About Progressive Ed

The roots of our program date back to the early 19th century and the work of educational philosophers and theorists like Froebel, Montessori, Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky. Froebel had demonstrated that play is the learning vehicle for the young child and that young children learn through play. The work of Montessori alerted educators to the importance of materials and surroundings as a means for structuring the learning of young children. 

John Dewey, known as the “father of progressive education,” advocated for a reconfiguration of schools to be more like democratic communities. In his own lab school, Dewey recognized that learning occurs through experience and he advocated for teachers to consider the children’s interest as well as developmental level. His interpretation of curriculum as a whole rather than separate subject areas and of the world outside of the classroom as material for active learning have continued to provide direction for the Informal classrooms of today. 

Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky emphasized that the growth of human intelligence is embedded in the process of children co- constructing their learning with their social and physical environments. The educational implications of these theorists have been clear and challenging: classroom environments should model democratic communities that foster children’s learning through engaging, purposeful experiences that honor the children’s interests and are authentic to the outside world.