February 6...Dewey, Progressive Education, and the Brooklyn Free School
I hope you enjoyed the "This American Life" podcast about the Brooklyn Free School. There is a lot of conjecture about whether it is a good example of Deweyan educational principles in action or if it fails to capture the spirit of his progressive education. What do you think about it?
Morgan H:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed hearing about the concept of a Free School. I have never heard of this before. To me, it sounded like John Dewey was all about doing what is right for the child and stimulating their minds. In his pedagogic creed, one point he made really surprised me. He said, “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” For as long as I can remember school has always been something which is preparing children for the future. We have to learn certain material which will prepare us to do well on tests, which will allow us to get good grades, which will allow us to get into university, which will allow us to get a good paying job. It seems like this idea of a Free School is more in tune with Dewey's idea. At a free school there are no tests, homework, or grade levels. So instead of focusing on a grade, children are free to just gain knowledge and learn as much as they can. Another one of Dewy's points was that “schools must represent present life.” I think a Free School is closest to normal life. Children conduct themselves in a democracy and are free to not listen to instructions. No one can force you to do anything whether you are 5 or 45. You have to have a sense of hardwork and maturity. Lastly, Dewey said, “I believe that the only true education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself.” Putting children in the situation of a free school allows them to find and use their power and voice. So by Dewey's definition, these children are gaining true education, as opposed to public schools where children do not have that power. On a whole, I do think that the idea of a free school matches up with Deweyan educational principles.
Garen:
DeleteI thought the Free School concept was very intriguing. i believe the principles between John Dewey and free school was very similar in the idea that it is used more of as a process of living rather than doing it for our future like Morgan mentioned how we were always taught that school is to teach us how to prepare for our futures. In my eyes school at the moment is so grade dominant that it doesn't give us a process of living or prepare us for our future it makes us solely focus on our grades and keeping them up even if that means just memorizing without actually learning anything. Again as Morgan mentioned and was talked about in the podcast, there are no tests, homework or grades which in my opinion actually allows the students to learn rather than just follow grade guidelines. I believe what free schools are is the closest you will get to what Dewey wanted in schools because it allowed the kids to actually learn rather than focus on their grades and their futures.
I think the free school in a way is a good example of some parts of dewey's points. Dewey this schools are where we can learn the "primal necessities of community life." Free School does exactly that in some instances. In a traditional school system teachers come with a plan and it is rare we get a say on what we learn, how consequences come into place and other aspects; it is usually someone else job to make those decisions. Part of community life is knowing what it means to be in a democracy and how your voice can be heard but it doesn't always result in you "winning." His ideas of being an mini community/embryonic society is fulfilled in the Free School.
ReplyDeleteI do think the free school is like the points of Deweys idea of progressive schooling. Putting kids in control of their learning is a way for them to gain more knowledge instead of worrying about things like homework and tests. Deweys "progressive education" was a direct counterpoint to the "traditional" didactic education of the schools. Free school is the opposite of traditional schooling. The teacher isn't coming up with lesson plans or giving test and homework regarding each subject that they have to teach. As Dewey said it's a way for a embryonic community life and to reflect on the life of larger society. I think the free schooling is a good representing of his ideas.
ReplyDelete- Michaela Hughes
DeleteNour Hamadeh:
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the "This American Life" podcast about the Brooklyn Free School. I think the idea of a Free School has pros and cons. Some of the pros are that students have power over their learning, they can change things that they don’t like about the school, they learn how to speak up, and they learn how to make their own decisions. Some of the cons are that students might waste time calling out a meeting over unimportant things instead of learning, young students might not know what is the best for them, and students might not be able to resolve all of their issues and concerns by themselves. I think that the idea of a free school fails to capture the spirit of Dewey’s progressive education. The idea of a Free School allows students to be in charge. It gives them the opportunity to vote and change how the school runs. However, John Dewey’s ideas of Progressive Education focus on hands-on learning. According to Dewey, students learn about different occupations by actually practicing and doing them in school. The idea of a Free School and Dewey’s ideas on progressive education have one major thing in common is that they both encourage students to become active learners.
I find the concept very interesting but I am not fully onboard. I like the idea of kids being taught early to make decisions for themselves and that they are learning how to govern peacefully amongst each other. I find it beneficial that they are instilling valuable life lessons in these children early; I definitely did not know how to make sound rational decisions for the greater good at this age. The children are learning how to stand up for their own beliefs and at the same time, are learning how the judicial court system works with passing and approving decisions. This type of dynamic is preparing our future leaders early on so that they are concrete skills by the time they all reach adulthood. I am weary though of straying too far from "traditional" classroom learning such as an organized school day with structure, mandatory instruction of adults, IB and AP course availability etc where many opportunities and benefits lie. On the other hand, I also know that the traditional high school experience is not for everyone and that there are many people who suffer within the cracks of the system. The podcast mentions that the children spend a lot of time having entire school meetings to resolve issues and that they tend to consume a large amount of time; this is a concern because there needs to be a definitive balance between core course instruction and democracy/problem solving all of society's needs. I don't know if I personally would send my kids to this school, but I believe there are many individuals who would thrive in this setting.
ReplyDeleteNaomi Debebe
ReplyDeleteI found this American Life podcast very interesting and really enjoyed it. I do think the free school idea was very similar to what Dewey was saying and the concept behind it. One thing that i liked about this is the students had some what of a control on their education and this is something that is not too common. They get to choose what they what and did not want which I thought was pretty neat because they get to choose things that works with them and keep that and if it does not work for them they are not forced into that. Free school gives some kind of freedom to the children and that can be very beneficial in many ways. I also think this way the students will learn more because they are learning in a way that they enjoy so for them its like they are not being pushed.
The podcast was really interested because what I heard was new to me. Letting the students choose what they want to study and giving them the freedom as Dewey mentioned in his reading it's a way for helping them learn in a beneficial way. Because giving them the freedom to study what they want they will achieve something at the end to help them with their career path. Free school is a positive way towards the students of letting them enjoy what they are studying rather than forcing them take courses that they don’t like or enjoy just because it's required.
ReplyDeleteErin
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the idea about free schools. I like how the students can decide what they want to take and even start sort of a petition for courses they would like to have. The students seem to be able to run what's going on. They explained how the kids are in charge and call meetings. For example the kids would call meetings if they felt like someone was acting out. They said one girl even called a meeting on herself for missing school often. I think it is interesting because it is a lot of responsibility for them to run the school system. I do think that the Free school and Dewey's ideas align a little bit. Dewey says that schools should have both psychological and social sides of education. I feel that the Free schools ties in with that because they have lots of meetings to talk about what is going on and what should be done, so I feel they gain lots of social skills from this. I just think that the school is very interesting and I would like to know more about the school.
Both the podcast and the article were extremely interesting and exciting to absorb. The Brooklyn school reminded me of of Reggio-Emilia school but blown up by 1000000. The alternative education is interesting, because as an education student, it is basically assumed and we are crafted to serve American Public Schools, and no time is allotted to learn about these other opportunities.(Sorry for the soapbox) With that- I believe what the free school is doing does run parallel to Dewey's vision of what education ought to be. I thought his point about never knowing what world your students will live in is especially provoking, because (how do you build the perfect citizen if you don't know what world you're sending them into?). Dewey says to guide them toward moral right in a sense, to be able to stick to their guns and fall back on their knowledge the school has given them.
ReplyDeleteI think the Free School embodied several characteristics of progressive school that Dewey described. For example, Dewey discussed learning by doing, or experiential learning. On one hand, I think the students' freedom to create and discuss their own rules prepares students to have successful lives in the long term. This freedom isn't solely preparing them for the future but the present, as well. This experience helps them grow and mature in the short term, which math and English classes may not necessarily do. On the other hand, while I am all for progressive schooling, I don't think this Free School fully captures its spirit. In my opinion, based on Dewey's ideas and my own research, progressive schooling focuses on building character and soft skills within students. Not only should students come out of schools with an amazing rote memory but also process skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, metacognition, and information processing skills. Simply put, I don't think this much autonomy in schools is necessary for students to develop these skills. In many instances, I believe to shift from a more traditional schooling to progressive schooling style, it is the teachers who must change and adapt to their students' needs. For example, in many STEM classes, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) activities are utilized to create student-centered classrooms where professors or teachers facilitate the learning. Ultimately, I believe that complete student autonomy of the Free School does not fully capture Dewey's ideas regarding schooling.
ReplyDeleteSierra Taylor
ReplyDeleteThere are parallels between Dewey's ideas and this free school with progressive learning of reaching full potential. I find it interesting that the students make all the rules which relies on them and their peers to make it run smoothly. They have the responsibility of choosing their environment and education which can be nerve-wracking, but teach valuable lessons to their character and compromise with peers. Everything is put to a vote, so that everyone has a voice.
This time I wasn't dreading the assigned reading and the podcast was very engaging. I agree with you that I see some of Dewey's ideas being implied to the idea of free school. Indeed there is a more freedom for the students which is good to have because eventually they will need to know how to survive in the world by making their own decisions. Dewey's idea of progressive education is the opposite of a traditional system which this podcast pinpoints kids will be able to make the decisions in the classrooms. I don't know how effective this may be because some may take advantage and have the easy way out yet it is very flexible which can help students in the long run.
ReplyDeleteJi-eun Hwang
I agree with others that, in many ways, the Brooklyn Free School did represent some, if not all, of Dewey’s principles of education. He was very progressive for his time and I can’t help but feel he would be rather disappointed at the state of public education today. There is less and less latitude for creativity - particularly in middle and high schools - with the emphasis on testing/SOL’s. Unless you are lucky enough to be in a charter school or private school, it is unlikely that you would consider your experience to even be “collaborative” with teachers in determining curriculum, participating in decision-making of any kind, really. Although the podcast became tedious at times, I think the takeaway is that these kids became better decision makers, critical thinkers, and independent due to the structure (or lack of structure) in their school day. As evidenced by their future academic success, they did not suffer in the academic arena either. I loved the irony of one child who said she felt sorry for adults that in the workplace they couldn’t just call a meeting when something was going wrong or they disagreed with a rule.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the "This American LIfe" podcast about the Brooklyn Free School. Personally I believe that the BFS fails to capture the spirit of Dewey's progressive education. I think this form of free school has more cons although it definitely has some pros. It is good because the students have a voice in what they learn and can change the things that they don't like but I see it as too laid back and unorganized. I didn't like that anyone can call for a meeting for the smallest thing and take everyone else away from what they were learning. I think students don't have the opportunity to get the most out of their school in these circumstances. Flexibility is good but everything has its limit. Dewey's idea of progressive education focuses on a "hands-on" approach, not just a "you can do whatever you want" because the students could make rules to do nothing. In his democratic approach of schools, the free school is closest but I don't think it would be effective in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think something that comes across in both Deweyan educational principles and the podcast is that school is a social institution. Dewey states “I believe that the school is primarily a social institution”, and in my eyes the Brooklyn Free School definitely relies on its social process but I don’t think it’s necessarily primarily a social institution. Also, the progressive education that Dewey talks about includes school becoming a society and I think the Brooklyn Free School is a society, with all the democratic meetings and they are forced to work together to make things happen which reflects a society, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnna Calabrese
ReplyDeleteI think that the Brooklyn Free School is an interesting concept. While I think there are definitely drawbacks, such as the fact that there are no real "courses" and the meetings consume so much time, I liked the fact that the point of the school was to get kids to think critically about issues, stand up for themselves, and be unafraid of causing change. I think this is pretty in-line with what Dewey had in mind, as his entire model was based on school as a social institution and exercise. He also disapproved of typical "courses" like reading and math, though it seemed he supported practical classes such as cooking. You can see the echoes of this at BFS, but based on the pictures provided, their "classes" seem much less practical or socially useful (such as taxidermy class, which is interesting but has no real use).
I think it does capture Dewey's view of progressive education because he talks about the importance of engaging students and sparking interest in their learning so they become more active in their future instead of just being passive learners. With the free school system the student's get to have a say in their learning which i think is important because it helps build a sense of responsibility. People can say that school structure isn't good because kids don't always know the best when they're so young, but at the same time if they aren't engaged with what they are learning in the first place, how is that system any better?
ReplyDeletebrittney:
ReplyDeleteWhile listening to “This American Life” podcast about the Brooklyn Free School I found that it was interesting on how the School/program was set up. Where there were no classes, exams or assignments that occur and where the children dictate anything, even education, on how the school is run. I think that Brooklyn Free School and the Deweyan educational principles are very similar and share somewhat the same purpose and understanding. I think personally that the idea of letting the kids have freedom in what they learn is a poor decision, I feel like traditional schools offer the same amount of freedom. They just provide them with background knowledge on how to live a more successful life. They provide classes to learn about certain things that are needed in life so if a student were to pick what they wanted to learn and just focused on that one specific thing then I feel like they would lack knowledge in other things/subjects thus making it harder in life when they grow up when they come across several problems that involves certain subjects. Having classes help give kids insight on what they could possibly have interest in, not everyone knows what they like and don't like right off the bat.
Melodee Hanson
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to the podcast and reading about what John Dewey thought what was best for the children. The Brooklyn Free School sounds like every elementary schooler's dream. No rules, no structure, just pure freedom. Without some reform or order, what is being learned or challenged? Traditional schools don't allow as much freedom as students might desire, but they do in fact teach and make students grow and think more critically. Children don't know that they want to learn about math or science or atoms. They don't know they might like poetry, or art, or history. I agree that school and classes should have more lessons that go beyond the path of standard material. However, children should have a core basis of education and information in order to grow and learn off of. You cannot dive into learning Shakespeare without learning proper grammar first, at least it'll be a bit challenging. I'd love to see this happen as a social experiment, and see how children really act with they have the freedom to do so in an atmosphere that's very structured and controlled. For example, children have a full week of pure freedom while cameras and researchers observe and take notes of the behavioral changes and possible increase/decrease of learning actually happening.
brandon m
ReplyDeleteFor 21st century, free schooling seems like a step in the right direction for curriculum. Jobs are constantly changing and evolving with the implmentation of techology, which requires an adaptive courseload to keep students copmetitive with other modern nations. Allowing students to pick their subjects gives them the power of choice, which will ideally give them a sense of accompelishment and direction as they progress through their academic careers. A problem for this progressive system arises when a strudent does not have a particular area of interest. This is the reason why the guidance of a traditional education seems beneficial. Even in university, students are unsure of what career path they will take; the university core program seems to serve as a solution for students to explore what areas of study they prefer. If anything, a free school system within public unversities is a possibility that could allow for a more efficient adult education system.
Communes are the first example that comes to mind when thinking similar systems to the BFS. On a small scale, communes are effective enclaves of individuals that share property and resources in harmony. The BFS system works similarly, with a much smaller amount of students than tradional schools allowing for a larger sense of community The large scale implementation of a free schooling system appears difficult because benchmarks used to measure student progression are not needed within a free school system. A completely free school system is impractical, but a more adaptive curriculum for the informatino age is desperately needed if we are to keep our younger generations informed with all the new technology and changes occuring.
Regardless, the US education is in dire need of new changes to adapt to the times
Dewey's principles reminded me of the Montessori approach. I understood that Dewey believed in more freedom for the kids and to let them guide their own educational journey. He also believed in a lot of hands on experience for the kids instead of what the schools during his time were doing, just sit there and absorb information. It sounds like the Brooklyn Free School did take in many of Dewey's ideas by letting the students have that freedom to do what they want. I personally think there should be a balance and neither the administration nor the kids should be fully in charge.
ReplyDeleteAilysh:
ReplyDeleteI think that the Brooklyn Free School is a good example of Deweyan educational principles in action. There is much active community life in the Brooklyn Free School where the students are practicing responsibilities they will have as engaged citizens in adulthood. Also, the students’ “full spontaneous interest” is engaged because of their freedom to explore any subject they wish to.
Nathan Escobar:
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the "This American Life" podcast about the Brooklyn Free School and the reading of John Dewey’s opinion of what is best for children. The idea of a Free School has positive and negative aspects. The Brooklyn Free School is the ideal learning environment for children. The idea of a Free School allows students to be in charge. It gives them the opportunity to vote and change how the school runs. Some of the positive is that students have power over their learning, they can change things that they don’t like about the school, they learn how to speak up, and they learn how to make their own decisions like adults. Some of the negative aspects are that students might waste time calling out a meeting over unimportant things instead of learning, young students might not know what the best for them is, and students might not be able to resolve all of their issues and concerns by themselves. According to Dewey students learn best about different jobs and practices at school. The idea of a Free School and Dewey’s ideas on progressive education have one major thing in common is that they both encourage students to become active learners and ensure the best learning environment for students
Darryl:
ReplyDeleteI think Dewey believed in encouraging students to create there own outcomes. Having a school that is ran by kids seems really unheard of but I think that it encourages student to develop there own sense of what learning is. They had adults there to make sure things were in operation and feasible. The ultimate decisions were up to the students at the school. Subconsciously, I believe that this is preparing student for there future. One part of the podcast suggests that in order for thing to be done one has to take a stand. This was done by calling a school wide meeting. This is the same thing in life and it teaches them how to speak their mind without being faulted. So I believe the philosophy is valid.
Rebecca Mendoza Vasquez
ReplyDeleteI think the Brooklynn Free School is an okay representation on Dewey’s educational principles. I found this school to be disorganized and I’m not sure I understand what education value they’re getting out of having these meetings over mundane issues.