Traditional and progressive orientation to teaching: new empirical evidence

While traditionalists argue that teachers should carefully sequence the best knowledge from their subject area and deliver it directly to the whole class, progressives argue that teachers should instead facilitate pupils’ exploration of their individual interests, thereby nurturing curiosity and thinking skills. 

In this webinar, Sam will explain how the quantitative study tested these claims using fixed effect models applied to data on 1,223 pupils (age 11-14) in the German National Educational Panel Study. The study found few links between pupil outcomes and their teachers’ orientation. The one exception was that - contrary to progressive claims - pupils develop greater interest in learning when taught by teachers with a traditionalist orientation.

After Sam has presented the study - there will be a Q&A session.

 This event will be particularly useful for those interested in pedagogy. 

Related links

• Event recording: Traditional and progressive orientation to teaching: new empirical evidence
• Department of Learning and Leadership (DLL)
• DLL research seminar series
• Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO)