In June 2021, the same year that the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education’s Progressive Philosophy & Pedagogy masters degree program was started, the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center launched this blog to create a collective thinkspace for progressive educators, in hopes of furthering the worldwide progressive education movement. In just a few short years, our readership has grown to over 3,600 educators, philosophers, scholars and community members. In celebration of our 99th post, we share a few of our favorite reflections by Hanahau‘oli School’s faculty and staff below.
From the PD to Practice: The Hidden Factors in Professional Development Success
In 2024, I completed my doctoral research publishing a dissertation titled, “Predicting Professional Development Learning Transfer with the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Non-Exploratory Correlational Study.” This study was inspired by years working with anti-bias educators around the world. In this blog I share how my recent research revealed that the successful transfer of professional development learning to classroom practice depends heavily on school culture, particularly individual and shared beliefs about teaching and learning. I also learned, that when a school's pedagogical approach aligns with the training content, teachers are more likely to implement new strategies, but culture alone isn't enough.
Revisiting the Connection Between Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Progressive Education Assessment Practices
At the end of the Fall 2024 semester, I was reminded of the wonderful impact that Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (introduced to me close to 25 years ago) continues to have on my teaching practice. It was the last day of class for the second cohort of our University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy masters students. In addition to the incredible amount of reading, writing, and dialogue they had engaged in over the course of the semester, the group was invited by my co-teacher (Dr. Chad Miller) and I to give a presentation of learning using a modality that would best communicate and illustrate their growth. In the presentation criteria we encouraged them to use a medium that would, “capture the spirit of who you are becoming as a progressive educator and philosopher.” It was a small parameter embedded into this end of semester assessment activity, a piece of criteria that ultimately yielded a very moving set of deliverables.
The Joy of Art Experience: Designing School Structures for Sustaining Progressive Education Teaching & Learning for Children & Adults
At a Friday assembly in December, Hanahau‘oli School children were enthusiastically introduced to a brand new Joy of Art experience that would take place in January 2025. The children’s excitement was felt throughout the day as they talked with one another at recess and at lunch, sharing their reactions to the new learning opportunities presented and articulating their preferences of which Joy of Art experience they were most interested in with their friends. That night, children went home and continued to talk with their parents and caregivers about the two days of choice-driven learning they would get to participate in at the start of the new year.
Progressive Education Reflections on the Professional Development of Teachers
To kick off the start of the new year and semester, I had the opportunity to participate on a speaker panel at the Hawaii Education Association’s annual summit held on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 9:30 am – 130 pm at the downtown YWCA. The Hawaii Education Association (HEA) chose to focus this year’s educator summit on topics critical to the current moment: teacher recruitment and retention.
Teaching and Modeling Resilience
Resilience is a topic we hear a lot about these days, and we all have a general understanding of what it is - but how do we teach it to young people? We intuitively know how significant resilience is when it comes to overall well-being and success in life – but the skills that make up resilience aren’t always obvious. The good news is that resilience can be learned and can be influenced by both internal and external factors that, as teachers, we do have some control over.
Progressive Education 101: A Timeline of Selected Definitions, Plus Some Essential TexTS
In a recent breakout session at the Progressive Education Network (PEN) conference held at Wickliffe Progressive in Columbus, Ohio, one of the participants asked the group for a resource to help them learn more about progressive education’s defining characteristics and essential features. While no one in the room wanted to offer “a single fixed definition”–which, as Alfie Kohn (2015) explains, is “fitting in light of [the movement’s] reputation for resisting conformity and standardization” (p.2)–everyone did agree that a collection of progressive education definitions would be helpful for the work ahead. This blog is a small attempt to get started on such a resource, but is by no means finished or complete. It is a definite work in progress!
He Kauwā Ke Kanaka: The Door Opens Inward - Hawai‘i’s Role in World Healing
The first ever He Aliʻi Ka ʻĀina Educator Conference was held last month, on October 10 and 11. Designed to serve as a transformative professional development opportunity for the greater community to learn more about Hawaiian Culture-Based Education (HCBE) – the initiative aimed to engage participants in learning how to integrate the principles of aloha ʻāina (love of the land) and ea (sovereignty, life) into educational practices.
The Progressive Education Association 1937 – On Teacher Happiness
Established in 1919, the Progressive Education Association 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. Eugene Randolph Smith was the first PEA president, and he helped to put into writing the overall objectives of the Association.
Kids Voting Hawai‘i Student Leaders Prepare for the 2024 General Election
In this edition of Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy: A Blog for Progressive Educators the editors feature a team of Punahou School high school students who are spearheading Kids Voting Hawai‘i. In preparation for the USA’s 2024 General Election, we were interested in learning more about this youth-driven civic education initiative as it exemplifies the power and potential of a 21st Century progressive education.