When theory and practice intersect: Investigating progressive education, project based learning, and critical life writing from within a School-University Partnership

Progressive educational theory was shaped from the emerging philosophy of Pragmatism and theexperimental/ laboratory schools of the late 19th and early 20th Century. Progressive educationbegan with educators and social reformers, notably John Dewey, Jane Addams and MarieMontessori. It was later extended through the work of Outward Bound founder and educatorKurt Hahn, liberatory educator Paulo Freire, and others who are highlighted in this research.While Progressive education has positively influenced educators and academics since the late1890’s, it has unfortunately remained on the periphery. Equally concerning, Progressiveeducation has unevenly benefited already privileged racial and socioeconomic groups whileremaining elusive or diminished for the rest of society. To our detriment we have not tapped intothe full potential of Dewey’s educational philosophy, Hahn’s praxis, or the Indigenousunderstanding of education on and through the land. Nor have we recognized both theimportance of, and danger in, Progressive educational frameworks which hold the possibility topositively transform schools or conversely, do damage.This dissertation research endeavor explored the relationship between Progressive educationaltheory and praxis in a school, as it implemented a new Project Based Learning initiative. Thisresearch documented the challenges, successes and failures from the end-user perspective,namely students and teachers. The research also examined the tensions between educationaltheory and practices in a school as well as the relationship between Project Based Learning(PBL) and student and teacher privilege. These themes, among others, are uncovered through auniversity-school partnership focused on the implementation and execution of a new PBLinitiative at a private school in Montreal, Canada.In order to make sense of the data, to surface themes and to analyze the findings, this researchemployed an Action Research (AR) case study utilizing an ethnographic approach with aparticipatory design. These methodologies were supported, and potentially enriched, through thepersonal and professional reflections of the author, in the form of Life Writing. Examining thisschool's experience implementing PBL and documenting that process through a participatoryapproach, enriched with Life Writing, offered unique research possibilities.Keywords—progressive education, experiential learning, ethnography, service learning,liberation education, participant observation, life-writing, critical studies, memoir, project-basedlearning, PBL

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