What i like about democratic
schools is that it gives young people the space to pursue their own goals,
ambitions, and interests, and to learn to do so independently. If someone knows
how to do that, and truly wants to go to a particular school, they can probably
get in sooner or later, one way or another. It might not always be as simple
and straightforward as it is for someone with perfect grades from a traditional
school (the well-trodden path,) but time spent pursuing your dream is rarely time
wasted.
I can’t help but think of
students who are unmotivated or lazy. If they don’t have to learn about
anything except the subjects they like – doesn’t that hurt students’ mastery of
important academic areas? In other words, if a student is not a proficient
reader, and that student is not required to read – it would logically follow
that the student’s reading skills would not improve (and would probably even
decline). But, I guess since you are constantly exposed to new subjects,
fields, areas of knowledge, and skills, because the people around you are all
doing different things. Sometimes, you get interested and end up learning more
about something someone else is into. It’s certainly helpful that people are
often doing things they are keenly interested in, which usually makes them glad
to share their passion.
I think i
remember reading this book early in college- Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of
the Oppressed brought me insights on the weaknesses of traditional
schooling systems—these are based on the need to conform, with students being
reduced to memorization machines instead of being think of as colleagues in the
learning process. I agree with Freire in that intellectually oppressive
educational systems make use of pedagogical methods that reflect their goal to
control, to force people to conform. The problem, of course, is in getting
people to realize the faults of the old system if people are comfortable with a
system that some perceive to be cruel, it would be very difficult to get them
out of it, as they already see themselves as part of the system. I agree with
the part of the model that says that memorization aspect of the traditional
system turns learners into containers, filled with unused information that
will later vanished. I will def. consider this model for my children
because When I was in high school, and in elementary some of the
teachers were teaching us several topics that I found uninteresting, boring and
irrelevant. I’ve been always thinking during those times that what they are
trying to teach us is something important. But, I always notice that those
things that they taught us have no connection in reality. I know that maybe
there is, but they are just narrating all the information and we students try
to absorb all the information without knowing its relevance.
The benefit of this model- I think flipped classes allow students to
consume lecture materials at their own pace. Unlike traditional lectures in which
students are beholden to the instructor’s pace, students in flipped classrooms
can rewind and replay the video as many times as needed in order to improve
their understanding of difficult concepts. This model allow students to apply the new knowledge using the instructor as resource. In traditional classroom environments, students usually apply new knowledge on their own through homework. There are two problems with this traditional approach. First, students at home typically do not have access to resources for help or questions if any problems arise. Second, when students turn in incomplete or incorrect homework, instructors have little insight into what went wrong. But in the flipped model the teacher is present and available to respond to any questions that may arise.
I think technology plays a big roles when considering flipping the classroom because they must consider which platform use to record and stream videos.
Through my studies i have become very familiar with this school. The best thing about a Montessori environment is that it allows for children to work, develop and learn at their own individual pace. My favorite aspect of a Montessori classroom lies within the sensory-based materials we use with our students, particularly the geometric solids, sand paper letters and the colored bead stair used for arithmetic. These independently used materials provide students with the opportunity to develop their concentration and coordination in addition to more traditional academic learning. Also, most Montessori classrooms are mixed-age and intended to foster peer-to-peer learning. These mixed aged groups allow for children to learn from one another, teach one another and develop life skills such as inclusion and acceptance. I think this model cultivates the love for learning at a very young age by sparking their curiosity and motivates the desire to learn.
Of course, one down side of this school is that is very expensive. I would love to see a Montessori education that is accessible to all adults who wish to ‘follow the child’ and to all children, regardless of their parents' financial status.
This method is similar to the Montessory in some aspects. This method is taught and carried out in groups with the teacher leading. When academic subjects are studied they are taught in a more traditional way, the teacher talking, the children at desks being taught in a group. Children are kept together with a group of children their own age with the teacher ideally moving up each year with the children and so getting to know and working with the same group of children for six years. Arts are ideally always a part of the academic studies. I like how this method the teacher incorporates storytelling and fantasy into the curriculum.
I think this is the first time I heard about this school. First thing I noticed while reading on their site is that is costly.
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