progressive education

American  

noun

1. any of various reformist educational philosophies and methodologies since the late 1800s, applied especially to elementary schools, that reject the rote recitation and strict discipline of traditional, single-classroom teaching, favoring instead more stimulation of the individual pupil as well as group discussion, more informality in the classroom, a broader curriculum, and use of laboratories, gymnasiums, kitchens, etc., in the school.

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progressive education Cultural  

1. A broad movement for educational reform in the twentieth century. Progressive education is principally associated with John Dewey, but it contains many different and often conflicting ideas. In general, progressive educators view existing schools as too rigid, formal, and detached from real life. They prefer informal classroom arrangements and informal relations between pupils and teachers. They also prefer that schools teach useful subjects (including occupations) and emphasize “learning by doing” rather than instruction purely from textbooks. Some place the developing personality of the child at the center of educational thinking and insist, “teach the child, not the subject.”

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Example Sentences

But it is true that, for progressive education, school begins with the child and her interests and developing faculties, not with the subject matter and its intrinsic nature.

From The Wall Street Journal

In fact, John Dewey and other founders of the progressive education movement in the early 20th century were deeply anti-utilitarian.

From The Wall Street Journal

Voters in D.C.’s predominantly White and wealthy Ward 3 did something remarkable: They elected an unabashed progressive education advocate over a moderate budget analyst to represent them on the D.C.

From Washington Post

Instead, she said that since enrolling a child there, she had “witnessed the transformative power of a rigorous progressive education that is dedicated to fostering critical thinking, independence and social justice.”

From New York Times

John Dewey, the father of progressive education, said in “Democracy and Education,” in 1916, “Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.”

From Washington Post