Is based on the positive changes and problem-solving approach that individuals with various educational credentials can provide their students. Progressivist educators are outcome focused and don’t simply impart learned facts. Teachers are less concerned with passing on the existing culture and strive to allow students to develop an individual approach to tasks provided to them.
John Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and John Dewey (1859–1952) are the guiding minds of progressivism. Rousseau maintained that people are good and that society is responsible for corrupting them. He supported education in nature, away from the city and the influences of civilization, where the child’s interests (as opposed to a written set of guidelines) would guide the curriculum.
John Dewey proposed that people learn best by social interaction and problem-solving. Dewey developed the scientific method of problem solving and experimentalism. As a result of the varied opinions emerging from the movement, progressivism was not developed into a formalized, documented educational philosophy. Progressivists did, however, agree that they wanted to move away from certain characteristics of traditional schools. In particular, they were keen to remove themselves from the textbook-based curriculum and the idea of teachers as disseminators of information, in favor of viewing teachers as facilitators of thinking.
The progressivist classroom is about exploration and experience. Teachers act as facilitators in a classroom where students explore physical, mental, moral, and social growth. Common sights in a progressivist classroom might include small groups debating, custom-made activities, and learning stations. Teachers typically walk freely among the groups, guiding them using suggestions and thought-provoking questions.