Learners educated progressively continue to grow as people who have developed the talent, skill and commitment to make a difference in the world. They have the ability to represent themselves: they are resourceful and resilient: they are invested in the world. This is the result of some very intentional aims and desired outcomes. The best way to posit those aims and outcomes is in juxtaposition with traditional educational aims.
Traditional Aims
Pre-k thru 3rd grade
• Emphasis on following directions
• Teacher gives information
• Learning is corrected by teacher
• Learning materials paper and pencil
• Student stays at pace with class
• Moving from group play to group instruction
3rd thru 8th grade and beyond
• Emphasis on compliance
• Emphasis on seat work and individual achievement
• Teacher gives daily bits of instruction followed up with homework and grades
• Teachers keep track of progress
• Learning material in workbooks, worksheets and individual work
• Emphasis on completion of classwork and homework assigned by teacher
• Teacher assists with preparation for testing
• Emphasis on grades
• Students grouped by ability
Progressive Aims
Prek-3rd
• Emphasis on free choice and initiative
• Teacher assists and guides
• Learning materials are self-correcting
• Learning materials are hands-on
• Student can go as far as capable
3rd -8th grade and beyond
• Moving from independent work to group work
• Emphasis on independence
• Emphasis on free choice and initiative as a working group
• Teacher gives comprehensive lesson and assigns long projects without grades
• Students keep individual work journals
• Learning materials hands-on and developed for groups
• Emphasis on self-responsibility to manage multiple work projects to completion
• Teacher assists with critiquing and student assessment of work
• Emphasis on continuous improvement
• Student can move beyond grade level individually
