She summarized,
"I lost my mentors, and in their place I gained role models."
...
It doesn't sound to me like a value judgment in favor of one or the other. Others may read it differently.
Showing posts with label open-endedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label open-endedness. Show all posts
Demographics
Someone recently quoted to me an insightful comment by a teenage girl. She had been asked to describe her transition from attending a cozy small-town high school to attending a much larger high school in a larger community.
What Size Is Your Canvas?
Today we attended a child's birthday party (great party; thanks!) held at a local museum of modern art.
Participants were handed a canvas, a tray of paints, and some yarn for creating resist-work; and given some basic instructions.
Children were handed a small canvas. Adults were handed a large canvas.
I stared at that canvas and couldn't figure out what to do with it.
Mind you, I am the art teacher and the free spirit and the etc. etc. but before I use up something fancy like a huge stretched canvas I like to have a plan for what to do with it.
I took one of the small canvases, which seemed better proportioned to under an hour of winging it.
I was explaining this to a friend sitting next to me.
"Yes," put in mine host; "my wife asked the museum staff whether the canvases for children weren't rather small; and they said that children tend to be intimidated by larger canvases and would enjoy the small ones better."
...
I would like to see some information on the average age at which children cease to be intimidated by large canvases -- and what causes that transformation.
If, indeed, that particular transformation ever takes place. There were plenty of adults (no children) who declined to paint at all: "I have no artistic talent."
...
I am reminded of a certain historical reenactor who once wrote that whenever she visits a historical site, she instinctively looks for the servants' entrance.
What makes us become the lords and ladies of the manor, and the users of large canvases?
Participants were handed a canvas, a tray of paints, and some yarn for creating resist-work; and given some basic instructions.
Children were handed a small canvas. Adults were handed a large canvas.
I stared at that canvas and couldn't figure out what to do with it.
Mind you, I am the art teacher and the free spirit and the etc. etc. but before I use up something fancy like a huge stretched canvas I like to have a plan for what to do with it.
I took one of the small canvases, which seemed better proportioned to under an hour of winging it.
I was explaining this to a friend sitting next to me.
"Yes," put in mine host; "my wife asked the museum staff whether the canvases for children weren't rather small; and they said that children tend to be intimidated by larger canvases and would enjoy the small ones better."
...
I would like to see some information on the average age at which children cease to be intimidated by large canvases -- and what causes that transformation.
If, indeed, that particular transformation ever takes place. There were plenty of adults (no children) who declined to paint at all: "I have no artistic talent."
...
I am reminded of a certain historical reenactor who once wrote that whenever she visits a historical site, she instinctively looks for the servants' entrance.
What makes us become the lords and ladies of the manor, and the users of large canvases?
A Montessorian on Motivation
"But do you think it can really be done, to have students studying different material simultaneously in one classroom?" the principal asked.
"Absolutely!" I said, and started ticking off - Montessori, and Sudbury, and the local middle school math class, and the entire history (and present) of the one-room schoolhouse in America, and -
"But," she said, cutting into my description of Montessori, "what if you have a student who just doesn't want to learn?"
I have some memories of what I've observed Montessori teachers doing for specific kids, but - does Montessori have a general prescription for this? I was curious.
So, I wrote to one of my Montessori teachers to ask her.
Here's her answer.
Her phone inserted its own line breaks; I've left them in because I like the found-poetry aspect of it.
You asked about discipline at the High School level — this probably will sound elitist but
It all begins with 2 1/2 year olds and builds on what is learned at that level through
Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and into Jr High.
As you might remember one important aspect at any level of Montessori is learning to make good choices.
At all levels, students make mistakes and
***learn from these mistakes — are encouraged to work through them, talk them out and decide to try again.
Another important aspect is adult guidance to steer EACH INDIVIDUAL toward exactly what s/he needs (academically, socially,
and as an individual).
Montessorians try to instill a love of learning
In each student while guiding each student toward learning the basic skills needed in life.
Learning how to learn is VIP. As well as discovering what turns each person on
— what is their passion? But also realizing
that those disciplines that are not so interesting/more difficult, must be tackled as well.
At all levels our Montessori students are encouraged to pursue their interests;
work hard to overcome their weaker areas;
learn how to work with others in a variety of activities; and really care about the world around them.
My inner mantra was always:
Everything is connected.
We are connected to everything.
Anyway, I found this info from Cleveland
about their High School program and thought it might be of interest.
https://www.
"Absolutely!" I said, and started ticking off - Montessori, and Sudbury, and the local middle school math class, and the entire history (and present) of the one-room schoolhouse in America, and -
"But," she said, cutting into my description of Montessori, "what if you have a student who just doesn't want to learn?"
I have some memories of what I've observed Montessori teachers doing for specific kids, but - does Montessori have a general prescription for this? I was curious.
So, I wrote to one of my Montessori teachers to ask her.
Here's her answer.
Her phone inserted its own line breaks; I've left them in because I like the found-poetry aspect of it.
You asked about discipline at the High School level — this probably will sound elitist but
It all begins with 2 1/2 year olds and builds on what is learned at that level through
Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and into Jr High.
As you might remember one important aspect at any level of Montessori is learning to make good choices.
At all levels, students make mistakes and
***learn from these mistakes — are encouraged to work through them, talk them out and decide to try again.
Another important aspect is adult guidance to steer EACH INDIVIDUAL toward exactly what s/he needs (academically, socially,
and as an individual).
Montessorians try to instill a love of learning
In each student while guiding each student toward learning the basic skills needed in life.
Learning how to learn is VIP. As well as discovering what turns each person on
— what is their passion? But also realizing
that those disciplines that are not so interesting/more difficult, must be tackled as well.
At all levels our Montessori students are encouraged to pursue their interests;
work hard to overcome their weaker areas;
learn how to work with others in a variety of activities; and really care about the world around them.
My inner mantra was always:
Everything is connected.
We are connected to everything.
Anyway, I found this info from Cleveland
about their High School program and thought it might be of interest.
https://www.
Monkey School
My daughter informs me that her stuffed monkey, Monkey, attends Monkey School.
In Monkey School, she said, instead of being in a grade, when the monkeys know the material, they graduate up to the next level.
Apparently, Monkey School differs from a typical K-8 school in that the default assumption isn't that students will spend a year in a grade; instead, units are smaller and students are constantly moving up, as if in a video game.
I like it.
In Monkey School, she said, instead of being in a grade, when the monkeys know the material, they graduate up to the next level.
Apparently, Monkey School differs from a typical K-8 school in that the default assumption isn't that students will spend a year in a grade; instead, units are smaller and students are constantly moving up, as if in a video game.
I like it.
Pacific Crest
I had a friend who attended Pacific Crest and I thought it sounded like a cool place.
Pacific Crest Community School
So, in 2012, I went back to observe for a morning as a grown-up.
Yup. Definitely a cool place. They've created a wonderful sense of community.
I find myself holding up Pacific Crest often as an example of a school that students are glad to attend. I think the school's curriculum hits a nice spot between teacher- and student-determined.
I wrote an article outlining the program for another blog; here's an excerpt.
Last week, I visited Pacific Crest, a 6-12th grade school of 70-80 students, each of whom is free to design his or her own curriculum - within limits. Some forty courses are offered each term; students must take a certain number, and of those, a certain number must be math, or language arts, &c. The content is as original as the structure: it is not uncommon for courses to have curious titles like "Geometry of Gothic Windows" or "Physics of Superheroes" or "Take a Walk". (Just think, there is a high school - not a mussar yeshiva - that teaches how to take a walk... I'd like to know what the content of that course is.) A couple of classes are compulsory.
No grades are given; instead, students compile a portfolio, which they whittle down for the purpose of college applications, and submit in place of grades.
Pacific Crest Community School
So, in 2012, I went back to observe for a morning as a grown-up.
Yup. Definitely a cool place. They've created a wonderful sense of community.
I find myself holding up Pacific Crest often as an example of a school that students are glad to attend. I think the school's curriculum hits a nice spot between teacher- and student-determined.
I wrote an article outlining the program for another blog; here's an excerpt.
Last week, I visited Pacific Crest, a 6-12th grade school of 70-80 students, each of whom is free to design his or her own curriculum - within limits. Some forty courses are offered each term; students must take a certain number, and of those, a certain number must be math, or language arts, &c. The content is as original as the structure: it is not uncommon for courses to have curious titles like "Geometry of Gothic Windows" or "Physics of Superheroes" or "Take a Walk". (Just think, there is a high school - not a mussar yeshiva - that teaches how to take a walk... I'd like to know what the content of that course is.) A couple of classes are compulsory.
No grades are given; instead, students compile a portfolio, which they whittle down for the purpose of college applications, and submit in place of grades.
Pacific Crest is a 'democratic' school: students meet once a week, sitting on the auditorium stage, to nominate each other's heroic deeds for applause, to make announcements, to invite visitors to stand up and say "Your name and your favorite movie character," and to raise issues for discussion (how shall we get each other to stop leaving backpacks on the common room tables?) I had the sense that although some of the students were a bit weary of the proceedings, all were glad to belong to the community of which such meetings are an important characteristic. Teachers are not exempt from being treated as equals in this democracy -- which I think is a pity; if nothing else, they have greater life experience. The school has an open campus: students are free to wander the city whenever they do not have class.
Naturally -- this being the city it is -- half the students wore what would be recognized in any other school as costume: Robin Hood was the first I noticed, but not every costume was that of a recognizable era or world. What, don't you come to school in a cape and fuzzy ears on an ordinary Tuesday?
Naturally -- this being the city it is -- half the students wore what would be recognized in any other school as costume: Robin Hood was the first I noticed, but not every costume was that of a recognizable era or world. What, don't you come to school in a cape and fuzzy ears on an ordinary Tuesday?
Sudbury
Here's an article about Sudbury:
...which I've always thought is an interesting model.
I don't believe that children are naturally better able to educate themselves for life than people who have experienced more of it. I think my second-grader's Chumash teacher has a much better idea of what she will need to know in life than she does.
I do think that you get extremely interesting results (the Hebrew word for part of what I have in mind is chus - the special love a person has for something he's sought out for himself) when you offer this kind of autonomy anyway.
A Grand Unified Theory of Education
I spoke recently with a couple of people who are super-super-super Jewish educators, people whose names you would recognize if I wrote them here, and I said to them, "I'm a teacher; I have some time; I want an education-related project; what do you think is a great need in Jewish education that I can try to fill?"
And they each said the same thing:
"What do you want to do?"
And that, I guess, is the answer.
And they each said the same thing:
"What do you want to do?"
And that, I guess, is the answer.
De-schooling
I understand from parents who unschool that it's pretty much a universal principle (if that can even be said about unschoolers)
(it can't)
that children who are pulled out of school and set to "unschooling" (given freedom to do more or less whatever they want all day) all go through a period of adjustment in which they don't do much at all. They lie on the couch and play video games, or whatever the activity of lowest resistance is.
Eventually their natural curiosity kicks in and they begin to learn... whatever they're interested in, and that leads them to other subjects, and they grow up, the unschooling theory is, eventually well-rounded and passionate intellectual seekers.
What's interesting to me is that this "de-schooling" period is so universally predictable. There's a formula for it: a child removed from the school system and set to unschooling will go through one month of "de-schooling" per year that s/he has been enrolled in school. Unschooling parents can set their watch by it.
What's behind that?
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