Throughout my undergraduate career, almost all of the courses in my education major started the semester with some type of reflection on philosophies in education. Since my courses on child and adolescent development (running in my second and fourth semesters respectively), I have identified most strongly with John Dewey’s Theory of Progressive Education. Progressivism has therefore been a common theme in my blog posts, and today’s reflection will continue my growth and strengthen the philosophical foundation I have built for myself as a progressivist teacher. Of course, other theories in education are worth consideration: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and humanism all offer insight on how we learn from various perspectives of study. However, I find that progressivism (if adopted fully) takes the best points of these theories and blends them together, creating a student-centered learning environment where student needs and interests are at the forefront of their educational experiences. As educators begin designing their classroom community standards and lesson plans, research-based instructional methods are employed for best teaching practices, and at the center of progressive teaching strategies is authentic learning that inspires.
I could fill pages analyzing and reflecting upon the TEDx video “Teaching Methods for Inspiring the Students of the Future,” but rather than reciting the knowledge I have acquired over the years about best teaching practices, I would like to focus on the five Cs noted in Joe Ruhl’s talk: Choice, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity. Mr. Ruhl does a great job of dissecting these essential components to authentic learning, and I deeply appreciate how he links authentic learning experiences to increased engagement in the classroom. For my own thinking, I would like to use the metaphor of hunting a wooly mammoth to extend the five Cs into Dewey’s Theory of Progressive Education.
Imagine yourself in the midst of the wooly mammoth hunt depicted above. In order to successfully take down a beast weighing somewhere around six tons, you and your fellow hunters are going to need a plan. The moment before you attack is when years of refined knowledge and practice kick in: your group has learned how to communicate clearly and problem solve, allowing effective hunting strategies to develop over time. All five Cs of inspirational learning are at play, and they continue to benefit the group as the human species evolves.
Now, allow me to draw a parallel between the hunting scenario and past research I have conducted about place-based learning. PBL undoubtedly adopts the five Cs highlighted in Ruhl’s lecture— students are immersed in authentic learning experiences that naturally provoke the use of their collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creative skills. Well, what about choice? Student choice is something that may be harder to control in a PBL environment, especially if students are learning within physical boundaries that potentially make student choices about location unsafe. However, the purposeful planning of authentic learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom creates the opportunity for student choice to be more intentional, guiding student learning while also letting students choose from a set of established pathways. Therefore, by keeping the five Cs in mind, teachers are able to align their lesson plans with the progressivist goal of student-centered learning through authentic experiences, shaping the proven benefits of PBL to fit within their classroom walls.
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