Over time, different philosophies of education have been focal points of several criticisms. Both, the way children are taught and what they are taught, are two main items that have been argued. These criticisms contribute to why several different philosophies have emerged. Because of this, our education system has evolved from one room classrooms, taught by the town recluse, to a free and required educational system with standards that need to be met (Tyack). Another important thing to know is that education in our society is used for advancement. Without the way we operate our education, our country would not be one of the most powerful nations in the world. By new generations learning what older ones have learned is very important because these students get to start from where the people before them left off (Tyack).
Education started out with teacher-centered classrooms where students were sent to school to learn only the basic three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic. This traditional style of education did not last long, but it did set a foundation for what education would become. Soon our government was learning that education needed to be mandatory for all children. Several new types of teaching became popular in the United States because of this; one of them was the Progressive form of education. Progressive education was used in Gary, IN one hundred years ago. It worked well in Gary because it was student based. Students learned their skills by hands on activities as opposed to reading about it in a book (Tyack). Since Gary was a generally poor city, this helped the students learn what they would want to do when they got out of school. The next type of teachin ...