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| Traditional | Progressive |
|---|---|
| School is a preparation for life that is endured. | School is a part of life that is welcomed and enjoyed. |
| Children are passive absorbers of information and authority. | Children are active participants, problem solvers, and planners. They have ownership of their learning. |
| Teachers are sources of information and authority. | Teachers are facilitators, guides who foster thinking. |
| Parents are outsiders and uninvolved. | Parents are an extension of the classroom and serve as resources. |
| Instruction is linear and largely values knowing the facts. | Instruction is spiraled and largely values knowing how to think. |
| Disciplines are taught separately. | Disciplines are integrated as children make connections to real world applications. |
| Skills are taught discreetly and are viewed as goals. | Skills are related to content and are viewed as tools. |
| Children Learning is valued by external criteria particularly test results. | Children Learning is valued by a number of criteria including the character of learners. |
| Learning is driven by an external motivation of rewards or recognition. | Learning is driven by an intrinsic motivation of a joy for learning. |
| Failure is penalized. | Failure is seen as an important part of the learning process. Intellectual risk taking is encouraged. |
| Products are the end point. | Process is valued in the creation of product. |
| Planning is carefully followed to meet pre-determined teacher objectives. | Planning is intentional but emergent to support children’s unplanned explorations and extensions of learning. |
| Learning happens within the classroom. | Lifelong Learning happens within the child. |