January 8, 2010

Educational concept

What are the criteria on which the teacher is chosen?
There was a time that my colleagues analyzed the criteria on which
I made choices : the female teachers had to be blond and beautiful.
It was not easy to explain to them it was a pure coincidence.
I was lucky that this beautiful collection happened to be a great
team of Dalton professionals. Top talent !
My real criteria were based on the Dalton concept and I was searching
for people who dared to experiment. Young teachers must get that
opportunity.
But what we all share is the educational concept.
The principles of the 'Dalton Laboratory Plan' are the binder.
The team of teachers can be stronger, they feel more involved in
the educational process, if we share the formulated principles.
Without an educational concept pupils are at the mercy of any group
of individual professionals.

January 5, 2010

The conflict of instruction

Why are teachers so focused on instruction?
Isn't it better to teach skills and attitude, to arouse interest
instead of explaining.
For some teachers it's the daily routine to demonstrate their own
particular knowledge, while it would be better to create space for
students to experiment.
Albert Einstein said:
"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the
modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled
the holy curiosity of enquiry".

January 1, 2010