Progressive Education: The Purpose Of Progressive Education

Introduction

Throughout history we have seen education as an important tool in surviving the business world. In order to prepare students for a life outside of the classroom and in the work world, basic materials such as math, reading, and writing were lectured at students. This method of education is now known as traditional education. As more research has gone into education and its methods, theorists have come up with a new progressive way to educate students, focusing more on the student’s social and developmental needs rather than pressuring a focus on retaining information that may or may not be relevant to them in the near future. While many educators incorporate progressive education into their classrooms, some still feel a need to

John Dewey, being a pragmatist theorist had influences from Karl Marx, which is reflected in his work. In the general outline of progressivism and Marxism, theorists believe in social inequality surrounding economics and social structures. In order to eliminate this discourse, it is believed that teachers can practice a progressive educational method in their classrooms in hopes of allowing all students to understand the importance of education along with its correlation with society. While "Children as such are not usually included among the oppressed. Yet they necessarily compose one of the weakest, most dependent and defenseless sections of the population” a progressive education gives an advantage to the students by preparing them for roles in society whether that be a humanitarian, a businessman, or a blue collar worker (Novack). A progressive education evens the playing field for all students and in fact, prepares them for not just the mental part of the “real world” but also the social aspect of

However, as social ideas across the world have shifted, so have the method of educating future generations moving towards a more social issue based education has worried many parents and classroom observers. While the progressive education had shown to benefit specific demographics of students, there are still some who are struggling in school or are having even more difficulties in school due to the new methods. The problem with a progressive education is that of time. Students only have so long that they are present in primary and secondary school and not all decide to go onto any sort of higher education. While they are in the care of the state government and school systems, students are expected to gain a lot of knowledge and transferrable skills that they will later carry on into their careers. With a traditional education the basic skills needed by employers are sure to be taught and hopefully mastered by all students. By taking time out of precious instructional time, students are losing knowledge rather than gaining it. In one classroom setting, a tutor observed and noted that “The upshot is the most fearful waste of precious time in the school day. Perhaps middle-class children can benefit from the leisurely use of time required by progressive methods. But