The Quincy Method, also known as the Quincy Plan, or the Quincy system of learning, was a child-centered,
progressive approach to education developed by
Francis W. Parker
Francis Wayland Parker (October 9, 1837March 2, 1902) was a pioneer of the progressive education, progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, ph ...
, then
superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Building superintendent, a manager, maintenance or repair person, custodian or janitor, especially in the United States; sometimes shortened to "super"
*Prison warden or superintendent, a prison administrator
*Soprin ...
of schools in
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...
, United States, in 1875.
Parker, a pioneer of the
progressive school movement, rejected the traditional rigid school routine, exemplified by
rote learning
Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. The method rests on the premise that the recall of repeated material becomes faster the more one repeats it. Some of the alternatives to rote learning include meaningful learning, ...
and the spelling-book method, and even stated that the spelling book should be burned, although he did favor oral spelling. Emphasis was instead placed on social skills and self-expression through cultural activities and physical training, as well as teacher-prepared materials, experience-based learning and children's own writing.
A survey by the
Massachusetts State Board of Education published four years later showed that Quincy students excelled at reading, writing, and spelling, and ranked fourth in their county in math.
Hundreds of visitors traveled to Quincy to observe the new methods, aiming to replicate them in their own schools. Many of Quincy’s teachers were recruited by districts in other states, spreading the Quincy method beyond Massachusetts to New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Florida, Minnesota, and other places.
When in 1883 Parker became principal of the
Cook County Normal School in Chicago,
he developed the method further, introducing teacher training based on modern educational methods.
See also
*
Constructionist learning
The British Constructivists, also called the Constructionist Group, or Constructionists, were an informally constituted group of British artists, working in a ''constructivist'' mode, with no formal membership or manifesto. The groups most active ...
*
Experiential education
Experiential education is a philosophy of education that describes the process that occurs between a teacher and student that infuses direct experience with the learning environment and content. This concept is distinct from experiential learnin ...
*
Educational philosophies
The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It also examines the concepts and presuppositions of education theories. It is an interdisciplinary fiel ...
*
Education reform
Education reform is the goal of changing public education. The meaning and educational methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, the motivations for ...
*
Humanistic education
Humanistic education (also called person-centered education) is an approach to education based on the work of Humanistic psychology, humanistic psychologists, most notably Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Rogers is regarded as the founder of huma ...
*
Laboratory school
A laboratory school or demonstration school is an elementary or secondary school operated in association with a university, college, or other teacher education institution and used for the training of future teachers, educational experimentatio ...
References
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Alternative education
Philosophy of education
Progressive education