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07.24.08, 18:50 PM New York City
10 replies
What are the differences between traditional and progressive schools in NYC? [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
New York City 07.24.08, 06:50 PM Flag
 

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Progressive: more self paced, go into depth on fewer subjects, kids pursue their interest (rather than being told what to research) within structure. Traditional: cover more subjects but not in depth, spends more time at the desk, takes more instruction from teachers [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 06:57 PM Flag
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I think this is a good description (from helicopter mom blog): Traditional schools believe that, by the time students graduate, they should have been exposed a certain body of information and they will all be expected to know the same facts. They will be quizzed and tested to make sure they have acquired these facts. Progressive schools believe students learn best by constructing their own knowledge. That means exposing them to a topic and then letting them investigate that topic and learn on their own, generally through lots of hands on activities or self-directed research. Traditional schools tend to cover a lot of information, while progressive schools tend to pick fewer topics and allow students to delve into them deeply. Some private schools (such as Dalton) begin with a progressive approach in the lower school and then switch to a traditional method of teaching in the upper school. “Traditional schools see their role as transmitting knowledge,” writes Clara Hemphill in her book, New York City’s Best Public High Schools. “They emphasize what teachers call `content’—dates in history, formulas in math, good grammar and spelling, knowledge of the periodic table in chemistry…Progressive schools, on the other hand, seek to give students the tools they need to gather and analyze information to weigh evidence from different sources, and to form their own opinions. These schools emphasize `process’—developing the skills needed to research a problem, rather than knowledge per se.” Progressive educators believe kids should not be “passive vessels,” simply learning what the teacher teaches them. Instead, they should be actively participating in their own education. In an ideal educational environment kids would be taught “both broad general knowledge and analytical skills,” Hemphill writes. She warns what “inadequate traditional schools treat education as a list of facts to be mastered. Inadequate progressive schools, on the other hand, encourage kids to voice their opinions—even if they haven’t read the books on which their opinions should be based. Inadequate traditional schools can be oppressive, while inadequate progressive schools can be chaotic and unchallenging.” Posted on Monday, October 15, 2007 at 10:03 by Registered CommenterHelicopter Mom [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 07:58 PM Flag
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Fantastic...thanks so much. that helps an ENORMOUS amount. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:28 PM Flag
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IN the end, not much. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:07 PM Flag
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But the experience is totally different and my friends who went to prog schools are very diff from me. Their approach is diff and motivation is diff, too. I kinda envy that. Decided to send dc to prog. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:10 PM Flag
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ITDA. I went to a progressive & find that not to be true at all, [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:13 PM Flag
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You wouldn't know it. But I'd notice it. I went to a very traditional school. Trust me, it's diff. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.25.08, 07:39 AM Flag
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Pls explain more....what do you mean "their approach is diff and motivation is diff..."? thks [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:22 PM Flag
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np: Almost all of my friends who went to truly progressive schools (especially Waldorf schools) turned out to choose architecture/interior design or graphic design (men and women) as their career, with a few dancers, actors to round it out. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.25.08, 01:14 AM Flag
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I disagree. I think there can be quite a bit of difference in the educations offered by traditional and progressive schools. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 07.24.08, 08:13 PM Flag
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