PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION

Progressive education promises progress towards a freer and a better world. It comes from a belief in the core principles of democracy, and in the potential of education to encourage students "to protect individual rights and the common good, to seek justice, equality of opportunity for all, to cherish diversity and truth," as children's book author Milton Meltzer said.

For some reason this is still a very radical idea. It certainly swims against the tide of conventional education, which is authoritarian in its delivery, and conformist in its values.

By contrast, Progressive Education is built around four core values: freedom of expression, imagination, co-operation, and commitment to social justice. These values are expressed in how we teach, and what we teach.

Freedom of expression is nurtured in an atmosphere of mutual respect, where the teacher has an interest in the students' opinions, evidence, and reason, where the students are encouraged to give respectful attention to each other, as well as to their teacher, and to the writers of their texts, whether or not they disagree. They are encouraged to explore the basis for their feelings of agreement or disagreement, and to put these forward convincingly. Discussion-based learning, the seminar style, is an admirable vehicle for fostering freedom of expression.

Like critical thinking, the faculty of imagination can be cultivated. By building our curriculum around ideas and works of the highest quality, by revealing the element of dream and fantasy that fertilizes even the most rigourous scientific approach, by encouraging students to respond with originality and individuality to the problems and products set before them, we can stimulate their own ability to dream and dare.

Co-operation naturally flourishes when students are relieved of hierarchical ranking and competition for grades and prizes. Celebrating the notion of competing with yourself, strengthening the sense of connection to the school as a community, and collaborating with your students all encourage the co-operative spirit.

By addressing, not hiding from, real world social and political issues, we can encourage our students to see the world as a place which should and can change, and themselves as active and productive participants in that change. Even so simple a programme as sorting their garbage and replacing inefficient lightbulbs can make an immense difference to the carbon footprint of the school. And to the confidence of our students that they can make a difference.