Is your child’s school preparing them for a post-pandemic world?

Understanding the differences between traditional, progressive and project-based curriculums may help in navigating an unknown future.

Here’s the scenario: you’re a parent who’s just gone through a crash course in your child’s school curriculum due to the fact that you’ve been asked to be their full-time teacher since Covid began. Ugh. But as you scramble each morning to fill out worksheets, check in on Zoom, and google yet again the formula for measuring the circumference of a circle, you begin to wonder, “Does everyone around the world have to do this?”

The answer? Yes. And No.

That’s the paradox of education today. For many, school looks just like it did 150 years ago (sans school buses and computers, of course). A lot of memorization and homework. But for others (like Elon Musk’s experimental school Ad Astra), school may look different — so different in fact, it might be somewhat unrecognizable from what we grew up with (flamethrowers anyone?). The reality is, what kids are experiencing at school may be wildly different from what some of their peers may be experiencing during this pandemic — preparing each one in different ways to cope with a future full of unknowns.

So, to help you navigate the type of learning you’d like to see for your child in preparation for a post-pandemic world, here’s a crash course into the three fundamental curriculum types available in schools today: traditional, progressive and project-based…

METHOD 1: TRADITIONAL LEARNING

Quick Overview: Traditional learning is by far the most wide-spread learning methodology in existence today. As the mainstay of the American public school system (and many European and Asian publicly funded systems), millions of children are taught using this methodology. Chances are, if the school you’re looking at looks a lot like the one you grew up with, it’s probably in the “traditional” category.

History: Traditional learning found its origins over 150 years ago during the Industrial Revolution. The concept was to create a platform that could fulfill the needs of the industrial demands of the day — i.e. the ability to understand and fulfill specific directions that were of essential use for the manufacturing process. Specialization on the production line was key in manufacturing efficiency, so an organizational device was implemented in schools to support that need — namely the creation of a specialized list of “essential” topics, taught during timed intervals, and later tested to verify retention. We know these three features today as “subjects”, “classes” and “tests,” but 150 years ago, these simple concepts were quite revolutionary.

What it looks like: At a very fundamental level, traditional learning focuses on delivering specific information — facts for a specific task. The graphic below is typical of the type of work you might find your child exposed to:

Pros: By far, the greatest strength of traditional learning is the number of “essential” facts and concepts that can be delivered in a given timeframe. Since lists of essential facts are key to this methodology, covering as many facts as possible that will help your child succeed in life are at the center of the ideology. If they’ve never been exposed to (fill in the blank), chances are, in a traditional learning atmosphere, they’ll get a taste of it at some point.

Cons: The delivery of facts and the retention of facts are two separate things, a concept not lost on anyone who’s ever crammed for a test. The “Forgetting Curve” is often cited when a student gets an A on a test utilizing this methodology, only to forget what he or she learned just days later.

Conclusion: Traditional learning aims to create a world that is more predictable. The Industrial Revolution created an entire generation of factory workers that could execute predictable tasks, making the process of manufacturing far more efficient. However, 150 years later, in a world that has only become more unpredictable, the benefits of this type of learning methodology have been questioned by critics world-wide.

METHOD 2: PROGRESSIVE LEARNING

Quick Overview: Anyone who has sat through a boring classroom lecture can understand the main issue progressive educators were trying to solve in the traditional model — the effectiveness of information delivery. Simply put, if you want a student to retain information, it’s probably far more effective to make sure they’re interested in what they need to retain. There are many ways in which progressive curriculums aim to execute this goal, but strategies that are personalized and experiential are two of the most fundamental.

History: While certain methodologies within progressive learning have been around for centuries, it was during the turn of the 20th century that educators such as John Dewey, Helen Parkhurst and Maria Montessori began to change the landscape of what schools could actually accomplish with the method. With a focus on children’s interests (as opposed to educational mandates) and hands-on learning (as opposed to strict, rote memorization), they were able to produce clinically measurable results that had higher rates of retention when compared to the traditional model. It might seem obvious to some, but students really do retain information better when they’re interested in what they’re learning.

What it looks like: Because progressive schools are not standardized like traditional systems, there is much more diversity in how they execute the goal of making learning more interesting. However, notice how the classwork below illustrates how your child might engage with a progressive curriculum that is more personalized and experiential:

Pros: When measured against a traditional system, progressive learning can have higher rates of information retention. Studies also show that students in a progressive system tend to find what they’re learning more relevant, linking present efforts (such as assignments they are given in class) to future outcomes i.e., how that information may help with a future career, etc.

Cons: While progressive methodologies aim to make learning more interesting, it still duplicates the same traditional model of individual classes, separate subjects and extrinsically motivated grading systems that were established over 150 years ago. Additionally, both progressive and traditional critics argue whether the curated list of “essential” information given to students will be relevant in the near future. Some studies show that as many as 85% of the jobs that will exist in the near future have yet to be invented. For this reason, much of the time dedicated to what students are currently learning could prove obsolete.

Conclusion: Progressive learning aims to create a world that is more interesting. If there’s something that progressive learning can teach all of us, it’s that students are more likely to retain information if it’s presented in an interesting manner.

METHOD 3: PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Quick Overview: In contrast to traditional and progressive based methodologies that focus on information retention, project-based learning (PBL) focuses its efforts on solving meaningful problems. In essence, if traditional and progressive methodologies focus on what students know, PBL focuses on what students can do with what they know.

History: Much like the progressive model, the roots of PBL hearkens back to the turn of the 20th century where educators such as John Dewey promoted concepts of “learning by doing” and “expressive or constructive activities as the center of correlation.” However, since innovation was seen as less of an asset when compared to refining the industrial-production process, it was not until the dawn of the Information Age that problem solving became a billion dollar industry. Today, notable figures such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Elon Musk and even governmental entities like the European Union are investing heavily in PBL due to its unique approach and real-world benefits.

What it looks like: PBL focuses on the problem-solving process, and the skills necessary to create meaningful solutions. Each PBL school will have their own unique approach, but these five elements are often present in their curriculums:

1. EXPLORATION: During the exploration phase, students explore key concepts that can have both positive and negative impacts on the world around us.

2. CONNECTION: During the connection phase, students begin linking general concepts and specific ideas to help solve a problem that holds personal, meaningful significance.

3. APPLICATION: Utilizing any number of materials or methods, students create a potential solution to solve their identified problem in the form of a multi-disciplinary “project.”

4. DEMONSTRATION: As opposed to testing, PBL students demonstrate their understanding of key concepts and core-skill proficiencies through the execution and demonstration of their project.

5. REFLECTION: Students then reflect on their new understanding of the key concept, the problem they identified, and the effectiveness of the solution they created.

Below is a simple demonstration of what PBL might look like utilizing the methodology outlined above:

Pros: As we transition from the Information Age and into the Innovation Age, future economies are becoming more and more dependent on people who can find solutions to difficult problems that face our world at large. Therefore, central to PBL is the ability to identify problems and create real-world solutions utilizing any tool necessary to accomplish the goal (yes, sometimes even flamethrowers). Whereas progressive, or even traditional schools may occasionally employ tools often seen in PBL environments (e.g. laser cutting machines, 3D-printers, maker spaces, etc.,) these tools are generally used to make linear solutions or particular points-of-view more interesting to students. However, project-based learning understands that both problems and solutions need to be identified and solved by the individual student, focusing the teacher’s role on that of a co-collaborator, as opposed to a disseminator of information.

Cons: Because of the complex nature of managing and overseeing any number of projects in PBL, teachers and educators are not generally trained in this methodology, requiring specialized experience outside of a traditional teaching degree. Also, PBL tends to cover less material than a traditional model over a given period of time since PBL focuses more on deeper understandings of key concepts as opposed to general understandings of various topics.

Conclusion: Project-based learning aims to create a world that is more meaningful. Core to PBL is the concept that a student’s education should be of benefit now, not just after one graduates and enters the “real world.” Instead, through meaningful, multidisciplinary projects, PBL students understand their impact on the world for good, and how that impact can begin with solving the smallest of problems. Whether you’re a five-year old fabricating a more user-friendly ice cream machine, or a teenager analyzing crowd-sourced data to impact global climate change, PBL students are not only prepared for a future economy rife with unknowns, they’re excited to lead the way in discovering its possibilities.