By definition progressive education has a strong emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration among students. With an emergent and inter- disciplinary curriculum, a progressive classroom creates opportunities for hands on learning and development of social responsibility values.
With an emergent curriculum, a teacher is constantly evolving the lesson in response to children's changing needs and interests allowing for learning to become relevant. Lessons develop when exploring what is socially relevant, intellectually engaging, and personally meaningful to children guided by a teacher.
Progressive education is founded on the knowledge of child development stages and educators allow children to be children, in an environment where children are curious to learn. Curiosity is ignited through a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Progressive educators are deeply committed to providing children with opportunities to learn by doing, observing, and experimenting.
At a progressive school, classrooms are filled with intentionality. This means the classroom is filled with intentional tools to evoke wonder and assist the child to explore – be that an iPad to research or practice, a book on topics related to subjects being studied, tools to interpret and re-imagine and extend the lesson, items to provoke questions or support knowledge as it is gained.
The classroom and campus at large are a rich environment for emergent learning as the curriculum lesson takes place, allow for wonder in classrooms, guided by teachers trained to deliver progressive education teaching methodologies. Progressive educators are deeply committed to providing children with opportunities to learn by doing, observing, and experimenting. Through observation and evaluation, teachers guide each child’s learning experience in the classroom.