Progressive Education

 After watching the clip in the discussion, I realized that the Progressive Education Era laid the groundwork for some of the approaches to education that we use today. Student-centered learning of the past is still one of the best approaches that engage students with methods like project-based learning and discussions led by students. The most significant changes that have shifted in the more modern era are the school system's structure and growth measurement by standardized testing. 

There are a few reasons why traditional education hasn't changed as much as most think it should have. Many teachers look at a master teacher and sometimes follow the philosophy of “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” As an instructional coach, I see so much resistance to change because teachers really want to hone in on students' test-taking skills rather than the more progressive approaches of student-centered learning. Teachers who have established a working system in their classroom are sometimes resistant to change because going outside of the comfort zone of their teaching practice seems like a daunting task. A big concept that stuck out to me was giving the “why” behind the change. Teachers are willing to work with me to change a piece of their practice if I can show them the why and trudge through the trenches with them in the classroom. The pace of change might be slow, but the rays of the shift in mindset and innovation are peeking through.