What is Radical Progressivism? Radical Progressivism is an educational reform movement that encourages innovative and creative solutions to educational problems. It is not a singular theory of education, nor is there a individual figure who dominates this movement. Instead, it is a collection of ideas, philosophies, educational strategies and world views that collectively call for a reformulation of educational environments to create active engagement, social awareness, and social change.
One tenet of our school of thought is that education is not distinct from the environment in which it is cultivated. Instead, education is influenced and shaped by the communities in which it functions. From an educational standpoint we advocate freedom, individualization, collaboration, ethical practices, thoughtful uses of technology, student-centred learning, the removal of standardized testing, and the cultivation of the intrinsic interests of the student.
In short, this blog is both a political statement and an interactive resource, which is intended to inform and to persuade those who read it to think more critically about education in the modern age.
In short, this blog is both a political statement and an interactive resource, which is intended to inform and to persuade those who read it to think more critically about education in the modern age.
How should education be reformed? In order to change elements of the educational processes it is our view that we must understand what is not working in our current system and consider thoughtful ways of adjusting education to better meet the needs of students both individually and collectively. Below are posters produced by us (four masters-level educational technology students at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada) that explain our manifesto on educational reform.
- We believe that all too often students are not given the opportunity to explore or discover through their own unique perspective, nor are they encouraged to challenge ideas that hinder their personal autonomy and their greater community.
- We question the notion that education must be organized by year. Sir Ken Robinson has indicated that we have modeled our educational system in the image of capitalism. We believe that our schools should be expansive environments that have students interact in more innovative and creative ways.
- We believe that technology should be used in more thoughtful ways. Technologies from our perspective should be examined both in terms of their limitations but also in terms of their many affordances. Technologies should also be adapted to the context and used as tools to encourage social change (think Arab Spring!)
- We believe that education should help people in oppressive states to move outside of constrictive paradigms. We believe that education can help people find freedom within themselves and to promote it within their communities. In this way we are advocates for democratic environments.
- We believe that human beings are naturally inquisitive about their environments and the education should not restrict this instinct. Instead, educational environments should encourage students to advance in areas that they are fascinated by and to give them greater levels of autonomy.
We have chosen to disseminate our message via the internet and in the format of a blog, because we believe that technology is paving the way for social change throughout the world and that blogs have helped individuals and communities more actively express their oppression. This trend can be seen in Iran where people have been persecuted for expressing themselves, but they are undeterred as the number of blog writers continues to soar.
REFERENCES
Poster created by students in ETEC 635 at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
*The images used were integrated solely for educational purposes. Original sources are listed below.
- Books gone wild (Photograph). (Jan. 2012) . Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/69530081@N02/6750014139/
- Brooks pipe & my ipad (Photograph). (May 2010) . Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/calebphotographer/4641247310/
- Conformityclashivils (Owner). (2010). Untitled. Retrieved from http://www.sanglucci.com/mr-saturday-the-conformity-uniform
- Ryan McVay (Photographer) (n.d.) . five year old girl blowing bubbles (photograph). Retrieved from http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/photo/ five-year-old-girl-blowing-bubbles-royalty-free-image/83663433? Language=en-US
- Zazzle (2008) . Untitled. Retrieved from http://www.zazzle.ca/ mans_medium_sized_black_t_shirt-235150382001326544
