MORE education ideas...

I recognize that many of the ideas I have put forth seem to have a big price tag attached... more teachers means more salaries... modifying schools for big "communal" classrooms...etc.  well,ok, however there are also big savings built in as well... using older students as instructors being a big one, another that I haven't made would be WAY LESS MONEY FOR EXPENSIVE SPORTS...  However I would like to take this time to propose another place that the system can not only save money, but also provide Adult education.

Imagine a HS where adults could trade teaching for learning...Or assisting for learning...not just in the HS,but with the community college (or even the state land grant college, like Rutgers in nj)    let's say 1yr of 2classes instructing for 12course credits of college courses, or (and?) Auditing any HS course...

The benefits are myriad... from the continued education of adults, kids being exposed to other ideas (both via instructors, and adults in the classroom...I would love being in a HS history class, to ask about things like the labor movement, Nazis killing socialists,etc...)... but above all, strengthening the bonds of community....

This ties easily into MY concept of "progress by looking to the past"...as a child, I read not only the "little house" books, but many others that were semi biographical from similar years, and I remember one series (I'm sure my Mother still has them) that was short stories that a girl got from her Gram by looking at grams button collection...each button was a new story....well, there was one about an adult going to the little red schoolhouse so he could learn to read, in his 40s....


Yes, I recognize that this can be angrily called "social engineering".... to which I reply


So Frelling What ...it is....and how is building a stronger community bad??? Will your kids get exposed to ideas you don't share???   Unequivocally YES, sure... however you have just as much possibility of exposing other parents kids to YOUR ideas... and in my NOT so humble opinion, that is a damn good thing...we ALL need to be exposed to ideas we don't hold...ideas outside our comfort zone, it's the very basis of education.....

Little Red Schoolhouse part 3

As children grow into young adults, we are confronted with a strange dichotomy...on the one hand, they are better suited to the"standard" style of education (sitting passively for long periods and listening) but they are also becoming more rebellious to authority.  They are more willing and able to listen, and are more likely to challenge.

They are seeking to discover and create their place in the world, their sense of identity,personality and individuality.  They simultaneously try to belong to, and rebellious from society as a whole...

This should not only be respected, but ENCOURAGED...U.Utah Phillips said it best to 2500 students..."you are,yet again,about to be called 'America's most valuable natural resource'...have you seen what we do to our 'valuable natural resources???'
Natural Resources (listen, it's short and worth it)

We NEED the next generation to challenge us... not only the orthodoxy, but US individually.  If I/we can't defend a belief to a 16yr old, perhaps it should be changed...and we should take this time, when we might still influence them , to allow, and welcome their challenges..

Ok,this post will be a 2parter, at least...too many thoughts...


So, in the upper grades, I suggest a class...over an hour in length, graded on a pass/fail level, based SOLELY on participation... I'd like to see small classes (20-25students) mixed ages... perhaps not even graded...(Ok, I admit, I'm stealing this completely from Heinleins "starship troopers"....but it's still a good idea...)... he called it "history and moral philosophy".... "current events and ethics" works just as well..."challenging ideas" is perhaps even a better name...

This would be an environment where students and adults could discuss anything and everything...personally, I would put it at a part of the day when parents, and other adults could come in and have their say, about local,statewide,national or international ideas and events...

Debate them...argue them...(perhaps the instructor could assign short papers that would serve as extra credit for other classes.... "In 3000 words minimum argue for religious expression in government" or "present the math favoring high inheritance taxes" or "present the ethical reasons for high marginal tax rates" or"defend removing Native Americans from their land")

And THAT is the point....to allow young minds to form and defend their own opinions....to allow the next generation a place and time to create their own thoughts,ideas,beliefs and rationales... to challenge them...to debate them.... and through the process of debate, to encourage the young adults to become part of society.....



Idea number 2 is an national exchange student program... The United States are a huge country, with hundreds,if not thousands of distinct cultures and stories...we are a miniature world, and our children can only be strengthened by being exposed to other subcultures, and we have hundreds of them...could you imagine how much stronger our nation would be if our children were exposed, bayou to mountain, NYC to Midwest farms, Seattle to Salt
Lake, desert to forest... exposing them to all the vibrant,wonderful,and lovely variations of humanity that are a part of American society...

It would help us understand, and respect each other, if we were exposed to each other... if we saw each other as human, and normal, before we paid attention to our differences....




More to come....

Education, a side note.

I would like to take a moment and discuss the source of my ideas.  Please note that my ideas are borrowed,not only from the older models of public education, but from modern private schools, the known benefits of homeschooling/UNlearning, and a lifelong interest in HOW we learn.

I have borrowed much from both the Montessori and Waldorf models, specifically when it comes to lessening the rigid structure of school at the younger ages, and lowering the student/teacher ratio.  Bringing in volunteer instructors, and older students as instructors is mostly my own idea, although it is used, to great effect with my local Head Start program.  Doing this has the benefit of being basically free, while improving the ratio and involvement of the local community.

Unlike most other"education reform" ideas, this has the benefit of being time tested and having a PROVEN success rate... This isn't a "Radically New" model, but a "Radically Old" one.. all I am trying to do is scale it up to the size that we need...

A Little Red Schoolhouse,part 2. 4th through 7th grade.

Beginning in the 4th grade, students would begin transitioning into a more "classic" classroom environment, with different teachers for different subjects.  They would also have more specialized classes, like current events/history, science, etc, structured in the standard format.  However it would also be beneficial for the students to have longer "free study" classes that cross grade levels (perhaps even joining older students of HS age)

In these "open periods"it would be advantageous to bring in guest lecturers/teachers... from parents, HS and college students, local business owners/leaders,politicians,etc.  The students themselves could(and should) be allowed and encouraged to give their OWN talks or lessons.

This freedom encourages the love of learning, decreases the feelings of being"trapped" and powerless in school, and gives the children a sense of control over their own education.  Having them give talks has 3 benefits
 1:reinforces the knowledge they have learned
 2:exposes others to subjects they might not have otherwise learned about.
 3:teaches the children public speaking skills and how to present information.

These "kid led lessons" shouldn't be graded in the standard format, critiqued /graded by both the students themselves and by a few teachers/guest instructors.


Also beginning at this age, students who need additional help with basic skills should spend some of their time helping out with the younger students(with loose oversight).  Leading younger students with basic skills (math, spelling,geography,etc) activates a different part of the brain than studying them, and it avoids some of the stigma of being"held back" or taking"remedial classes.

The regular classes begin at this point, again taking pains to keep class size small and using "student teachers" from upper grades.  The benefit of small classes, outside instructors and the free learning is that students can go more in-depth on subjects that interest them, both on the individual and group levels.

For the regular classes, students should have a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly presentation or debate period (or more often if necessary/desired)

It is important to note that I have said NOTHING about testing or homework up till now.  Yes there will need to be testing (yes, including standardized tests) ,however it shouldn't be the "high stakes" style of testing that we have become so enamored with in the recent past...rather it should be more "informal" with most subjects, with weekly/bi-weekly quizzes so the teachers can keep on top of the students progress.


Stay tuned ,faithful readers, for part 3, to HS and Beyond!

Class Sizes and the little red schoolhouse model of education reform.

I was watching the documentary "The War on Kids" this afternoon, and one teacher made a point that he had 100students, and if he spent 5 min with every student, that was 500min, or more time than he had all day...it was so well put,and simple,it rocked me back.

Most studies hold that teacher/student ratio is Very Important, especially when it comes to younger students, the elementary school age. (A recent review of the major studies statesConsidering the body of research as a whole, the following policy recommendations emerge:

*Class size is an important determinant of student outcomes, and one that can be directly determined by policy. All else being equal, increasing class sizes will harm student outcomes.

* The evidence suggests that increasing class size will harm not only children’s test scores in the short run, but also their long-run human capital formation. Money saved today by increasing class sizes will result in more substantial social and educational costs in the future.

* The payoff from class-size reduction is greater for low-income and minority children, while any increases in class size will likely be most harmful to these populations.

This is a central idea behind my education reform ideas, which I call the "Little Red Schoolhouse" model, after the school in "little house".  And before I get to far, Yes, I recognize that this is, imo, a UNIVERSAL model... as much as I dislike "one size fits all" solutions.  The reason this is universal, is because it gives maximum amount of choice and control to the teacher and local level on practices and curriculum, while instituting something that is proven to work.

So, the specifics.  In the pre-k to 3rd/4th grade, students would be in a classroom with a ratio of not more than 1:12, regardless of class size.  In fact, it might be prudent to have classes of 40-60 in the same room at this point, so students could"float" between instructors, following the students individual interests, with each teacher on a different "subject" at any one time.

Integrating the ages might also be beneficial at this point, so older students could help younger ones as well as have easy access to what we currently stigmatize as "remedial"education, without the stigma.  Additionally, we need to slow down some of our requirements, and go back to what worked in the past, specifically, rote learning of basic math, spelling bees and lists, etc.  This was very effective in the 30s-60s, and helped create the greatest boom in educated citizens this country has ever seen.  And integrating some of the Montessori and "unlearning" ideas which were a part of the classic model can only help

Now the older students get transitioned into more standard classroom models, keep them closely tied to the younger students.  You could start with separating 3rd grade out for "special"classes... current events, basic sociology, in depth history classes, local history, field trips, etc... in bigger schools, this would expose kids to the rest of their age group(and give younger kids something to look forward to)

The downside of this plan, politically, is that it doesn't provide quick improvement...it's a long term plan... but that isn't a reason to dismiss it.  If this method was put in place today, , we could easily start by bringing older students into the room as "aides" to assist with the younger students for subjects the older students are weak in (many times, teaching a subject reinforces the knowledge of that subject)

I'll cover older students in another post

Please comment, debate and disqus