Products of Progressivism

photo from disney.go.com

        My brother and I were just talking about our schedules the other day, and when I mentioned that we were already having our quarterly tests, he immediately reacted by saying “What? Bakit nagtetest yung mga bata? Kaya sila mapapagod mag-aral niyan eh!” I responded by telling him that my students actually look forward to taking tests. They even have homework everyday.  Most of them even have tutors! We study a lot and it really helps that they have constant follow up at home, because we see how their practice at home helps them understand the lessons more. He simply told me that maybe that effect tells us that we are not teaching enough, and that maybe the curriculum should be re-evaluated. Maybe there are subjects that need not be taught yet so that the kids will simply enjoy, and not be stressed with homework, tests, or worse, hire tutors. I could not answer anymore. He did have a point, and that conversation really made me reflect on how things would be if it were different in the place where I taught. I then remembered Monday class and progressivism. If the current style that the school I teach in probably makes the students grow up to be stressed, then how would things be different if it were a progressive school?

 

        I’ve heard a lot about progressivism, specially when it comes to teaching children, bit I haven’t had the chance to experience nor observe a school which follows the progressive approach. I’ve always imagined a progressive school centre to be very colourful, to have lots of manipulative toys, space, mats, and corners. If my students were in a progressive school, then they would be free to run around and just explore. That would be perfect in a child’s point of view. However, I still wonder about the kind of students that a progressive school produces. If a person is to stay in a progressive school all his life, then how would he develop the discipline of sitting for a long time, or keeping focused for a long time? I think that the skills of questioning and exploring will definitely be developed at a deep level, but how will a graduate of a progressive school be able to eventually work and keep up with society’s pace? Perhaps this is where group works and the teacher comes in. Projects are set in groups, which will allow the students to work together and help each other to achieve a certain goal. Progressivism also believes that the teachers serve as guides and collaborate with the students in their learning. Maybe a person will naturally develop such skills throughout his stay in a progressive school, and the teacher will help them imbibe it. I am greatly impressed with the way things work in progressivism. In fact, I feel like students who study in a progressive school (well, more of children really) are much like Dora the explorer or Phineas and Ferb, cartoon characters who go on journeys to learn about new things (Dora) and create things from their imagination (Phineas and Ferb). 

 

        Given a progressivist view, students then can be treated as beings meant to learn, grow, and discover things as they travel through life. Maybe this will lead to my temporary answer for now. To be a student is to be a person who continually goes through life, learns at his own pace, and creates wonderful things based on his learnings and experiences. 

 

        In the end, I am hoping that no matter what the -ism may be, students will not become too stressed to the point that studying will serve as a burden for them. There’s so much more to learn beyond the classrooms or centers anyway.