Progressive Education

Progressive education holds it's roots in the belief that students learn best though real-life activities. The educators that subscribe to this form of education say they go off of the most recent and best scientific theories of education and learning. These educators believe that students learn best by a process like John Dewey's model of learning which includes:

1. Realize the problem
2. Define the problem
3. Give ideas on how to solve the problem
4. Come up with the consequences that may occur based on one's own experience in the past
5. Put the most likely solution to the test

Basically you could say that progressive education is "learning by doing". That is a slogan often used by educators in this philosophy.

This method began in the late 19th century. The No Child Left Behind funding act has viewed this philosophy and alternative educational method compared to the test-oriented instruction.

Some of the things that progressive education programs may have in common are:

• Learning by doing or hands on learning (experiential learning)
• The curriculum is based on units with themes
• Focus is on problem solving and critical thinking
• Promotes teen work and social skills
• Prefers real understanding and ability to apply skills rather than rote knowledge
• Provides collaborative learning and cooperative learning projects
• Teaches social responsibility and democracy
• Uses the community in everyday curriculum
• May use text books but prefers a wide variety of learning resources
• Teaches that learning is a life long journey
• Focuses on the social skills of students
• Assessments consist of looking at a student's projects and actions

Between 1919 and 1955 the Progressive Education Association was founded by Stanwood Cobb and others. The founders did a lot of research during the years of the Great Depression that compared students of this method to those of conventional schools. What was found was that at the college level the students from the progressive method did just as well if not better than their peers from conventional education. The study also found that the more conventional schools strayed from the traditional education methods the better the students did overall.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is any form of education that is done anywhere but "on site". The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that distance learning "is a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both. Basically you can create an educational experience that is just as good as in a school with distance learning. If there is any time that the student has to appear at a bricks and mortar location for testing, or anything else having to do with the education, it is no longer considered distance learning but it is considered a hybrid or blended method of education. Because of the Internet and other technology advancements we are seeing a growing trend in distance learning.

When using today's technology there are different ways of categorizing the delivery method of the educational curriculum. When you have a group of people online at the same time as in a web conference or virtual classroom it is considered synchronous. When the curriculum is available online but not dependent on others to be involved at the same time it is considered asynchronous.

Forms of synchronous technology are: web based VoIP, video conferencing, web conferencing and telephone. Forms of asynchronous technology are CD/cassettes, email, message forums, printed materials including text books, voice mail, fax, DVD/videocassette.

Some schools offer 100% online education and online curriculum. Others may use correspondence through regular mail. There are also those that provide curriculum on DVD or CD-ROM, PC/Mobile learning, and radio or television. With technology there are no limits to what can be done from a distance.

Some of the benefits of distance learning are:

• Accessibility - if students can't attend a traditional schooling environment because of their location, career or other reasons this is a great option because you can never live too far away and you don't have to switch schools when you move.
• Life long learning - because of the ease of distance learning and how many it can reach it promotes life long learning.
• Exposure to new technology - those who take part in distance learning may be part of technology that otherwise they would not be exposed to.

Alternative Education

Alternative education can be defined as any form or method of education that is not traditional. This would include home education (homeschool), charter school, alternative schools, independent schools and more. Typically these education methods consist of small class sizes and good relationship between students and teachers.

Different scholars and philosophers have very contrasting ideas in what type of education is right. For example Ralph Wald Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (to name a few) were proponents of progressive education which is based in the belief that humans learn most when doing real-life activities. Educational innovators such as Maria Montessori believe that education is more of an emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual cultivation. There there are Anarchists such as Tolstoy who think education is a means to political endeavors like the eliminations of social classes.

There are many more theories that we could talk about but the bottom line is that there are many alternatives. Luckily, education is not one size fits all and most methods have some merit and can be great for students. This belief is on the rise and is evident in the fact that some districts let their be "school choice". For example, public schools can have magnet schools which focus in one particular area like performing arts or science.

Many alternative school methods were brought about in the 1970's to give options rather than traditional public school. Since then these alternative schools (many but not all of them) have become accredited schools with transferable credits. Some of these are for troubled teens that have had discipline or legal problems. In these particular schools they can offer more structure, sometimes in a residential fashion with strict rules and consequences for actions. There are times when teens are court ordered to attend such schools.

It is believed that with different options comes a higher retention rate which means fewer drop outs. The fact that schools can be varied as to meet the needs of the students benefits society as a whole.

Continuing Education/Adult Learning

When we think of a state's responsibility to educate we most likely think of kindergarten through 12th grades. However, it does not stop there. The majority of state education funding is spent on K-12 however the state has programs to help those adults with high school diplomas and maybe even some college. These are often the people that go between low and middle classes throughout their lives. These are the people in society that get stuck in jobs that pay too little and don't advance. The states usually want to see this cycle break so that society improves overall.

According to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998: “The term ‘adult education’ means services or instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals (A) who have attained 16 years of age, (B) who are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law, and (C) who (i) lack sufficient mastery of basic educational skills to enable the individuals to function effectively in society, (ii) do not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and have not achieved an equivalent level of education, or (iii) are unable to speak, read, or write the English language.”

Other areas of continuing education take in courses such as GED testing preparation and English education for those that speak other languages. Some states are even offering some job skill training because they see the need in society to provide further skills that allow people not only job placement but advancement and possible careers with good retirements.

As more studies are done states are realizing that education does in fact equal economic development. For this reason there are major focuses on literacy and job skill training.

Where Should 6th Graders Go?

During the 6th grade students go through some major physical and emotional changes. They are learning to be more independent now and the relationships within their family change because of this. It can be hard to know if they are still in the maturity level of elementary school or if they have reached the maturity level of junior high or middle school.

A recent study by Duke University showed that it was not good for 6th graders to be lumped into "middle school". This resulted in lower test scored and an increase in behavioral problems. Some say that 6th graders are not mature enough to deal with the behavior of 7th and 8th graders. They will typically copy the behaviors of the older student but not have the maturity for certain situation. Most are of the opinion that they are just a bit too old for the 5th grade mingling. And most teachers are of the mind that the 5th graders should not be lumped with older students as is the case in some schools where they put 5th through 8th grades together.

This is an odd debate. In some places they have had 6th grade centers where the 6th grade is a separate school of it's own. They all come from 5th grade, get what they need for this crucial developmental year and then get dispersed into junior high school (grades 7 to 9).

Typical developmental milestones of a 6th grader include:

• Appetite fluctuates rather sharply
• May seem disproportionate physically
• Girls may have growth spurts
• Interest in sports spikes (watching or playing)
• Preoccupation with appearance and self image - self esteem easily bruised
• Very interested in bodily changes
• Tires easily, may be considered lazy
• Emotional changes due to puberty
• Can vacillate between seeming mature and immature from moment to moment
• Hard on themselves, very sensitive, may try to hide feelings
• Really needs parental help but tries to resist it as part of becoming independent
• Likes to be "stylish"
• Likes to belong to a group
• Popularity becomes a big deal
• Gets very critical of parents
• Awareness of sexual feelings arises
• Longer attention span
• Becomes very opinionated

Because 6th grade can be a difficult time due to changes in physical and emotional nature it is hard to say that the whole group belongs in one place. Some kids at this age will tend to be much more mature than others so there really is not a "one size fits all" solution to this problem. However, when you look at studies like the Duke University that show what happens when they are put with older teens before they are ready the result is not good. That may be an indicator that the discussion should continue among teachers, parents and administrators so that the best solution can be found.

Pros and Cons of Block Scheduling

As time goes by education reform tends to get better and better and teachers, parents, and administrators are willing to take another look at things to better the education system for our students. While all of the new ideas like modular education, looping and block scheduling are great and may work for some schools it is important to take a look at the pros and cons of each before venturing into them. This post will discuss block scheduling.

Block scheduling or modular scheduling is meant to provide a longer time span for students in each subject. Traditional school days are usually broken into six subjects that are each given 50 minutes. Block schedules can be broken up into man different formats. One school went from a traditional day to having two days a week of traditional days and three days where the students went to four subjects for 80 minutes each. Others may use what is considered a 4X4 schedule. This is where each semester the student only has four classes. So a normal year long class is only one semester long and a semester class is only one quarter long.

Pros of block scheduling:

• Teachers and students spend more time together each day and therefore the relationship can improve and the teacher can really understand and meet the needs of the student.
• Longer class periods are ideal for labs and cooperative learning activities.
• The students may retain more information because they are receiving less new information daily. They can really take the time to grasp the concept presented.
• Overall students have less homework because they have time to do it in class.
• With more time teachers can help students with different learning styles and special needs.
• The longer a teacher teaches in this style the less planning it takes and the more learning can be done.

Cons of block scheduling:

• The schedule can feel choppy and lack continuity.
• When a day is missed in a block schedule is the equivalent of two or more days on a traditional system. This means more make up work and a student can easily get way behind.
• For teachers on the 4X4 schedule they can feel like they don't have enough time to fit in all of the curriculum if a normal semester course has to be done in a quarter.
• 4X4 teachers find it difficult to cover all the information in an AP course for students.

This method of scheduling is so new that there really are not studies to prove one way or the other as far as if this works for students and teachers. As with most things it has both positives and negatives.

Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous

Grouping different students together for learning has been a teaching method used for years. Here we will discuss the difference between homogeneous grouping and heterogeneous grouping in the learning environment.

What is a homogeneous classroom? This would be a classroom where students are all at the same or similar ability level. For example, if you had a whole classroom of gifted students this would be a homogeneous classroom.

What is a heterogeneous classroom? This is the opposite of homogeneous groupings. Heterogeneous classrooms consists of students of the same grade or age but the students are distributed in a way that allows variety.

While it has been argued that there may be issues of division in the homogeneous groupings because it takes one group away from others it has to be pointed out that students should be able to learn more when they are ready for it. Only a teacher who is with the student for hours each week can assess whether or not a student could benefit from these groupings. It should also be pointed out that some students who are on grade level feel more comfortable in classes where their peers are at a somewhat equal level. This enables the student to feel like they can risk answering a question wrong when asked for their answer in a classroom setting, etc.