March 29, 2014

DALTON ÖSTERREICH

WE ARE PROUD TO WELCOME 'DALTON ÖSTERREICH'

see the WEBSITE

March 26, 2014

Kilpatrick en Parkhurst

Piet van der Ploeg, docent en onderzoeker bij Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, schreef een zeer interessant artikel over de relatie van William H. Kilpatrick en helen Parkhurst.

"Voortschrijdend inzicht noopt mij een bewering in mijn boek over de oorsprong en de theorie van het daltononderwijs te corrigeren. Ik schreef daarin over de onderwijsfilosoof en onderwijsvernieuwer William Heard Kilpatrick, de man van de Project Method, leerling en collega van John Dewey, dat hij "bewondering" had voor Helen Parkhurst ("Het Dalton Plan: oorsprong en theorie van het daltonderwijs", 2010, p. 16). Uit nader onderzoek blijkt dat niet het geval te zijn. Ik heb me op het verkeerde been laten zetten door Parkhurst".

"Dit is ietwat genant, omdat ik anderen ervoor gewaarschuwd heb en erom gekritiseerd heb te gemakkelijk af te gaan op wat Parkhurst over haarzelf en haar verleden placht te vertellen en op wat haar vriendin Dorothy Luke uit haar mond opgetekend heeft en op wat eerst de biografe Diana Lager en later de Duitse onderzoekster Susanne Popp van Luke overgeschreven hebben. Parkhurst deed zichzelf graag belangrijker voor dan ze was (zie ook mijn "The Dalton Plan: recycling in the guise of innovation", Paedagogica Historica, 2013). Hierom kunnen we biografische informatie die op verhalen van Parkhurst zelf terug gaat niet altijd zonder meer vertrouwen. Toch was ik domweg afgegaan op vriendin Luke en biografe Lager die beiden spreken van een vriendschappelijke band tussen Kilpatrick en Parkhurst en inderdaad van wederzijdse bewondering".

De volledige tekst vindt u HIER

March 25, 2014

21st Century Skills

The Framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century and beyond.
                                              
The key elements of 21st century learning are represented in the graphic and descriptions below. The graphic represents both 21st century student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and 21st century learning support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom).




See the original article HERE

March 24, 2014

Some Members of Dalton International are in the slide show of the homepage.

March 23, 2014

Colour your Dalton praxis.

Our latest book is available in three languages now.

Order the Dutch or German version HERE

Order the Polish version HERE

March 21, 2014

DALTON AND REFLECTION























A lot of practical material to organize reflection in the 

classroom is available.

More information

March 20, 2014

Certificate Dalton Teacher

Yesterday I could work again with a group of colleagues from different Dalton schools.
They all follow during two years 12 workshops.

The goals are focused on knowledge and insights and the application of these. Visioning, perception and judgment, communication, team learning, reflection and personal development of the teacher.

During the last workshops they show each other their portfolio and everyone has to give a presentation in which they can demonstrate how they developed as a Dalton teacher.
The official 'Certificate Dalton Teacher' is a document approved by the Dutch Dalton Association.





March 19, 2014

National Dalton Day

In the Netherlands this day,
March 19 2014,
all Dalton schools are supposed to have open doors for everybody who is interested in the school.

It is a good tradition initiated by the Dutch Dalton Association.

One of the schools,

Dalton school 'De Hobbit',  

give all visitors today a small present.


March 18, 2014

Shared ownership of teaching and learning

Cooperative learning changes students' and teachers' roles in classrooms. The ownership of teaching and learning is shared by groups of students, and is no longer the sole responsibility of the teacher.
The authority of setting goals, assessing learning, and facilitating learning is shared by all. Students have more opportunities to actively participate in their learning, question and challenge each other, share and discuss their ideas, and internalize their learning.
Along with improving academic learning, cooperative learning helps students engage in thoughtful discourse and examine different perspectives, and it has been proven to increase students' self-esteem, motivation, and empathy.

Some challenges of using cooperative learning include releasing the control of learning, managing noise levels, resolving conflicts, and assessing student learning. Carefully structured activities can help students learn the skills to work together successfully, and structured discussion and reflection on group process can help avoid some problems.
FROM:

March 17, 2014

March 16, 2014

Teach your students how to ride the bike.




Do you like chaos or classroom management?

March 15, 2014

Interview in Dutch Magazine 'Dalton Visie'

DaltonVisie is the official magazine of the Dutch Dalton Association.
All members of the N.D.V. get this magazine four times a year.
The interview was written by Rene Berends.

March 14, 2014

How to build a student portfolio?

The following suggestions will help you effectively design a student portfolio.

1. Set a Purpose for the Portfolio. First, you need to decide what your purpose of the portfolio is. Is it going to be used to show student growth or identify specific skills? Are you looking for a concrete way to quickly show parents student achievement, or are you looking for a way to evaluate your own teaching methods? Once you have figured out your goal of the portfolio, then you think about how to use it.

2. Next, you will need to establish how you are going to grade the portfolio. There are several ways you can grade students work, you can use a rubric, letter grade, or the most efficient way would be to use a rating scale. Is the work completed correctly and completely? Can you comprehend it? You can use the grading scale of 4-1. 4 = Meets all Expectations, 3 = Meets Most Expectations, 2 = Meets Some Expectations, 1 = Meets No Expectations. Determine what skills you will be evaluating then use the rating scale to establish a grade.

3. What will be Included in it. How will you determine what will go into the portfolio? Assessment portfolios usually include specific pieces that students are required to know. For example, work that correlates with the Common Core Learning Standards. Working portfolios include whatever the student is currently working on, and display portfolios showcase only the best work students produce. Keep in mind that you can create a portfolio for one unit and not the next. You get to choose what is included and how it is included. If you want to use it as a long-term project and include various pieces throughout the year, you can. But, you can also use it for short- term projects as well.

4. How Much Will You Involve the Students. How much you involve the students in the portfolio depends upon the students age. It is important that all students should understand the purpose of the portfolio and what is expected of them. Older students should be given a checklist of what is expected, and how it will be graded. Younger students may not understand the grading scale so you can give them the option of what will be included in their portfolio. Ask them questions such as, why did you choose this particular piece, and does it represent your best work? Involving students in the portfolio process will encourage them to reflect on their work.

5. Will You Use a Digital Portfolio. With the fast-paced world of technology, paper portfolios may become a thing of the past. Electric portfolios (e-portfolios/digital portfolios) are great because they are easily accessible, easy to transport and easy to use. Today's students are tuned into the latest must-have technology, and electronic portfolios are part of that. With students using an abundance of multimedia outlets, digital portfolios seem like a great fit. The use of these portfolios are the same, students still reflect upon their work but only in a digital way.
The key to designing a student portfolio is to take the time to think about what kind it will be, and how you will manage it. Once you do that and follow the steps above, you will find it will be a success.
I developed a training for teams of Dalton schools to bring the reports of the pupils on a good Dalton level. The student portfolio is an essential part of this workshop.

March 13, 2014

Write an Email for more information.      
Click HERE

March 9, 2014

Ownership of learning


The educational magazine JSW - Number 7, March 2014 - is a special about 'Ownership'. 
Many articles about this topic, all with the same conclusion that pupils must work on own goals to create the feeling that they are the owner of their own learning process.
Several options for literature are given. 
I made again a choice for one of them to share with you.



In the book, Professor Dylan William provides the 5 strategies that he has come to believe are core to successful formative assessment practice in the classroom:

1. Clarifying, sharing, and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success – getting the students to really understand what their classroom experience will be and how their success will be measured.

2. Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning – developing effective classroom instructional strategies that allow for the measurement of success.

3. Providing feedback that moves learning forward – working with students to provide them the information they need to better understand problems and solutions.

4. Activating learners as instructional resources for one another – getting students involved with each other in discussions and working groups can help improve student learning.


5. Activating learners as owners of their own learning –  self-regulation of learning leads to student performance improvement.

March 8, 2014

Renovation Dalton school de Maten

Dalton school 'De Maten' in Den Ham/Holland could move to their new renovated school building last week.

This school is Member of Dalton International and visitors from abroad are always welcome in this great team of teachers.

Dalton school 'De Maten' is partner school of a school in Brno/CZ :
Základni Škola Horácké Namesti Brno

March 6, 2014

COOL


Working on ownership

René Berends is researcher at the 'readership for educational innovation and Dalton education'. He wrote an interesting article in JSW magazine (number 7 March 2014) with the title Working on ownership.
"It is possible and also necessary to make pupils the owner of their own learning process".
He quotes the book of Alan November, published in 2011.


Who should be working harder during class? The teacher or the students?
In the “Age of the Empowered Learner” we can equip our students to take responsibility to manage a large proportion of their learning.
We can also empower our students to create content that contributes to the learning of their peers. Research indicates that one of the most powerful strategies to improve learning is to provide students with self-assessment strategies.


This book shows step-by-step strategies that creates a culture of the empowered self-directed and collaborative learner.

March 5, 2014

Dalton China

Dalton China is founded some time ago and is in a partnership with Dalton International.
During the "Dalton China Innovation Forum" Hans Wenke gave a presentation about the vision on Dalton education and a workshop about cooperative learning.
Hans handed over a certificate of Dalton International to Mr. Zhen Haiyong.
On the last picture the whole working staff of Dalton China together with Hans Wenke and Elizabeth Neil from 'Little Dalton' in Hongkong.