You might want to check out a group called the Coalition for Essential Schools at www.essentialschools.org. They have been working on school reform for some time, and build their work around a series of guiding principles that you will find on their website. There have been many schools affiliated with CES who have radically restructured their way schools work, with an emphasis on large schools that split out into smaller schools or learning communities that focus on a particular curricular area. Pretty excellent stuff.
That's actually really interesting. I've never heard of anything like it, so I'm glad you found it! However, just like anything else, I feel like there are two sides to it. It'd be awesome for students to work at their own pace in school so that they can give their work in different subjects the attention it deserves. However, what happens when one student or a group of students is far behind some others and it's time for a math evaluation test? Are those students who are behind reprimanded for being so? Either way, I think it'd be amazing to not have bells and to have my own desk and computer to work at all day!
I think it's a really interesting article. It sounds to me like the school is a great opportunity for some students, but not for everyone. I think maybe that kind of setting could be utilized as a sort of alternative school for those who have trouble fitting in in a regular school, or have anxiety issues, etc. but I don't think it would be right for everyone, and certainly not for a large school district.
I think some schools could take lessons from it, though, such as giving students some personal space for their belongings, allowing laptops, getting rid of the bell schedule, and so on.
3 comments:
You might want to check out a group called the Coalition for Essential Schools at www.essentialschools.org. They have been working on school reform for some time, and build their work around a series of guiding principles that you will find on their website. There have been many schools affiliated with CES who have radically restructured their way schools work, with an emphasis on large schools that split out into smaller schools or learning communities that focus on a particular curricular area. Pretty excellent stuff.
That's actually really interesting. I've never heard of anything like it, so I'm glad you found it! However, just like anything else, I feel like there are two sides to it. It'd be awesome for students to work at their own pace in school so that they can give their work in different subjects the attention it deserves. However, what happens when one student or a group of students is far behind some others and it's time for a math evaluation test? Are those students who are behind reprimanded for being so? Either way, I think it'd be amazing to not have bells and to have my own desk and computer to work at all day!
I think it's a really interesting article. It sounds to me like the school is a great opportunity for some students, but not for everyone. I think maybe that kind of setting could be utilized as a sort of alternative school for those who have trouble fitting in in a regular school, or have anxiety issues, etc. but I don't think it would be right for everyone, and certainly not for a large school district.
I think some schools could take lessons from it, though, such as giving students some personal space for their belongings, allowing laptops, getting rid of the bell schedule, and so on.
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