Tags for "Collaboration"
My Personal Understanding of Democratic Education
The idea of children having the freedom to do what they feel inclined to, all under the premise that they are receiving their education during that time....boy, that was a bizarre concept for me.
As strange a concept as it was, though, I was very intrigued by it, and in theory found it... Help?
The ambulance, police, and fire trucks soon arrived. My husband was thanked, and then he went on his way... with a full day... Democracy as Carpentry
1) Only use tools for their intended purpose. To do otherwise is bad for the tool and potentially dangerous.
2) Never take your eyes off your work. E.g. If you have to look away while you are sawing, stop sawing.
3) Put away your tools when you are done, even if you plan to use them again first thing in the morning!, and finally
4) If you were playing with your hammer and left it in the sandbox in the rain and now can't find it, don't expect to borrow... ‘Cause It’s Like Democracy….
The experiment is going so well that we have increased the control the kids have in the daily lesson planning. Every day there is bell work, but that is the only set event of the class period. I have the day's activities arranged in three or four different orders. The students vote for the arrangement they believe fits their needs. Each option includes the same work, but the order is different.
So how is it going?
From my perspective, pretty good. I am not seeing as many springtime behavioral issues as I have...
Posted on Feb 04, 2010 - 02:08 AM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
The concept of democratic education was not introduced to me until summer of 2004. I was aware of homeschooling, and slightly familiar with unschooling, but had never really pushed to find an understanding of either approach. But in 2004, The Village Free School, of Portland, OR, was undergoing its first stages of creation, and I was fortunate to be around for it. It is something I took a deep interest in.The idea of children having the freedom to do what they feel inclined to, all under the premise that they are receiving their education during that time....boy, that was a bizarre concept for me.
As strange a concept as it was, though, I was very intrigued by it, and in theory found it... Help?
Posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 11:40 PM by Alison Bagg Brink in ImprovEducation
It has been a strange week at the Brink house. It all culminated yesterday morning, when my husband drove to a job site early, to pick up some tools. Yesterday was crystal clear. He was on a stretch of road with a 35 mile an hour speed limit. The car in front of my husband's van struck a man walking across the street. The walker was tossed into the air, hit the pavement, and rolled multiple times. The driver of the car barely slowed down, and then fled the scene. My husband stopped, helped the injured man to the side of the road, began basic first aid, and called EMS.The ambulance, police, and fire trucks soon arrived. My husband was thanked, and then he went on his way... with a full day... Democracy as Carpentry
Posted on Mar 15, 2010 - 08:32 AM by Khalif Williams in Uncharted Parenting
By the time my son, Ezra, was 5, he had his own set of tools (real ones) and a tool box in which to keep them. I immediately began to introduce him to a few simple principles that have now become our family carpentry creed:1) Only use tools for their intended purpose. To do otherwise is bad for the tool and potentially dangerous.
2) Never take your eyes off your work. E.g. If you have to look away while you are sawing, stop sawing.
3) Put away your tools when you are done, even if you plan to use them again first thing in the morning!, and finally
4) If you were playing with your hammer and left it in the sandbox in the rain and now can't find it, don't expect to borrow... ‘Cause It’s Like Democracy….
Posted on Apr 29, 2010 - 10:02 PM by Alison Bagg Brink in ImprovEducation
Students began choosing the delivery method for new information at the beginning of the month. I discussed this in "Maybe Kids Should Have a Say in How They Receive Information?"The experiment is going so well that we have increased the control the kids have in the daily lesson planning. Every day there is bell work, but that is the only set event of the class period. I have the day's activities arranged in three or four different orders. The students vote for the arrangement they believe fits their needs. Each option includes the same work, but the order is different.
So how is it going?
From my perspective, pretty good. I am not seeing as many springtime behavioral issues as I have...