Progressive Philosophy

A progressive philosophy focuses on progress itself, with a concern for the individuals

and institutions that make up a democratic society. The idea behind progressivism is change

through cooperation and the knowledge that can be discovered through experience. I believe that

the most effective way to teach is through self-discovery and the teacher’s ability to be a

facilitator of education, rather than the beholder of all truth. My job as an educator is to guide the

students’ learning by inciting their curiosity and allowing them to interact with their

environment.

As a progressivist, the purpose of schooling is based on the idea that individuals and

institutions can be improved. The main focus on this philosophy is the real world application and

cooperative learning behind the process. The students learn best by doing, and the curriculum

must reflect that. Although the curriculum consists of experiences to be gained, rather than a set

of truths, the ultimate goal is to develop problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Being able to work collaboratively with others to achieve an outcome is an important

thing to be able to do. Students are able to learn from each other in a way that is different than

learning from a teacher, so I plan on including numerous amounts of group work in my

classroom. Although working independently in a competency based instruction may work for

essentialists, the benefits to working in a group setting are far more useful. As a progressivist, I

am instructing to view scientific investigation as a means of verifying experience, because it is

more worthwhile than instructing verifiable truth. It allows for more creativity, which often gets

forgotten in classrooms that could expand upon it. Yong children, if allowed, are able to think of

concepts in such abstract ways that we, as adults, are not able to.
 Assessment should be used as a tool for continued learning, rather than a label for the

value of each individual student. If we are able to continuously evaluate the progress of each

student, we are more likely to teach effectively to their individual developmental needs rather

than separate them based on grade merit.

The idea that teachers are beholders of the absolute truth does not encourage students to

critically think for themselves as it should, because they are more than capable of investigative

and cooperative problem solving. Providing children with question and answer curriculum does

not engage them and will affect their overall takeaway from the lesson. Schools are much like a

democratic society, and students are learning from a young age how to exist within that society.

The idea is to teach life skills within an equal community and action centered society, and

students should leave primary school understanding their basic role in it. The only way to

achieve this is to allow the students to experience what it is like to govern and educate

themselves, with limited authority. My position as a director of learning is to scaffold and guide

the students to a productive way of conductive reasoning.

In my progressive classroom, students will learn a form of self-guidance and cooperation

through reflective learning. They are to do more than memorize arbitrary facts from a teacher,

but come to independent conclusions based on their interests, and build upon that interest with

experiences. The only way to expect the students to comprehend a concept is to motivate and

respond to their needs as they develop ideas. I will feel accomplished as an educator if every

student has taken away some knowledge on the ability to critically think for themselves.

My preference to progressivism over other philosophies such as essentialism, has more to

do with the enduring idea behind them. For example, essentialism focuses on the knowledge and

skills as the purpose of schooling with competency based instruction and IQ tests as a form of
assessment. Being able to memorize concepts and pass a test does nothing to promote a lasting

effect from a primary education. On the other hand, being able to approach a problem and solve

your way through it is useful your entire life. No child should have an advantage over another

with this approach to education, because if I am able to provide all students with the same

experiences and lessons in my classroom, they will all have the knowledge to build upon that.

Through this self-aware way of teaching based on the demands of society, I am able to educate

students on their emotional, physical, and social needs. The evolving students of the 21st century

need a contemplative way of approaching reason, yet a feeling of duty to society, best portrayed

through progressivism.