Zak's Weekly Musings (October 18, 2023)

Progressive. A term often used, and equally often, misunderstood. The term might seem nebulous at times, but the vagueness surrounding it does not mean it lacks definition. Over a century ago, Helen Parkhurst actually did just that – defined that which Dewey himself said couldn’t be. 

Helen Parkhurst was deeply entrenched in the progressive ferment of the early 20th Century, emerging as a vanguard of its potential and influence. Her impact was so profound that Time magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential educators of all time; Eleanor Roosevelt hailed her as a “National treasure;” and, Maria Montessori once remarked, "Helen Parkhurst’s intelligent activity is truly rare and precious."

Today, her influence is most evident at The Dalton School. Consistently ranked among the top 20 independent schools in the country, the school's teaching methodology from lower school through high school tightly adheres to her "Dalton Plan.”

You see, unlike many of her contemporaries, Parkhurst wasn't content merely philosophizing about the dichotomy between progressive and traditional education. Instead, she laid out a clear pedagogy of progressive education – a demystification and a distillation of what it means to teach in a progressive manner. She referred to this as the Three P's: 

  • Preparation: This is the foundation phase where students get acquainted with a new topic or concept. This could be through lectures, readings, videos, demonstrations, or any method that best introduces the topic.

  • Practice: Once the groundwork is laid, students delve deeper. They engage independently or collaboratively in tasks, exercises, and projects that allow them to apply, experiment with, and deepen their understanding of the topic.

  • Production: In the final stage, students, having acquired the knowledge, now produce a piece of work or undergo an assessment, demonstrating their mastery over the topic.

To structure this learning journey, Parkhurst introduced the concept of 'Assignments or Contracts'. These are essentially module-based units, spanning, at the middle school level, no less than one month. 

Each of these units – or, as she refers to them “contracts” – clearly lists the objectives and tasks that students need to accomplish within the stipulated time frame. The beauty of this system is its flexibility – students can chart their own course, deciding the sequence, pace, and method, as long as they adhere to the flow of Preparation, Practice, and Production.

Why am I sharing all of this now? Because it aligns perfectly with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, which I introduced two weeks ago.

Webb's Level 1 aligns with the Preparation phase, where the emphasis is on recall and basic understanding. Webb's Level 2 syncs with the Practice phase, emphasizing skills and concepts. Webb's Level 3 or 4 (depending on the individual student) resonates with the Production phase, focusing on strategic thinking, extended thinking, or a demonstration of a deep understanding of the concept. You can literally just copy and paste Webb’s language to each of these three phases. 

To effectively put Parkhurst’s Three Ps into practice, pair it with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge to create a cohesive, clearly sequenced, and undeniably progressive learning environment for students. 

Next week, we will delve deeper into my comment about how both Level 3 or 4 can be separately but effectively leveraged for summative assessments. Until then, let's consider how we can embrace and operationalize Parkhurst's Three Ps by pairing it with Webb's Depth of Knowledge.