The way in which I would summarize the difference between traditional and progressive education is that traditional education teaching method is old and outdated because of how advanced technology has been. Traditional education is teacher centered in the way that teachers are the main source of information and so the students would heavily rely on their teachers as their main resources to learn the curriculum in order to develop and build their own understanding and skills. Students are matched by age and by ability. Instead of using real life story or experience that the students can testify to in getting a better understanding, they are taught the same material which are based on textbooks, lectures, and individual written assignments. In this education system, because the teachers are so dominant and in charge of the curriculum, the students would not get the proper dialogue of what is being taught. And so as a result in their learning skills from tradition education it does not challenge or help them to develop the proper tools in preparing for the real world.
In progressive education students play a vital role in helping to design the curriculum, because they do not mostly rely on teachers. It helps them to become not only good learners but also good participants. Learners are active participants, problem solvers, and planners. In the progressive approach to learning, the individual interests, abilities and learning style are viewed as important factors in designing and assessing learning. Students are encouraged to follow their interests, solve problems in a way that makes sense to them and defend their conclusions by explaining their thinking and understanding. Progressive educations allowed students to have an opened mind in expressing themselves freely in whatever opinions or idea that they may want to share with the class. It also gives the teacher flexibility on what subject or topic they may want to cover instead of going through textbooks and invalid resources, which as a result would make the students understand and find it interesting.
