Introduction John Dewey (1859 - 1944) was convinced that to learn comes from the individual learner needs, and the learner should be involved in planning, executing, and evaluating activities. Dewey makes a comparison between traditional and progressive education. The traditional education encourages the students to be open and respectful. Teachers are the source of the information and the enforcer of conduct. This adult subject-matter and way of learning is imposed on to the young learners. For me, I think to have both of these approaches is the best way to develop a good experience for the student. I remember in one of my classes we went in a filed trip where we had to stay in the desert "I finished my high school in the Middle East" for 2 days, thru that trip I have learned many things, which I think I would not be able to learn if I stayed in the class and was told about them from my teacher, one example is sense of direction, how to find out where is North and South only by looking at the stars. Another example of how did I benefited from that trip is how to manage to survive, and appreciate what we take for granted every day of our life like running water, electricity, and phones. .
On the other hand, our teacher did a good job of explaining to us in the class many facts about the desert for example what animals do to survive the hot weather, what cause the development of deserts and so on. Thru the time I have been going to school I think most of what I have learned was thru a traditional way, the only time I can think other wise is when I went in field trips, or when I was in a lab where I experienced things and how they are related to each other. .
I think that progressive education can really give the students a feeling of empowerment. By learning through experience, students would be able to retain more of what they learned during the week. They would be an active learner, rather than just a recipient of information.
