Notes on the gathering at Jane and Paul's house, Sunday 27th June 2010:
It was a small but important gathering that we enjoyed on Sunday.
We met Natasha Dravid who made me, at least, feel very humble next to the great work she is doing in Boston helping to run an education program that trains college students and sends them into high schools to teach about health issues. She is going to be an important resource for us in many ways.
Jeff Ravasio joined us for the first time and had us fascinated with his work in Philadelphia. Jeff has been working with at-risk youth for some time through after-school programs, the YMCA, and for the past six years at an alternative high school program that serves a low-income, learning disabled, emotionally challenged population with no support from the district. The positive side of this is that Jeff is able to work with the same group of students for several years running, organizing the curriculum around their interests.
Business proceeded as follows:
Update on action steps:
Paul has secured a space at the Arts Council of Princeton for a fee of $8000 for four days a week between 9 - 2:30 during the 2010-2011 school year.
Joel is proceeding with the application for incorporation as The Learning Cooperative. It was agreed to incorporate in New Jersey initially. Joel will investigate what is involved in order to eventually operate in Pennsylvania as well.
On July 13th, the planning group will meet at 9:00 am. and Paul will invite interested students and parents to an open house at the Arts Council Center at 1:00 pm. Paul will speak with Patty and Jill this week about publicizing this event and perhaps planning others.
Paul will begin meeting with individual families to discuss their hopes and plans for the 2010-2011 year.
On September 30th at 7:00 pm, TLC will sponsor a viewing of The Race to Nowhere at the Arts - Council. Paul will clarify the financial arrangements for this event.
Joel reported that www.princetonlearningcooperative.org is available as a domain name. Joel will proceed in setting up the website through Squarespace. Shelley could probably be asked to help build it.
Amy Childs – a home-schooling “guru” in Philadelphia – has volunteered 10 hours per month. Joel shared her offer with the group. She has already sent out an alert to all home school organizations within a 50-mile radius of Princeton. Check her website unschoolingsupport.com
A friend of Joel’s runs a blog – www.buckshappening.com – and she is willing to run an article about the Learning Cooperative. Joel will follow up on this. We will think more about advertising and ask advice from our supporters.
To Do:
Set up a series of open houses in July and August
Draft a budget for the pilot program
Investigate fundraising for start-up expenses?
Draft an enrolment agreement
Investigate insurance requirements
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Alter-Ed. Open Meeting: May 16, 2010
Present: Paul Scutt, Martin Smith, Joel Hammon, Sarah Bastian, Maggie Rose, Mark Leuchten, Patty Leuchten, Geoff Tilden, Brian Patton, Ajay Dravid
The meeting began with introductions and reasons for attending.
Joel summarized the work of the small committee in the months since the last large meeting. He introduced some of the big ideas that have been shaping the work so far.
People are inherently learners. Why is it that children are eager to learn to read, but by the time they leave high school “you can’t pay them to pick up a book.”
People learn in a lot of different ways. A lot of the traditional education model runs on a “one size fits all” approach.
We are aiming for a program in which the individual is respected, lifelong learning is nurtured, education is authentic and connected with the real-world and the community.
The model that has been most compelling is North Star in Massachusetts. It’s flexible enough to personalize students’ education, but structured enough to guide them effectively.
Ajay asked those here with home-schooled children to let us know what they are looking for.
Mark L. described his son Michael’s experience in Princeton High School. There is a powerful urge for conformity among adolescents in order to feel normal. He gravitates toward regular school because he doesn’t really want to be different or alternative. We need to be careful not to present an experience that will label kids as too different.
Patty: Maybe there are other kids who actually do want to be different. This model may be exactly what some families are looking for.
Martin: Peers are the most important influence in the lives of adolescents, but we need to keep handing the responsibility for their lives back to them. A lot of kids use school to avoid asking the question, Who am I?
Patty: Michael has been trying things that he never would have done had he spent the year in school. Yoga, for example. Spending time with his family. The year has been a positive one, simply by removing him from a toxic situation.
Sarah: Her children have been approached by neighborhood children with the question, “When are you going to go to “real” school?” She is experimenting with “un-schooling” – letting her 9 year-old take the lead in what they study.
Joel: When the context is changed, an apathetic student can turn around and recapture the joy of learning.
Geoff: We need to recognize that young people need a certain amount of structure. How can this venture provide this?
Martin: The key to it all is to detach from what students are learning, and focus more on the learning process itself. Kids respond and receive instruction differently if they are truly respected and given responsibility for their learning.
Paul: The idea here is that each student would have an individual plan. Lessons will be conducted during the day, and students will either participate in them or not depending on whether they fit in with their overall goals.
Geoff: Adolescents won’t necessarily know what they want to do. They will need a lot of help coming up with proposals.
Joel: There are many ways to structure the process of coming up with a plan – meetings,
Martin: This model removes the power struggle between the teenager and the adults – parents or teachers.
Mark: This is a lot about responsibility, learning to direct one’s own life many years earlier than we were expected to do when growing up.
Martin: The process isn’t necessarily easy, and lots of help can be offered. But students should also be expected to struggle a bit on their own before they’re offered a hand.
Joel: “Responsibility” is often discussed in terms of “compliance” rather than actual responsibility.
Paul: The content that used to be the power base of teachers is now readily available for all on the Internet. Mentors can guide students in the right direction.
Geoff: Content is really just a vehicle for learning how to learn.
Joel handed out a packet of information, including North Star materials. A discussion followed about what feedback students would receive on the work they do, and how colleges might interpret the “transcripts” that we would prepare. There are about two million home-schooled children in the U.S., and colleges are set up to handle unusual applications. North Star students who wish to attend the elite colleges are in a strong position, but there are also 4000 other colleges that serve students well and don’t necessarily have the same requirements as the Ivy League. We can’t underestimate the anxiety of parents with regard to college admissions. Might we establish a “North Star South,” linking our venture with a program that has been in existence and has a track record?
Who will be target market? The home-school community is certainly a possibility, but probably not the fundamentalist home-schoolers.
Joel guided the group through the chart that describes the program and curriculum, services provided, etc.
A discussion followed that touched on possible locations – Princeton? In the Arts Council building? Patty would like to follow up with Paul next week to explore the possibility of launching a pilot program in the fall of 2010.
Present: Paul Scutt, Martin Smith, Joel Hammon, Sarah Bastian, Maggie Rose, Mark Leuchten, Patty Leuchten, Geoff Tilden, Brian Patton, Ajay Dravid
The meeting began with introductions and reasons for attending.
Joel summarized the work of the small committee in the months since the last large meeting. He introduced some of the big ideas that have been shaping the work so far.
People are inherently learners. Why is it that children are eager to learn to read, but by the time they leave high school “you can’t pay them to pick up a book.”
People learn in a lot of different ways. A lot of the traditional education model runs on a “one size fits all” approach.
We are aiming for a program in which the individual is respected, lifelong learning is nurtured, education is authentic and connected with the real-world and the community.
The model that has been most compelling is North Star in Massachusetts. It’s flexible enough to personalize students’ education, but structured enough to guide them effectively.
Ajay asked those here with home-schooled children to let us know what they are looking for.
Mark L. described his son Michael’s experience in Princeton High School. There is a powerful urge for conformity among adolescents in order to feel normal. He gravitates toward regular school because he doesn’t really want to be different or alternative. We need to be careful not to present an experience that will label kids as too different.
Patty: Maybe there are other kids who actually do want to be different. This model may be exactly what some families are looking for.
Martin: Peers are the most important influence in the lives of adolescents, but we need to keep handing the responsibility for their lives back to them. A lot of kids use school to avoid asking the question, Who am I?
Patty: Michael has been trying things that he never would have done had he spent the year in school. Yoga, for example. Spending time with his family. The year has been a positive one, simply by removing him from a toxic situation.
Sarah: Her children have been approached by neighborhood children with the question, “When are you going to go to “real” school?” She is experimenting with “un-schooling” – letting her 9 year-old take the lead in what they study.
Joel: When the context is changed, an apathetic student can turn around and recapture the joy of learning.
Geoff: We need to recognize that young people need a certain amount of structure. How can this venture provide this?
Martin: The key to it all is to detach from what students are learning, and focus more on the learning process itself. Kids respond and receive instruction differently if they are truly respected and given responsibility for their learning.
Paul: The idea here is that each student would have an individual plan. Lessons will be conducted during the day, and students will either participate in them or not depending on whether they fit in with their overall goals.
Geoff: Adolescents won’t necessarily know what they want to do. They will need a lot of help coming up with proposals.
Joel: There are many ways to structure the process of coming up with a plan – meetings,
Martin: This model removes the power struggle between the teenager and the adults – parents or teachers.
Mark: This is a lot about responsibility, learning to direct one’s own life many years earlier than we were expected to do when growing up.
Martin: The process isn’t necessarily easy, and lots of help can be offered. But students should also be expected to struggle a bit on their own before they’re offered a hand.
Joel: “Responsibility” is often discussed in terms of “compliance” rather than actual responsibility.
Paul: The content that used to be the power base of teachers is now readily available for all on the Internet. Mentors can guide students in the right direction.
Geoff: Content is really just a vehicle for learning how to learn.
Joel handed out a packet of information, including North Star materials. A discussion followed about what feedback students would receive on the work they do, and how colleges might interpret the “transcripts” that we would prepare. There are about two million home-schooled children in the U.S., and colleges are set up to handle unusual applications. North Star students who wish to attend the elite colleges are in a strong position, but there are also 4000 other colleges that serve students well and don’t necessarily have the same requirements as the Ivy League. We can’t underestimate the anxiety of parents with regard to college admissions. Might we establish a “North Star South,” linking our venture with a program that has been in existence and has a track record?
Who will be target market? The home-school community is certainly a possibility, but probably not the fundamentalist home-schoolers.
Joel guided the group through the chart that describes the program and curriculum, services provided, etc.
A discussion followed that touched on possible locations – Princeton? In the Arts Council building? Patty would like to follow up with Paul next week to explore the possibility of launching a pilot program in the fall of 2010.
Hi friends,
It has been a while since our last communication but a group of four us have been working on getting your and our collective ideas into some less amorphous form.
Though we still have a way to go, and the path may not be as straight as we think, the following concepts will be guiding us initially:
Venue could be Yardley, Newtown, Doylestown or perhaps even Princeton.
It will comprise a small community of 20 to 50 students and the equivalent of two full time staff.
Students will be registered as home-schoolers.
Monthly meetings or communications with parents and students will determine the amount of ongoing structure or freedom appropriate for each individual.
We will provide optional classes to cover the basics up to GED level.
In addition, we will invite friends, volunteers, students, to offer classes in a wide variety of topics that may be of interest to teenagers.
We will take advantage of the many learning resources available on the internet.
We will provide help, if necessary, in the college application process.
Optional educational visits to sites of historical interest, museums, etc will be arranged.
:
In short, we will be using many of the ideas of North Star Teens and Ken Danforth.( http://northstarteens.org/ )
We hope you will all come to a gathering on the afternoon of Sunday 16th May to discuss the above and also, very important, generate a name for the entity. We need you! and, please, if you have interested friends invite or bring them along.
I have posted much of the documentation so far generated at this web address: http://hiveoflearning.blogspot.com/ if you would like to recharge that initial enthusiasm.
As before, an RSVP would be appreciated but not necessary.
Many thanks for your support in this important endeavor.
Paul
ps suggested words to stimulate the invention of a name.
Beehive, Pathfinder, Lighthouse, Compass, ...
It has been a while since our last communication but a group of four us have been working on getting your and our collective ideas into some less amorphous form.
Though we still have a way to go, and the path may not be as straight as we think, the following concepts will be guiding us initially:
Venue could be Yardley, Newtown, Doylestown or perhaps even Princeton.
It will comprise a small community of 20 to 50 students and the equivalent of two full time staff.
Students will be registered as home-schoolers.
Monthly meetings or communications with parents and students will determine the amount of ongoing structure or freedom appropriate for each individual.
We will provide optional classes to cover the basics up to GED level.
In addition, we will invite friends, volunteers, students, to offer classes in a wide variety of topics that may be of interest to teenagers.
We will take advantage of the many learning resources available on the internet.
We will provide help, if necessary, in the college application process.
Optional educational visits to sites of historical interest, museums, etc will be arranged.
:
In short, we will be using many of the ideas of North Star Teens and Ken Danforth.( http://northstarteens.org/ )
We hope you will all come to a gathering on the afternoon of Sunday 16th May to discuss the above and also, very important, generate a name for the entity. We need you! and, please, if you have interested friends invite or bring them along.
I have posted much of the documentation so far generated at this web address: http://hiveoflearning.blogspot.com/ if you would like to recharge that initial enthusiasm.
As before, an RSVP would be appreciated but not necessary.
Many thanks for your support in this important endeavor.
Paul
ps suggested words to stimulate the invention of a name.
Beehive, Pathfinder, Lighthouse, Compass, ...
Dear Friends,
Our first two meetings gave us a lot to think about and really inspired us to keep moving towards doing something concrete to help the teenagers that will shortly inherit the society we live in.
To that end Joel, Martin, Ajay and I met on the 7th February and after more conversation on educational matters came up with some goals:
2015 – an established permanent home;
September 2011 – open with 10 to 20 students meeting in a space yet to be determined;
January 2011 – establish an “office” with website and promotional materials together with a marketing plan;
June 2010 – have a name, mission statement, bye laws and be incorporated as a legal entity.
May 2010 - most important, establish a board of trustees.
A suggested philosophy statement that still needs work might be:
“Learning is natural and individual. We hope to inspire and nurture self-directed learning in a respectful, non-coercive environment.”
Any words of wisdom on any part are welcome but in particular, we could not think of a satisfactory non-negative alternative term for “non-coercive”, which could be construed as a criticism of other schools.... does anyone have any up-beat and positive suggestions?
Another interesting discussion point was the importance of lunch to teenagers and we thought about the need for a kitchen and common dining area in our future space. Making this an integral part of the educational experience could also have the desirable effect of modeling a healthy diet and strengthening the community of learners. (I would recommend a visit to Tinicum Arts and Science to see this in action.)
There is a lot of work to do, it will be stimulating and good fun but it does have a serious purpose. We are extremely lucky to have such good hearted and capable friends interested in moving this project forward.
Sincere thanks,
Paul
Our first two meetings gave us a lot to think about and really inspired us to keep moving towards doing something concrete to help the teenagers that will shortly inherit the society we live in.
To that end Joel, Martin, Ajay and I met on the 7th February and after more conversation on educational matters came up with some goals:
2015 – an established permanent home;
September 2011 – open with 10 to 20 students meeting in a space yet to be determined;
January 2011 – establish an “office” with website and promotional materials together with a marketing plan;
June 2010 – have a name, mission statement, bye laws and be incorporated as a legal entity.
May 2010 - most important, establish a board of trustees.
A suggested philosophy statement that still needs work might be:
“Learning is natural and individual. We hope to inspire and nurture self-directed learning in a respectful, non-coercive environment.”
Any words of wisdom on any part are welcome but in particular, we could not think of a satisfactory non-negative alternative term for “non-coercive”, which could be construed as a criticism of other schools.... does anyone have any up-beat and positive suggestions?
Another interesting discussion point was the importance of lunch to teenagers and we thought about the need for a kitchen and common dining area in our future space. Making this an integral part of the educational experience could also have the desirable effect of modeling a healthy diet and strengthening the community of learners. (I would recommend a visit to Tinicum Arts and Science to see this in action.)
There is a lot of work to do, it will be stimulating and good fun but it does have a serious purpose. We are extremely lucky to have such good hearted and capable friends interested in moving this project forward.
Sincere thanks,
Paul
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Third Meeting (see below for the report)As the time for our third meeting approached I realized we needed to move forward and so sent out this e-mail to our friends...Dear Friends, When I sent out the minutes for the last Alternative Education gathering I suggested pencilling in 7th February as the next meeting date. In recognition of the value of your time, I would like to postpone the date until there is a more substantial agenda. Joel, Martin, Ajay and I will be working on a description of a proposed "school" and doing some background research on next steps. I hope to invite you all to gather and continue the discussion on this exciting project early in March, look out for another e-mail. Meanwhile, please continue to feed me with ideas and suggestions, even a name for the new establishment would be helpful. Something that encapsulates the individualised attention to each student and the respectful support given to that student's leadings and passions, while demanding a high level of mastery in some area... Paul 
Report on our Third Meeting, 7th February, 2010
Our first two meetings gave us a lot to think about and really inspired us to keep moving towards doing something concrete to help the teenagers that will shortly inherit the society we live in.
To that end Joel, Martin, Ajay and I met on the 7th February and after more conversation on educational matters came up with some goals:
Summer 2015 – an established permanent home;
September 2011 – open with 10 to 20 students meeting in a space yet to be determined;
January 2011 – establish an “office” with website and promotional materials together with a marketing plan;
June 2010 – have a name, mission statement, bye laws and be incorporated as a legal entity.
May 2010 - most important, establish a board of trustees.
A suggested philosophy statement that still needs work might be:
“Learning is natural and individual. We hope to inspire and nurture self-directed learning in a respectful, non-coercive environment.”
Any words of wisdom on any part are welcome but in particular, we could not think of a satisfactory non-negative alternative term for “non-coercive”, which could be construed as a criticism of other schools.... does anyone have any up-beat and positive suggestions?
Another interesting discussion point was the importance of lunch to teenagers and we thought about the need for a kitchen and common dining area in our future space. Making this an integral part of the educational experience could also have the desirable effect of modeling a healthy diet and strengthening the community of learners. (I would recommend a visit to Tinicum Arts and Science to see this in action.)
There is a lot of work to do, it will be stimulating and good fun but it does have a serious purpose. We are extremely lucky to have such good hearted and capable friends interested in moving this project forward.
Please pencil in another meeting on the 6th March where we can explore everyone's ideas about our time-line, philosophy statement and overall vision.
-------
Second Meeting
Before the second meeting I sent out the following e-mail to aid and focus our thinking without having to replicate work that has already been done by others.
Dear Friends,
Below is a rough continuum of schools/communities that Joel and I have looked at, from fairly traditional but with interesting aspects, to radically different providers of high school age citizens with an education resource. If you could spend a few minutes getting a sense of the values and guiding principals behind some or all of these from their websites we can then focus in on ..
1. where on the continuum should we be aiming, and
2. with these schools as models, what values or principles should be guiding us.
www.putneyschool.org
www.tinicumartandscience.org
www.upattinas.org
www.summerhillschool.co.uk
www.newcountryschool.com
www.openconnections.org
www.northstarteens.org
Some areas of importance to think about might be:
voluntary/compulsory attendance, curriculum self/externally directed(?), assessment methods, grades, graduation(?) requirements, ceremony, creating community, adult/student relationships, physical environment ..
Of course this is not at all a complete list and I hope you will feel comfortable suggesting any other interesting schools you might know of or topics that need to be considered before we home in on our guiding principles.
Using the same format as last time we will start off in a big circle and then break into smaller groups to enable maximum discussion be reconvening to report. We will aim to finish at 5:30. In addition, however, I would like to invite those of you who are able to commit another hour or so to stay and begin work on a written statement of values and purpose.
I will remind everyone again closer to the time, but meanwhile please be in touch at any time if anything occurs to you that might be worth sharing.
Happy Holidays!
Paul
------------
Once again introductions and welcomes while tea and cakes were consumed, followed by...
Baker River School: Report from Betsy and Bruce Bergquist
(Bruce) Description of the school: in the White Mountains of NH; just outside of Wentworth; 20 miles from any amenities; a basic, self-contained, rural educational community; 1977-1983; first year was a planning year, and then operated for five years; 15-24 students; the property had been a farm; 112 acres, including a wood lot, blueberry field; no livestock; didn’t attempt to be self-sustaining; curriculum was built around two principles (to be described by Betsy); staff were young, talented, energetic; were in the process of becoming accredited when they decided they didn’t have the personal or emotional resources to continue; everything was done on a shoestring; if you don’t have the money, you can do it if you have the collective spirit; students were a mixed bag – some totally motivated and some there as a last resort; over the six years discovered whom the school could serve; teachers were interested in being there for just a year or two and then moving on..
Baker River School: Report from Betsy and Bruce Bergquist
(Bruce) Description of the school: in the White Mountains of NH; just outside of Wentworth; 20 miles from any amenities; a basic, self-contained, rural educational community; 1977-1983; first year was a planning year, and then operated for five years; 15-24 students; the property had been a farm; 112 acres, including a wood lot, blueberry field; no livestock; didn’t attempt to be self-sustaining; curriculum was built around two principles (to be described by Betsy); staff were young, talented, energetic; were in the process of becoming accredited when they decided they didn’t have the personal or emotional resources to continue; everything was done on a shoestring; if you don’t have the money, you can do it if you have the collective spirit; students were a mixed bag – some totally motivated and some there as a last resort; over the six years discovered whom the school could serve; teachers were interested in being there for just a year or two and then moving on..
(Betsy) The school was a continuation of a home school for one of their children; 6th-8th graders need more experiential than book learning; set up a program in the city of Wooster that included trips, time in the library, etc.; this was a time of restlessness and discontent in their lives; sold everything and then traveled around the U.S. for a year with their son on a vision quest; out of this came the inspiration to start a school; rented the piece of property in Wentworth; we live in an emotional void; we don’t know how to name our experience; wanted to create a community that had an emotional language for young people; also interested in the issues of food and health; the kitchen was the center of the community; everyone did the cooking; cooking is a science that young people need to learn; had a garden, and lots of experiences to connect with the earth; started each year with a 6-day camping trip in the mountains; each year included a six-week expedition to some other part of the U.S.; started with two questions – If education is an ongoing process of preparation for life, then what is required for young people to live a fulfilling life? How can a school impart what is needed? Goals for the curriculum included students’ learning to appreciate themselves and one another, the importance of understanding relationship to the earth; BRS was experiential – lots of trips (D.C., Quaker work camps in Philadelphia)
The structure of the curriculum: Year-long classes in math, foreign language, etc., but also five 7-week project-centered modules in the course of the year that were theme-based; the school library reflected the concerns and consciousness of the day (ecology, environmental issues, population growth, etc.); Follow-up on students? Lots of blogging on the school’s website. Students are now in their ‘40s. At a reunion a few years ago, about 20 showed up (with their babies and toddlers!); when asked what impact the school had on them, the alumni gave good feedback; it seems as if their career paths were strongly influenced by their experience at Baker River School
It’s so exciting that a group of people is working on this; a noble venture; so much of what we hear about as being innovative, at closer investigation turn out not to be.
What values should drive education?
What values/competencies does the future require?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This simple phrase wraps up so much. It’s
globally encompassing. If you start with this, you can elaborate infinitely. Ultimately, this is where it all begins.
Extend the concept of “others” to include the environment, animals, everything...
The structure of the curriculum: Year-long classes in math, foreign language, etc., but also five 7-week project-centered modules in the course of the year that were theme-based; the school library reflected the concerns and consciousness of the day (ecology, environmental issues, population growth, etc.); Follow-up on students? Lots of blogging on the school’s website. Students are now in their ‘40s. At a reunion a few years ago, about 20 showed up (with their babies and toddlers!); when asked what impact the school had on them, the alumni gave good feedback; it seems as if their career paths were strongly influenced by their experience at Baker River School
It’s so exciting that a group of people is working on this; a noble venture; so much of what we hear about as being innovative, at closer investigation turn out not to be.
After this stimulating talk by the Birgquists we brainstormed the following question:
What values should drive education?
What values/competencies does the future require?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This simple phrase wraps up so much. It’s
globally encompassing. If you start with this, you can elaborate infinitely. Ultimately, this is where it all begins.
Extend the concept of “others” to include the environment, animals, everything...
Prior to this, students need to develop a sense of self-worth in order to respect that sense of self in others, in order to have compassion.
Students need to understand what’s coming at them from our society. There are so many mis-truths, lies, etc. surrounding us. How to interpret the world through these values?
Students need to understand what’s coming at them from our society. There are so many mis-truths, lies, etc. surrounding us. How to interpret the world through these values?
Young people need practical information to help them make their life decisions; kids need do develop financial literacy.
Values need to be taught concretely – not abstractly – in the context of practical, everyday life decisions and actions. Self-determination, accountability, responsibility need to be at the core.
Risk-taking. Knowing how to fail and handle failure. Schools teach that failure is a bad thing.
Thinking within the lines is how you get to Harvard, but that’s not ultimately the route to the most successful life.
The ability to collaborate. (Competition is inevitable. Businesses are in competition with one another. The problem is when competition exists within a community. Academic research = collaborative
competition. Everyone doing their part to be the first to publish.)
Values need to be taught concretely – not abstractly – in the context of practical, everyday life decisions and actions. Self-determination, accountability, responsibility need to be at the core.
Risk-taking. Knowing how to fail and handle failure. Schools teach that failure is a bad thing.
Thinking within the lines is how you get to Harvard, but that’s not ultimately the route to the most successful life.
The ability to collaborate. (Competition is inevitable. Businesses are in competition with one another. The problem is when competition exists within a community. Academic research = collaborative
competition. Everyone doing their part to be the first to publish.)
In urban education, students need actual training in social norms – shaking hands, courtesy, etc. – as avenues to success.
Learning to be a self-directed learner. Lifelong learning is a goal of many schools, but the structure of the educational experience needs to actually support this.
Learning to be a self-directed learner. Lifelong learning is a goal of many schools, but the structure of the educational experience needs to actually support this.
Mastery of a limited number of skills. Focus on students’ strengths. Throttle what they’re good at, but let slide the areas of difficulty. Basic skills are important, but beyond this one’s talents should dictate how they spend their time.
---------
Once again, much to think about. We pencilled in another meeting time of 7th February, 2010.
Ideas from our first meeting: 13th December, 2009
What is a good education?
Small group discussions resulted in the following..
School should be a place that excites/incites rather than inundates students
A school is its own system, but exists within other systems; can’t operate in a vacuum; students need to engage with education that connects them social and political systems
Project-based, interdisciplinary
Assessment needs to be flexible; peer review is important to engage students in talking with one another about their learning
Student and teacher relationship should be one of partnership
Critical thinking skills should be developed across the disciplines
School needs a values-orientation
Students need to know why they are learning what they are learning, and be able to relate it to their lives and the world
Students need to direct their own education
Theme-based: global/multicultural and/or environmental focus
Preparing students for life – communication skills, social skills, money/practical skills, problem-solving abilities
Helping students find their passions
Hands-on, real work, problem-solving activities, especially outdoors, connected with nature
Nurturing students’ creative use of leisure time
Time to be reflective
SATs should go away
Learning to work on a team
Taking students from where they are; developing students’ awareness of their context
Success redefined
Community
Questions
What is the purpose of education? Jumping through hoops for credentials?
Is it possible to attract parents without a college prep focus?
What is the ideal scale for a school? What is the necessary critical mass?
Important Ideas
The fact that this many people have come together on a rainy Sunday afternoon is a measure of the suffering that is out there. It’s urgent, but at the same time very exciting.
Students learn better when they have down time.
We need to model school on what we want students to become. Across the education industry, people are overworked, underpaid, stressed out.
Anything we’re preparing students for now will be obsolete by the time they get there. How do we educate for this?
If we create a high school in which students follow their passions and create a portfolio of their work, colleges will be interested.
Passing exams is about “training” rather than “education.”
Overview of North Star in Amherst, MA (Joel)
Started by two 8th grade teachers who had become disillusioned with the traditional system
Launched the school with 20 of their students
The goal – to get students out of an environment that wasn’t working for them, for whatever reason
Students are technically home schooled and pay a fee to use the school’s services
Lots of volunteers, courses taught by college students; support for GED
Students are guided in developing individualized programs
Meeting adjourned amidst much discussion, and general desire to continue the exploration process.
Date set for next meeting on January 10th 3:00pm.
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