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Progressivism Reflection

Satisfactory Essays

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

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