Composition: History & Theory: 1920 - 1929
Social Engineering
Description
Social engineering was a concept alive and well during this time period. Social engineering refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behavior on a large scale, whether by governments or private groups. Progressivists claimed to rely on the best available scientific theories of learning. Most progressive educators believed that children learned as if they were scientists, following a process similar to John Dewey’s model of learning: 1) Become aware of the problem; 2) Define the problem; 3) Propose hypotheses to solve it; 4) Evaluate the consequences of the hypotheses from one’s past experience; 5) Test the likeliest solution. Given this view of human nature, a progressivist teacher desired to provide not just reading and drill, but also real-world experiences and activities that centered on the real life of the students. A typical progressivist slogan was “Learn by Doing!”
Date of Upload
3/13/09