Overview
- Traditional schools feature teacher-centered instruction, emphasizing discipline and standardized curricula.
- Progressive schools adopt child-centered approaches, prioritizing personalized learning, adaptive curricula, and diverse assessments.
- Traditional methods focus on uniform curriculum and standardized assessments.
- Progressive education emphasizes creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability, nurturing a passion for learning through diverse assessments and adaptive curricula.
Choosing the right preschool in Metro Manila marks a child’s earliest venture into education, shaping their future learning endeavors. Parents face the task of discerning between progressive and traditional schools in the Philippines, as this initial exposure profoundly influences their educational path.
Different teaching approaches significantly impact a child’s view of education, social connections, and personal growth. Understanding the offerings of each school of thought aids in making an informed choice, laying the groundwork for a child’s academic journey, and shaping their attitude toward learning.
What is a Traditional School?
A traditional school environment follows time-honored educational practices with teachers leading classes and standardized curricula in place. Notably, these schools emphasize discipline and adherence to established educational norms.
Let’s delve deeper into the defining features of this educational approach.
Teacher-Centered
In traditional schools, the teacher assumes a central role, leading the daily activities and guiding the learning process. This approach ensures a consistent source of knowledge, fostering a structured environment for understanding complex subjects and nurturing respect for authority as students follow the teacher’s guidance.
Uniform Curriculum
A uniform curriculum means all students study the same things in their classes. It keeps lessons and the pace of learning the same for everyone. This helps students understand topics better, learn new skills, and makes it simpler for teachers to check how well they’re doing in school.
Standardized Assessments
Standardized assessments serve as a consistent way to gauge students’ academic abilities, offering a fair evaluation of their skills and knowledge. They help identify strengths and weaknesses, informing teachers to tailor teaching methods and curricula.
However, these tests may overly focus on exam content, create stress, stifle creativity, and overlook diverse learning styles or a student’s holistic potential.
What is a Progressive School?
Progressive schools offer an alternative to traditional education, catering to parents seeking innovative methods for their children’s growth. Emphasizing holistic development, these institutions champion personalized learning known as ‘student-centric education.’
In such environments, children flourish in creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability, shaping a dynamic educational experience
Child-Centered
Progressive schools champion a child-centered approach, customizing education to individual needs. With children at the heart of learning, this method prioritizes personalized instruction, where teachers actively engage with each student. This encourages natural curiosity, guiding their learning journey and promoting self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity.
Such an approach nurtures a deeper understanding of concepts and instills independence, creativity, and adaptability—essential skills for lifelong learning and future success.
Adaptive Curriculum
An adaptive curriculum tailors its educational approach to suit the unique learning styles and speeds of individual students. Parents can consider this a more personalized learning experience. This flexibility allows for customized lessons, addressing diverse needs and preferences.
You can expect your children to progress at their own pace, nurturing confidence and a passion for learning. At the same time, you’ll see that their educators will also address their strengths and areas for improvement.
Assessment Done through Various Means
Assessment in progressive education spans various forms. You can expect your children to accomplish projects or even create portfolios to document their work in a semester. As they grow older, you’ll see them making presentations that showcase their skills and understanding of the subject matter. These diverse methods emphasize holistic learning and real-world application of knowledge.
These approaches prioritize holistic learning and real-world application, emphasizing qualitative evaluations over standardized testing. Such methods comprehensively gauge students’ abilities, growth, and critical thinking skills.
Key Takeaway
At Reedley International School, we end the debate between traditional vs progressive schools in the Philippines through our Synergized Learning Approach (RSLA), offering a balanced and effective educational model.
Our curriculum emphasizes routine, structure, and high standards, instilling life skills, study habits, memory strategies, and problem-solving. This equips students with critical thinking abilities and practical application of knowledge. Through personalized attention, our teachers foster a holistic education that integrates literacy, numeracy, and humanities by emphasizing interconnectedness rather than rote learning, encouraging a more cohesive learning experience.
Feel free to connect with us today to explore the outstanding curriculum offered at Reedley International School, recognized as one of Manila’s premier international educational institutions.
