Introduction
Education can be and must a tool for creating a new society that is democratic, equitable, humane, and informed as education is one of the main ways for formation of human consciousness. Teachers intrude their knowledge and ideas in students’ heads, therefore, forming students’ preferences teachers create the new members of the society who are going to form that society.
There are a lot of perspectives on education and each of those perspectives has particular advantages and disadvantages, however, the modern approaches to education are aimed at creating democratic, equitable, humane, and informed society just using different ways.
Education as a tool for creating a new society
Social Reconstruction Ideology
The supporters of the social reconstruction theory are sure that the society is ill and education is one of the best ways to show people the problem and help them cope with it. The supporters of the social reconstruction are sure that the curriculum may be the way of the educators to the hearts and souls of students.
Using the social reconstruction ideology in education, teachers have the faith “to educate the masses of humanity to critically analyze themselves in relation their society, understand the ills of their society, develop a vision of a better world based on a conception of social justice, and actualize that vision” (Schiro, 2008, p. 133).
Considering the main idea of this theory, it may be concluded that the approach was child-centered and was aimed at intruding the ideas in the children’s heads (Zuga, 1992). Children could be learnt to understand the problems they had and do all possible to reduce from those trouble4s to live if free society, informed and equitable.
Progressivism
Defining progressivism at schools today, Labaree (2005) states that it is means basing instruction on the needs, interests and developmental stage of the child.., teaching students the skills they need in order to learn any subject.., promoting discovery and self-directed learning by the student through active engagement.., having students work on projects that express student purposes and that integrate the disciplines around socially relevant themes, and … promoting values of community, cooperation, tolerance, justice and democratic equality (p. 277).
Therefore, it may be concluded that progressivism ideology of education is directed at creating a new society that is democratic, equitable, humane, and informed. The supporters of this theory are sure that the education is to be child-centered directed at discovery and learning how to learn as only following these principles it is possible to achieve success. Progressive education pays much attention to projective learning that encourages students for creativity and the right to choose what should be done.
Conclusion
Therefore, it should be concluded that he social reconstruction ideology and progressive one have some particular similarities even though the principles of teaching are different. Each of those two ideologies is aimed at teaching students and creating the deserving members of the society. However, representatives of the social reconstruction theory believe that students should be told what they are know and where they are to find the information.
Thus, the basis of the social construction theory is a teacher who should direct students and offer them the information they are to learn to understand their problems and to create the new free society. The progressivism theory just directs students and encourages them for creating something new and for searching something new themselves, a teacher is just the guide who shows the way.
Reference List
Labaree, D. F. (2005). Progressivism, schools and schools of education: An American Romance. Paedagogica Historica, 41(1&2), 275–288.
Schiro, M. (2008). Curriculum theory: conflicting visions and enduring concerns. New York: Sage Publications.
Zuga, K. F. (1992). Social reconstruction curriculum and technology education. Journal of Technology Education, 3(2), 48-58.