particular content areas we take a Scholar Academic
With developments in technology growing exponentially, teachers must show students how to think critically and problem solve, using factual information as a primary resource. By mastering these skills, students become prepared for their college and careers, which will most likely involve some form of technology that has not yet been invented. This will influence many of the decisions I make as a teacher. Instead of assigning a reading passage and then comprehension questions to answer after, I can encourage students to discuss what they read and make connections to their own lives, research a topic for different perspectives or deeper details, or give students opportunities to present what they know to their peers and me in creative ways.
progressive education c. evolutionary science d. modern psychoanalysis e. Hegelian philosophy 48. According to John Dewey, a teacher’s primary goal is to a. reduce permissiveness in the classroom. b. emphasize the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. c. educate a student for life.
An American Education has drastically changed over time, and it is widely known that things have changed. Students in their generation and ones prior are acutely aware and morally affected about subjects regarding
It is important to remember to children do not stop learning history when they finish their time at primary school. Maintained secondary schools follow the NC which maintains that all children will continue to learn history by means of the KS3 History Programmes of Study (2013). Therefore it is important to prepare children for more challenging and precise history learning. New topics shall be introduced so it is important children have the skills to ‘identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends’ (p.72). It is, furthermore, defined that pupils will ‘pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed themselves’ (p.72). This indicates towards children becoming independent critical thinkers, a valuable quality to have in adult
Progressive education
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, America struggled with finding comfort and equality through mass industrial maltreatment, political duels, and hypocrisies; this point in time is what historians named Progressive Era (1890- 1920). In this era, it was believed that America was in dire need of improvement in areas such as the economy, government, and social justice. Progressivism contributed in changing how people viewed government and inspired many to fight for their right to be; however, progressivism was subject to bias, being influenced by Christian morals, which featured racial, ethnic, and class prejudices. Still the people took action and ignited reforms across the nation that changed the texture of American society
Progressivism and the Progressive Era significantly changed the United States. The fight against corruption in the government, authority, politics, and economics is still being fought to this day. While some ideals have faded away, like prohibition, the progressives and progressive era shaped America and laid down the groundwork for more reform to come.
In “Rewriting American History,” Frances FitzGerald claims that “each generation of children reads only one generation of schoolbooks,” and those children only have a particular version of America based on the textbook they read in schools. FitzGerald is correct in her claim that children read only one generation of schoolbooks; however, children do not get a particular version of American history based on their schools’ textbooks. Students should realize that American history is constantly changing, and they cannot only depend on historians’ opinions on historical events. Instead, they should be open-minded to multiple perspectives of history and understand why people interpret it differently.
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Intellectual progress of mankind is the progression towards discovering the questions about curiosity on why something is what it is or what makes something work the way that it does. The discovery of which we make on defining, proving, and supporting scientific and theoretical issues is a reflection of how far we have come on particular issues of study. this can be defined as changes that take place as a result of growth in the thinking of mankind resulting from one’s capability to think, experience, reasoning judgement and ability to conceptualize. This helps humankind to progress in different aspects of life and make advancements on daily basis in relation to his life. Three main subject leads toward Intellectual Progress of mankind, philosophies, ideologies, and theories which this paper examines as related themes that often intersect in educational ideas (Gutek, 2004). Philosophy falls somewhere between the arts and sciences. On the one hand, it offers idiosyncratic worldviews that may be too disparate to compare. It is not surprising, then, that the question “Is philosophy progressive?” is hardly ever raised. From one viewpoint, it offers quirky perspectives that might be excessively unique, making
John Keating, a student at Welton Academy inspired his fellow classmates, to meet in caves and read challenging poetry of the past, not with flashcards, but with these words, “Now, my class, you will learn to think for yourselves again. You will learn to savor words and language. No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” Typically, students do not hear enough of this type of passion in a traditional classroom. However, a progressive classroom, be it a cave or college can inspire students to memorize facts, not because they have to, but rather because they want to for the betterment of humanity. Society desperately needs students educated in a progressive style because America needs students who realize
Throughout the majority of my education, including college, I have felt like a passive member of the classroom. Teachers saw me as a clear slate that needed to be filled with information. I consumed countless facts, and memorized numerous processes, most of them not being my own. This approach to teaching has proven to be unsuccessful to the goals of education. Students are diverse, with their own learning styles and their own knowledge that they bring to the table, and these should be supported and expanded on in the classroom. The goal of education is to support learners and thinkers, and not to condition minds to all think the same ways.