Draaiboek taakwerk

Met dank aan 'Daltonschool de 7Sprong' in Houten.

Strong Dalton development in Poland

Yesterday I've got an email from Barbara Buczkowska - Staniec.
She is teacher at the Public Kindergarten number 7 in Czestochowa - Poland.




Barbara is writing:

"I send you this photo with children form my kindergarten which are in "Dalton situation".

I think that in my kindergarten Dalton education is more and more popular and teachers and parents started appreciate results. We have worked according to Dalton ideas for two years and we can observe growth many skills and better preparation for school and their further life".

Dalton in secondary schools

The Dalton Plan,  by Belle Rennie

(Honourable Secretary of the Dalton Association G.B)

The article was published as “preface” in  “Report of a conference on the Dalton Plan in secondary schools”. April 1923

The Dalton Plan is a scheme of educational reorganisation worked out by Miss Helen Parkhurst and is the result of many years of practical experience as Director of the Children’s University School in New York.

It is applicable to the school work of pupils between the ages of eight and eighteen.

It aims, briefly expressed, are threefold.

In the first place to import that freedom for self-development which has proved so valuable in the case of infants into the school life of older children, while at the same time ensuring that they shall acquire a thorough mastery of the academic tasks set in the school curriculum.

In explaining the second aim of the Plan, Miss Parkhurst quotes Professor Dewey, who says: “The aim of a democratic education is not only to make an individual an intelligent participator in the life of his immediate group, but to bring the groups into such constant interaction, that no individual, no economic group could presume to live independently of others”.

The third aim is to give ‘a viewpoint’ since the psychological effect of presenting his work to the child in such a way as to enable him to see the goal at which he is aiming, is a stimulus of a most profound and far-reaching kind.

The Plan involves a re-organisation of school living, but no change in staff, standardisation, curriculum or method.

More will follow. R.R.

International Dalton Conferences

The first International Dalton Conference took place
April 24 - 27. 1923 in London.
Dalton International restarted the organisation of International conferences since 1998.
The next International Dalton Meeting will take place
26 - 28 May 2014 at KPZ University - Zwolle - The Netherlands.

Dalton in 2014

Books written by Roel Röhner and Hans Wenke:

 1. Leve de School
 2. Translation in Czech
 3. Daltononderwijs, een blijvende inspiratie
 4. Translation in Czech
 5. Hallo Dalton
 6. Translation in Czech
 7. Dalton, doe het eens anders
 8. Keuzetaken onderbouw door Wendy van Beurden en Paul Bruijn
 9. Keuzetaken middenbouw door Roel Röhner
10. Keuzetaken bovenbouw door Roel Röhner
11. Dalton opzoekboekje,  handelingswijzers voor kinderen
12. Het Daltonspel, ontwikkeld ter inspiratie van Dalton schoolteams
13. Pedagogika planu daltonskiego (Polish)
14. Daltonplan Pädagogik, eine praktische Inspiration (German)

The same book
as 13 and 14
in Dutch.

Dalton in 1923

The influence of Rosa Basset for the Dalton Plan

Rosa Bassett   (9 August 1871 – 19 December 1925) was an English educationalist and headmistress of Stockwell Secondary School.

After a relocation from Stockwell the school's name was changed to County Secondary School, Streatham, located in Welham Road, London. It was later renamed Rosa Bassett School in her memory and honour.

Rosa Basstt was instrumental in the first application of the Dalton Plan of teaching within an English secondary school. She contributed a chapter to Helen Parkhurst's book on the Plan, as well as writing the introduction to a book of Dalton Plan class assignments prepared by the staff within her school.

On 27 May 1920 an article on the Dalton Plan by Belle Rennie was published in the Times Educational Supplement, introducing the ideas of Helen Parkhurst to a British audience. 

Parkhurst's view that education should move away from traditional, to rigid, class-based teaching and allow for teaching to be adjusted to the pace of each individual child clearly aligned with those of Bassett, as within a month Bassett had started a small-scale trial using the Plan at the school with a group of pupils who had already completed their university entrance examinations.

The results were deemed a success, and the full-scale use of the Plan within the County Secondary School, Streatham was phased-in over the 1920–1921 academic year.

Rosa Bassett's support of the Dalton Plan was considerable, and she wrote about the school's introduction of the Plan for The Times, which was reprinted as a chapter within Parkhurst's book. Bassett supported Parkhust's visit to England in 1921 by opening the school to visitors who wished to see the Plan in practice. 

A two-volume set of Dalton Plan assignments covering English, Geography, History, Mathematics and Science, prepared by the staff of the school with an introduction by Bassett, was published in 1922.

In 1921 Bassett was given leave of absence from the school so that she could visit America to see the operation of the Dalton Plan there.

She also lectured in New York on the experience learned while introducing the Plan in England, donating her fees to the Dalton Association to support further visits of teachers to America.

In 1922, Miss Parkhurst published 'Education on the Dalton Plan' to which Miss Bassett contributed a chapter "A Year's Experiment in an English Secondary School."

Wikipedia

Today I found on the Facebook site of Ascham
that a new Head of School
is appointed,
Mr Andrew Powell.

Mr Powell was deputy Head of School
and science teacher.

It was a pleasure to meet him during two
study visits at Ascham.

Ascham - Sydney

The 2014 school year starts NEXT Thursday, and we are looking forward to welcoming the girls for Term 1.

Pictured here is the school's historic Glenrock building.                               From: The Facebook site of Ascham

Dalton in Poland

Agata Juljanska from "School4Child" has sent me this nice view into her classroom.

Click here

Regularly giving of new substantive impulses is a prerequisite for a good Dalton school.

Such a development-oriented inspiration I like to work out with the team at your school.

It is a customized approach based on a ' Flash visit ' to all groups.

These short observations of 20-30 minutes in the workplace provide not only a stimulating report for the individual teachers, but could be also the starting point for a study day.  

The following topics/workshops, whether or not in combination, would be able to give further shape for such a study day.

· Optimize the classroom management

· Working on the main line of independence, responsibility and 

  collaboration

· From  working independently to independent learning

· Creating assignments based on individual differences

· The effect of instruction

· Arranging the free choice assignments based on 

   multiple intelligences

· Evaluating and reflecting with children

· Reporting the work and progress of pupils on a Dalton way

· Development of a  portfolio of pupils

· Development of a portfolio of teachers

Contact: RL.Rohner@kpnmail.nl

"WEBCAM CLASS" connects schools

A diagnosis does not define who I am. A diagnosis will make sure that you can better understand a few things about me. But as anyone, I'm unique.

Every day a surprise

When I give an introduction about Dalton and classroom management I always promote the  “Surprise Box”.

It was a great pleasure to find an  article on the site of  ‘Teaching ideas’  with a similar impulse to keep the curiousity of children alive.They give several  ideas how you could use The Box of Secrets in your lessons:

· Use it as the starting point for a writing activity. Place the box somewhere prominent in your classroom and ask children to discuss what might be inside it. Where did it come from? Why is it in the classroom?

· Challenge your children to write a story that explains where it came from and what might happen if it is opened.

· Put something inside the box, linked to your current topic, and show one child what it is. Ask them to describe it to others without saying the name of it.

· Make a list of questions that might help you to identify what is inside the box.

· Choose an item to put inside the box and make a list of clues that will help others to identify what the object is.

· Use it to review children's understanding of 2D and 3D shapes in Maths. Put a shape inside it, along with clues that describe the shape. Pull out a clue and ask children to try and identify the shape that might be inside it.

· Put a historical artefact inside the box and use it to introduce a History topic to your pupils.

· Think about the different types of secrets that people have. Why do people sometimes keep secrets? Are secrets a good or a bad thing?

Designation International Dalton School

Dalton International is the institution with the authority to give schools the designation “International Dalton School”.

Dalton International is an official foundation with members all over the world.

The most important and international orientated Dalton schools in the world work together in Dalton International, to protect the high standard of Dalton education.

It is not allowed to use the name “Dalton” without the permission of Dalton International or the official local Dalton Association.

Dalton International can assist schools in the process to become an official Dalton school.

Procedure.

For a full approval Dalton International works out a two year process, with a maximum of three years.

During that process a school has the right to use the name “Starting Dalton School”

In the first year a school has to submit a development plan, stating how they incorporate Dalton methods in their teaching.

In the first year at least five different modules, chosen from the programme as written in the website of Dalton International, has to be worked out by all teachers of the school.

It is possible to invite Dalton Consultants to give a training at own location and/or a training abroad.

At the end of the first year the school must perform a self-evaluation procedure which has to be submitted to the board of Dalton International.

The model for this self-evaluation is available.

The second year is a year of “self-activity”. This Dalton principle is not only important for children, but also for their teachers.

The training and work in the classroom has to be based on the conclusions from the self-evaluation and the additional advices of the board of Dalton International.

At the end of the second year another self-evaluation has to be done, and the school does the request for an audit.

This audit will be carried out by two Dalton Consultants, designated by the board of D.I. and based on the official audit criteria brought together in an observation list.

If the audit is positive, the school will get the official designation “International Dalton School” and is automatically “Member of Dalton International”.

A certificate will be the distinguishing mark of the new status of the school.

After approval Dalton International or the local Dalton Association can reassesses each school every three years, by checking curriculum, teaching practice and student achievement.

At any time the name Dalton may be taken away after a negative reassessment.

For more information and costs, please contact:  info@daltoninternational.org