The Curriculum Of A Progressivism

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

Diversity is a beautiful thing; from religion to physical looks, the differences among people is astounding. The world would be such a monotonous place if everyone were the same. However, many tend to note that diversity in a classroom can sometimes be an issue- especially among the students. From my own experiences within a diverse class, I realize that the contrast between students is a blessing and a curse

As a science, and more specifically biology, teacher, pragmatism also appeals to me for its emphasis on the scientific method, search for truth, and integrated approach toward curriculum. More importantly however, pragmatism launched the educational theories of experimentalism and progressivism, both of which I subscribe to. Experimentalism is a movement that emphasizes first-hand experience over purely textbook learning. As a biology teacher, this is something I feel is integral to the success of my class’s education. Lessons should explore the connections between natural phenomena, prompting a larger point of view. The lessons should also be relevant to the students and promote both cooperation and competition. Progressivism is very similar to experimentalism in that it too stresses cooperative learning. This theory also emphasizes minimal classroom rules and liberal

Throughout education there are six main philosophies to take into consideration, and they are as followed. From a teacher centered classroom approach they include Essentialism, Behaviorism, and lastly Positivism. In a student centered classroom approach they are Progressivism, Humanism, and Constructivism. What do these terms mean? Essentialism is and educational philosophy that there is a common core of information and skills that an educated person must have. Behaviorism is a psychological theory and educational philosophy that asserts that behaviors represent the essence of a person and that all behaviors can be explained. A person acts the way they do for a reason. Finally positivism is a social theory and educational philosophy that limits truth and knowledge to what is observed and measured. These are all important for a teacher to take into consideration. Progressivism is an educational philosophy that emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experiments and that learning is better developed in questions developed by the learner. Humanism is an

Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and

Educational philosophies influence curriculum from the establishment of the American school systems. The five major philosophies that have influence American education are: 1) Idealism, 2) Essentialism, 3) Perennialism, 4) Progressivism, and 5) Experimentalism. Idealism, Essentialism, and Perennialism are all teacher-based philosophies putting the teacher at the core of the educational experience, with students being passive members of the classroom. In contrast, Progressivism and Experimentalism are student-centered philosophies that focus on the child and their contribution and participation in the formation of classroom experiences, using teachers as guides to help students in their educational development. Although the philosophies differ, many of them define curriculum as a encompassing unit of goals, methods, materials and assessment.

There are two educational philosophies that influence the way I want to teach in my own classroom. Essentialism and progressivism correspond to my beliefs. They both represent the values that I hold important when coming to running my future class. These philosophies interconnect to form the view of the best educational philosophy for me.

Progressivism will also be a part of my classroom. The world is constantly changing and as a part of the world we must be able to change with it as John Dewey, the man responsible for the success of progressivism, realized. Dewey relied on the scientific method to develop his ideas and found that books are no substitute for actually doing and experiencing in the learning process. I agree with Dewey on this point because in my classroom I plan to allow students to experience as much as they can first hand. Actually, being part of or performing an experiment helps to teach students because they are able to apply what they are learning to the real world. This ties in with the essentialist philosophy as well as the behaviorist philosophy. Progressivism also encourages social interaction between all students. Learning social skills is an important part of the learning process in school because this is one of the skills that the students will need in the world after school. Having activities and lab experiments in the classroom will encourage the growth of social skills.

I believe the essence of education includes growth. The purpose of education is not to just fill our head with lots of information, but to discover your uniqueness and to teach us how to develop it, and to show us how to, in return, give it away. Once you learn something in life, you should be able to absorb it in a way to use it in your life and then in turn pass it on to someone else in order to contribute to their growth as well. I also believe that the essence of education includes knowledge and skills. Once you are educated on a matter you obtain knowledge and/or skill. Education is understood as the artificial extension of human ability to learn, as the product of learner’s own efforts (Sidorkin, 2011).

John Dewey, another educational philosopher believed “Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” (Inc.) He felt that learning took place only when students had internalized what they had gained through experience and practiced it in their own lives. In a progressive classroom, the teacher designs experiences for students with the idea that through experience, students build knowledge and skills. A society of individuals conforming to studying flashcards may be good, but a society of literate individuals consciously aware of why and how the facts on the flashcards and in mass media can solve new problems is better.

As an educator I need to be flexible in my teaching styles, what works one year, may not work the next, and even day to day can change. I believe that it is important that I reflect daily on what was successful and what could have gone better. I then make the adjustments to my teaching. As a whole though, my teaching approach I believe is very similar the the progressivism theory of education. “Progressivists believe that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher. This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world” (Cohen, 1999). In Knight (2008) he states that “Children have a natural desire to learn and discover things about the world around them.” (p. 104).   This couldn’t be more true in my opinion, my preschoolers are constantly asking questions about the world around them, I have had some pretty interesting meal time conversations at school based on the questions and conversations about life these littles bring up! “Children’s interest, therefore, are the natural starting point for their learning experience.” (p. 104). This past school year in my morning class are students were really into bugs-so we did a whole unit on bugs, this

As a future educator there are many ideas or philosophies on how teachers should teach students. Students learn best when they are able to relate to the material that is being taught. Cohen (1999) writes, “This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world” The curriculum is based on the needs, ability, and experiences that the student has. From the curriculum, teachers create lessons that influence their students to actively participate and encourage development. The teacher is merely an organizer who offers encouragement as well as prompting the students to use critical thinking skills by challenging them with questions. Students then use this skill to cooperate in groups as well as discuss view point that they may not agree with. This form of duel communication is a skill that allows the student to become more comfortable with their social skills as well as team working.

After reviewing these teaching philosophies and educational theories, many of them reflect my own personal educational philosophy and my instructional practices and choice of classroom curriculum. The four that I found the most appealing are: Realism, Pragmatism, existentialism and progressivism. I find the combination of the three very complementary.

In order to teach successfully teachers must learn about first learn about their students. Teachers must assess the student’s capabilities and interests. Some students are visual learners, while others learn from hands on activities, or verbal communication. Not all students can learn through memorization, rather they learn through interest and relation to the topic. “To realize what an experience, or empirical situation, means, we have to call to mind the sort of situation that presents itself outside of school" (Democracy and Education). The curriculum should encompass material that is most useful for a student to learn. It seems that in the majority of schools, students are not given the flexibility to guide their own learning, but rather follow rigid instructions that destroy the student’s imagination.

It is important to teach or at least try to teach students problem solving related to math. Problem solving plays a big part in the math process. Teaching problem solving is beneficial to students because helps the students find solutions when struggling. It helps math to be more interesting and less stressful. Students see math with less negative reaction and more hope. Problem solving helps and improves student’s ability to think, solve, and find solutions. It is important for students to have the ability to have problem solving skills and this is what it teaches the students. Ultimately, problem solving helps students focus increase and learn what works best for them.