The Hechinger Report – Jill Barshay
“One of the hallmarks of so-called “progressive” schools is freedom for students to talk to each other in class. Students aren’t required to sit quietly all day, obediently listening to a teacher lecture or silently completing an assignment on their own. The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, whose theories of child development inspire many teachers today, thought peer interaction was important both for a child’s social development and for learning itself. Piaget believed that children were passive recipients of knowledge when instructed by adults. But he noticed that when a child was asking questions and arguing with a fellow student, the child became an active, engaged learner. It’s that active engagement that leads to learning, Piaget theorized.” (more)