In a previous blog, I recounted my story of discovering a number of “Progressive Education Booklets” published by the Progressive Education Association (PEA) in the late 1930s. Established in 1919, the PEA was a networked group of individuals who were dedicated to the spread of progressive education in American public schools up until 1955. This included expanding the reach of progressive education philosophy and pedagogy and engaging members in critical discussions about the social and political issues of the day. In my November 5, 2024 blog I shared how each booklet contained the transcripts of speeches given at national PEA conferences, and how they each had this similar inscription (with small differences depending on the date and location of the meeting the booklet was documenting) explaining:

“It’s equal!” squealed the Kindergarten student who poured pebbles from a tall, narrow container into a short, wide container. As many progressive educators know, young mathematicians find joy when they have the freedom to explore and observe their world. They also appreciate that teachers have opportunities to leverage such moments to introduce or confirm math concepts and terms. For example, children often recognize ”same” or “different”, but they may not know how to articulate what exactly they see as the same or different. In the illustration above, the two containers might be different in height, shape, or even color. Yet when they discover that the same quantity of pebbles that filled one container also fills the other, this opens into a teachable moment about equality and proof, albeit within a context that young mathematicians can grapple with.

At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) School of Teacher Education, our mission is to prepare future K-12 educators through field-based experiences that bridge theory and practice. One of the most critical aspects of our teacher preparation program is ensuring that teacher candidates have authentic teaching opportunities before they enter the profession. As a part of the process, we also want to ensure that we are serving the students, teachers, and communities that we partner with to provide real life hands-on teaching experiences. This is the simultaneous renewal of schools and the education of educators promoted by progressive educator, John Goodlad expanded on this previous blog.