Progressivism

Pragmatic Roots
Progressivism is the educational philosophy of the liberal and it is grounded in the
pure philosophy of pragmatism. As an outgrowth of pragmatic thought, progressivism is
completely different from all other educational theories. This is because it wasnt arrived at
through theoretical speculation. n the contrary, man lived his way into this system of thin!ing.
"y this, # mean that man tried out his ideas before believing in them. $ence, mans attitude was
very practical.
Pragmatic ontology holds that reality is in the realm of everyday, personal e%perience.
Therefore, since none of us have had an identical set of life e%periences, reality is somewhat
different for all of us.
&ith regard to truth, pragmatisms view is that ideas should be tested for their utility. #f
an idea wor!s out in practice, then we can accept it, use it, and call it truth. #f an idea doesnt
wor!, the pragmatist scraps the idea, learns from his e%perience, and tries something new. To a
pragmatist then, truth is what wor!s' A corollary of this statement is( Truth is not absolute,
but relative to the perceiver and the circumstances in a given time and place. According to this
view, what wor!s for me in a given situation is truth for me. "ut it may not be truth for you'
&hy not) "ecause your circumstances might be different, and all truth is relative to its
surrounding circumstances of place and time. *or e%ample, would it have been a truth in
+,-- to say, man can wal! on the .oon) /o' &ould this have been truth in +,0,) 1es'
This year, would it be a truth that man can create an e%act replica of a living human being
through cloning) /o' &hat will be the answer to this 2uestion in the year 34+4) 5tay tuned
and see. Another e%ample that # have found to be a truth for me is that when #m memori6ing
notes that #ve ta!en, # can get the 7ob done in one8half the usual amount of time if #ve read the
notes through, once carefully, on the day that # too! them. This is truth for me, but is it for you)
nly practical, individual e%perience would determine this. Truth then is never absolute to a
pragmatist. #t constantly changes with time and circumstances.
The pragmatist believes that ethically, whether or not something is good or bad, is
determined by the public test. #n other words, if we try something out, it will prove to be either
good or bad.
Aesthetically, that which is beautiful is whatever s2uares with the public taste. *or
e%ample, if most people thin! that a certain actress or model is a beautiful woman, then she is by
definition beautiful.
9ohn :eweys #nfluence
The leading spo!esman for progressivism was the academic philosopher 9ohn :ewey. #n
his writings, :ewey emphasi6ed a generali6ed problem8solving procedure, which is 2uite similar
to the scientific method. This problem8solving procedure is a means by which we find out what
wor!s in a given situation. :ewey saw this problem8solving procedure as one8in8the8same with
the process of education. $e believed that the procedure could be effectively applied to
problems in the physical or biological sciences, or to a social problem or even to a personal
problem
.ost progressives are committed to change and progress in our society. They feel that
change is inevitable and that we should therefore learn how to manage it so that man!ind can be
in the saddle directing change, rather than having events in the saddle leading us to some
un!nown destination. .ost progressives feel that the process of in2uiry or problem8solving is
the proper tool for managing change. Thus, such a process has utility for us. 9ohn :ewey,
however, was never really interested in the utility of our education, i.e., whether or not our
in2uiry would bring us material progress. :ewey was a ;purist. $e felt that education is
growth, and growing or development is life, hence education is life. Therefore, unli!e classical
educators, :ewey did not view education as preparation for life. $e wrote that <.the
educational process has no end beyond itself= it is its own end= the educational process is one of
continual reorgani6ing, reconstructing, transforming. :ewey felt then that the only purpose of
education is more education. #t must be that way so that we can !eep up with our constantly
changing environment. #n this way, our society can constantly renew, sustain and propagate
itself. Progress, then, is 7ust a by8product.
5ome progressives thin! that :ewey came on too strong with his growth metaphor. $e
defended himself, however, in his boo! :emocracy and >ducation(
5ince growth is characteristic of life, education is all one with growth= it has no end
beyond itself. The criterion of the value of school education is the e%tent in which it
creates a desire for continued growth and supplies the means for ma!ing the desire
effective in fact.
:o you agree with this view or is the value of a school education whether or not it can get
you a 7ob)
>ducation Theory
#n essence, progressive education is learning through living. #n living, we are
constantly confronted with changes in things. As a matter of fact, change seems to be the only
constant. Progressives want to teach youth how to manage change. #n the e%perience of
day8to8day living, we all confront many problematic situations. 5ome of these are societal
problems, and some are personal problems. #n progressive education, the learner finds
meaningful soultuions to these problems by applying a well8defined process. &hen he has found
a solution, he might e%press it in a school setting through a pro7ect or activity.
Progressivism advocates no prescribed curriculum. #n other words, there is no pre8
determined body of essential sub7ect mater. This means that the sub7ect matter actually dealt
with in school has no fi%ed se2uence, i.e., it is not studied in any particular order. #n history this
does no appear to matter. &e !now that we can learn colonial American history 7ust as well
before or after a course in the ?ivil &ar and Reconstruction. #n mathematics, se2uence of
material seems logically to be more critical. *or e%ample, how can one learn long division
unless he has already learned subtraction and multiplication) Progressives say that when a
student shows that he is ready to learn long division, he will be highly motivated to do so. At
this point, if he does not have the prere2uisite !nowledge, then this would be the proper time to
teach it to him, instead of force8feeding such !nowledge to him at an earlier time when he might
not be receptive to learn the !nowledge.
?ontinuity in the curriculum is also of no great importance to the progressive. #n other
words, how one days learning relates to the ne%t days isnt so important, since all !nowledge is
related in some way and no part of the vast amount of !nowledge can ever be shown to be
essential to all learners.
&hat sub7ect matter is dealt with in a progressives classroom) #t is sub7ect matter,
which is relevant to the solution of a problem an individual learner is interested in. :oes this
mean that @- separate curricula must be taught in a given classroom) /ot usually' Progressives
7ust say that the curriculum ought to be based on the manifest needs and interests of the students.
bviously, all third graders would have some of the same needs and interests. Progressives thin!
that it is o!ay to try to interest students in certain sub7ect matter. *or e%ample, third graders
often learn their multiplication facts for the digits 48,. They also typically learn cursive writing.
Progressives 7ust dont want to force a child to learn something if it does not presently cater to
his needs and interests. 5ince there is a vast amount of !nowledge, something is bound to
interest every student at a given age. Progressives contend that if a student learns that which
interests him, it will be real learning and not forced teach which merely leads to memori6ation
and regurgitation.
Progressives place a heavy emphasis on students wor!ing together in the conte%t of a
group. This is logical, because several students might be interested in in2uiring into the same
problem. Progressives tend to favor group wor! as an educational end in itself, because it
enables students to be sociali6ed to one another. #n other words, students learn how to wor! with
persons of a different race, se%, age, ethnic bac!ground, religion, etc. This e%perience should
serve one well as an adult when we must fre2uently wor! with others on the 7ob, at church, on
community boards, and committees, etc.
Progressives are very much aware that circumstances in the world are constantly
changing and that !nowledge is constantly e%panding. Therefore, they thin! that is futile to try
to teach a given body of !nowledge in the hope that it will serve the student well in his life for +4
or 34 years. Progressives point out that in certain fields such as biology or astronomy,
!nowledge is changing so fast that any te%tboo! is outdated in some very important ways as soon
as it appears on the mar!et. #n view of the dilemmas with !nowledge cited above, progressives
contend that we should teach students how to thin! instead of what to thin!. #n other words,
students would ac2uire a process of thin!ing and learning which will enable them to in2uire into
any problem or body of !nowledge, both now and in the future. To a progressive, the process of
learning is far more important than any content or sub7ect matter learned. The process endures,
but most content is 2uic!ly outdated.
#n a progressives classroom, there is a desire to deal with open, controversial 2uestions
and problems. "y contrast, classical educators are more inclined to deal with closed, pedantic
2uestions with safe, right answers.
*inally, a very important tenet of progressive ideology is that the teacher is a fellow8
learner along with the student. Progressives view the teachers proper role as that of a stimulator
of interests, a helper and a resource person. Anli!e classical educators who dispense !nowledge
they consider crucial, progressives assist students in in2uiring. #n a sense, progressives are a
!ind of research pro7ect director. Progressive teachers are less directive in dealing with students
than classical educators.
?lassroom 5eating
5eating of students in a classroom is an important philosophical issue to many
progressive educators. "ecause of the influence of progressive ideology, we now have movable
furniture in most of our school classrooms instead of des!s bolted to the floor. #ndividual des!s
or tables and chairs or temporary seating on carpeted areas enable the teacher to have infinite
seating patterns for different tas!s in the classroom. #n the progressive classroom, students
generally are assigned no seats, so seating charts are not used. .ovable classroom furniture
facilitates interaction between students in a classroom, and progressives highly value such
interaction because they believe that students can learn much from each other.
Ability Brouping
Probably no single issue philosophically divides progressives and classical educators so
much as the issue of homogeneous ability grouping. Progressives are opposed to any type of
ability grouping or any type of segregation of students of the same chronological age from one
another, whether it is done on the basis of se%, race, social class, or academic performance.
Progressives contend that students need to have as much e%posure as possible to all !inds of
people. They feel that ability grouping destroys the sociali6ing power of the school and yields
undemocratic byproducts such as snobbery and condescension. Progressives say, for e%ample,
that students in upper level ability groups always loo! down upon students in lower level groups.
They say that students in upper level groups benefit from e%posure to the best teachers and
school resources. Progressives, therefore, argue for heterogeneous grouping into classes where
all ability levels are represented. They say that this pattern assures each student of an e2ual
chance to an education. .oreover, they contend that students of all types can learn much from
each other. Progressives, therefore, support the concept of mainstreaming all e%ceptional
children, e.g., gifted and talented, learning disabled, retarded, emotionally or physically
handicapped.
Preferred Teaching .ethod
The progressive teacher does not thin! of himself as a math teacher or a music teacher.
$e thin!s of himself as a teacher of children or young people. This mind set is an important
one. #n other words, the progressive does not view himself as a sub7ect matter e%pert whose 7ob
it is to pass along what he !nows. ?onse2uently, progressives use little or no lecture, recitation
and demonstrations. As fellow in2uirers, they favor the problem8solving method or the pro7ect
method. They prefer to deal with problems that arise out of the genuinely felt needs and interests
of their students. *or e%ample, in an ++
th
grade >nglish class, after a unit on 5ha!espeare, some
students might be motivated to write and produce their own >li6abethan play as a pro7ect. A
progressive teacher would encourage this interest and wor! with them on the pro7ect as a guide
or resource person. #n carrying out such a pro7ect, students would have to use or apply much
present !nowledge. #n addition, they would uncover much new !nowledge through their
research. Progressives feel that it is in the use of !nowledge that students really learn in a
meaningful way. A living awareness of sub7ect matter is superior to memori6ing sub7ect
matter prescribed by some authority and giving it bac! on a test.
The reflective in2uiry method favored by :ewey and other progressives is a generali6ed
problem solving process that can be applied to any problem. #t includes several steps(
+. truly sensing a problem. This means facing an indeterminate situation and
e%periencing some !ind of doubt, conflict or disturbance. #deally, it is the pupils
problem and not a contrived problem set up by the teacher.
3. articulating the problem. This involves thin!ing about the problem until you have it
is a form that can be realistically investigated. This means stating the problem in a
testable form.
@. hypothesi6ing a plausible solution. This involves generating a number of possible
solutions to the problem ChunchesD in order to guide your observation or gathering of
data, and then adopting the most li!ely hypothesis ChunchD or hypotheses to test
against information uncovered.
E. gathering data. This involves getting relevant information that will elaborate on the
hypothesis. :ata gathering can be from any relevant academic discipline. Farious
methods are used. At times one or more techni2ues such as the following are used(
formal empirical e%perimentation, observation, polling, library research, interviewing,
etc.
-. testing the hypothesis. This includes seeing how your hypothesis s2uare with the data
you have been able to assemble. ne logically would either accept, re7ect or modify
Ci.e., changeD the hypothesis after comparing it with the data.
0. drawing appropriate conclusions. These conclusions are stated and constitute the
solution to the problem.
1ou may recogni6e the above process as the scientific method.
Preferred ?urriculum .aterials
The progressive does not show any preference for curriculum materials. $e does not rely
solely upon te%tboo!s. &hen he uses a te%tboo!, it is usually in a selective way. $e does not
feel compelled to cover it all. The progressive selectively uses a variety of materials. .aterials
are selected on the basis of their utility in assembling data concerning a problem under
investigation.
Preferred 5ub7ect .atter
Progressives do not give a higher priority to one sub7ect over another one in the
curriculum. They believe in an interdisciplinary curriculum. "y this, # mean that in gathering
data about a particular problem, it would usually be obvious that several academic disciplines
bear on the problem. *or e%ample, in in2uiring into a comple% social problem, data from several
of the social sciences Csuch as economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history,
geography, and social psychologyD as well as the field of religion might be relevant. $ence, one
lets his interests guide him to certain content.
:iscipline
Progressives believe that we must have rules but that the best discipline is student8self
discipline. #n their view, self8discipline is learned gradually when the child is given
opportunities to control himself, while being prompted by a set of rules that he has had an
opportunity to help formulate. :iscipline for the progressive is a learning e%perience.
Progressives believe teachers should impose few if any rules of behavior. #deally, a class should
discuss and adopt a set of rules by voting. 5tudents should enforce the rules through peer
pressure and by policing each other. Progressives reason that this involves students in the moral
dimension of discipline. They re7ect the disciplinary efforts of classical educators by claiming
that such efforts 7ust e%act a penaltyGthey do not cause the offender to consider the
conse2uences of his act on other people. Progressives were the first to advocate student self8
government. They feel that even young students, with the proper guidance, have the intellectual
and emotional maturity to participate in governing their own behavior.
Testing and >valuation
?ritics of progressivism claim that it has no clear theory regarding testing and evaluation.
#t may be true that this is the wea!est part of the progressive platform. Benerally, progressives
li!e to ascertain how well students can solve problemsGindividually or in a group conte%t.
$ence, they often evaluate student reports and pro7ects. "eing pragmatic, however, they may
occasionally use both essay and various types of ob7ective test 2uestions. ne way in which
progressives differ a great deal from classical educators is that they often permit some degree of
student self8evaluation to figure into the grading process. ?ritics charge that students are not
e2uipped to do this fairly and ob7ectively and that the practice demonstrates that progressives do
not enforce high academic standards.
*inally, many progressives advocate a policy of social promotions so that even students
who fail the wor! of a given grade level are passed on to the ne%t grade level so that they can
avoid being stigmati6ed by failure, and thus remain with classmates of the same chronological
age. ?ritics claim that this practice leads to graduating functionally illiterate students who are
really victims of the process because they incorrectly feel that they have achieved something.
#n addition, critics claim that diplomas falsely certify to prospective employers that such students
have s!ills and !nowledge when, in fact, they do not.
References
?ontemporary Theories of >ducation by Richard Pratte
Philosophy and the American 5chool by Fan ?leve /orris
:emocracy and >ducation by 9ohn :ewey
>ducation #deologies by &illiam /eill
:ialogue in the Philosophy of >ducation by $oward 6man