In the context of my quote today, I found a nice article on internet.
Ehow.com
I bring it here in my Daltonblog as discussion material. But some practical ideas are very useful.
1
Determine classroom rules and present them to your students while explaining that sticking to the rules is responsible behaviour. Rules should cover punctuality, not speaking unless permitted, being respectful to others, doing homework and the careful use of the school's, and other people's, property. Display the rules in a visible place in the classroom and present them to parents through letters.
2
Find a variety of classroom jobs that need to be filled, and make the students apply for the position. Give descriptions for each job by detailing the individual responsibilities. Job titles can include board cleaner, paper collector, librarian, janitor, registry supervisor, homework administrator for children who have been away, animal keeper for the classroom pet or lunch counter. Place the most, and least popular jobs on a weekly rota where all students have the chance, and misfortune, to perform them.
3
Place a basket with paper strips in the classroom. Invite students to write their name and action on a paper strip whenever they feel they have been particularly responsible, or helpful. Check the paper strip tray once a week and make a paper chain out of the strips. Hang the chain on the wall and encourage the children to increase their efforts in order to make it go around the entire classroom.
4
Ask the children to bring in a book where the characters perform either responsible or irresponsible actions. Let each child introduce his choice of book and discuss the contents. Children have to define what is included in the terms responsible and irresponsible and how the actions affect the story and characters in the book.
5
Give out an assignment in which the children have to recall and write about a truly irresponsible act they have performed. Ask them to consider what made the action irresponsible, how it made them feel and how they could have solved the situation differently. Read the assignments and discuss the issues in class.
6
Organize the children in teams and ask them to perform work assignments or tasks as a group. Explain the importance of teamwork and how it depends upon the reliability of the individual members. Let the groups define responsibilities for each team member. When assessing the work, prioritize the group effort and team spirit involved in the project, rather than the outcome.
7
Pick an age-appropriate movie and watch it with the class, provided all parents give consent. Prepare a work sheet with the names of three to five main characters in the movie written on top. Give out the work sheets and ask the students to note the responsibilities, and irresponsible actions, of the characters while watching the movie. Discuss the work sheets and let the children consider the reasons for irresponsible behaviour in the movie and how it affects the other characters and their actions and the story development.
8
Prepare an age-appropriate mock personality test in which the pupils are invited to assess their personal sense of responsibility. The tests can contain multiple-choice questions about personal preferences, decision-making procedures and problem solutions, or present case studies where the students are presented with fictional situations and have to decide what to do on behalf of the characters. By assessing the tests, you will gain insight about how well students understand the significance of responsibility.
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
First steps to train independency
Give children a task in the organization of the classroom. Visualize these tasks with a 'household assignment board' so the children can see who is in charge and where they can indicate when the task is completed.
Teach children 'problem solving skills'. Encourage them to think about what they could do to solve the problem rather than telling them the solution.
Let children know you are interested in their thoughts and ideas. Ask them why this is the good solution. Help them to understand the impact of their choices.
Help children to set achievable goals and work toward achieving those goals.
Encourage and praise children’s attempts to take decisions, no matter what the outcome. Respect a pupil's decisions as much as possible.
Help children take responsibility for packing up their material
Teach children to use the 'colour clock' and indicate the time they have for an activity.
Teach children 'problem solving skills'. Encourage them to think about what they could do to solve the problem rather than telling them the solution.
Let children know you are interested in their thoughts and ideas. Ask them why this is the good solution. Help them to understand the impact of their choices.
Help children to set achievable goals and work toward achieving those goals.
Encourage and praise children’s attempts to take decisions, no matter what the outcome. Respect a pupil's decisions as much as possible.
Help children take responsibility for packing up their material
Teach children to use the 'colour clock' and indicate the time they have for an activity.
January 29, 2012
Ascham School Sydney
Two representative from the famous Dalton school Ascham will visit
the Netherlands in May.
Elizabeth Neil Head of 'Junior School Fiona' and Judi Butcher Head
of the 'P to Year 2 section Hillingdon' come to be present during
an international Dalton meeting and of course we bring them to some
of the best Dalton schools in Holland.
From Ascham's website:
Ascham’s teaching rests on the Dalton Plan, a philosophy of learning developed in the USA and introduced to Ascham by Headmistress, Miss Margaret Bailey, in 1922. The Dalton Plan is used in schools in the USA, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Japan.
(In the meantime also in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland / R.R.)
The Dalton Plan’s key objective is to develop independent learners who take responsibility for their work and their time management. Through training and practice, girls develop skills to help them meet academic and professional challenges with confidence.
The Dalton Plan requires girls to complete weekly assignments for each subject. The weekly timetable provides lesson times and study periods, in which girls complete their work in individual teachers’ rooms under supervision, where they may seek assistance. All teachers have their own classrooms and girls have easy access to every subject teacher.
Students have considerable flexibility to decide how and when to complete assignments by a deadline. This teaches self-motivation, time-management skills and personal responsibility. A close follow-up and support system also assists the students with the completion of their work. In recent student surveys, some of the key features of the Dalton Plan most appreciated by students, are the flexibility and learning advantages provided by the study periods.
Iam looking forward to meet them and to discuss the progress in Dalton
education.
During my visit to Ascham in 2002, I painted the Fiona building.
the Netherlands in May.
Elizabeth Neil Head of 'Junior School Fiona' and Judi Butcher Head
of the 'P to Year 2 section Hillingdon' come to be present during
an international Dalton meeting and of course we bring them to some
of the best Dalton schools in Holland.
From Ascham's website:
Ascham’s teaching rests on the Dalton Plan, a philosophy of learning developed in the USA and introduced to Ascham by Headmistress, Miss Margaret Bailey, in 1922. The Dalton Plan is used in schools in the USA, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Japan.
(In the meantime also in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland / R.R.)
The Dalton Plan’s key objective is to develop independent learners who take responsibility for their work and their time management. Through training and practice, girls develop skills to help them meet academic and professional challenges with confidence.
The Dalton Plan requires girls to complete weekly assignments for each subject. The weekly timetable provides lesson times and study periods, in which girls complete their work in individual teachers’ rooms under supervision, where they may seek assistance. All teachers have their own classrooms and girls have easy access to every subject teacher.
Students have considerable flexibility to decide how and when to complete assignments by a deadline. This teaches self-motivation, time-management skills and personal responsibility. A close follow-up and support system also assists the students with the completion of their work. In recent student surveys, some of the key features of the Dalton Plan most appreciated by students, are the flexibility and learning advantages provided by the study periods.
Iam looking forward to meet them and to discuss the progress in Dalton
education.
During my visit to Ascham in 2002, I painted the Fiona building.
January 28, 2012
Classroom management
It is striking that in many articles about classroom management
the word discipline is used. Articles with the title: "How to handle
discipline problems with effective classroom management".
Mostly you can find advices how to deal with disruptions and which
kind of disciplinary measures the teacher can apply.
In Dalton education we are not focussed on fighting against the negative
behaviour, but stimulate the grow of inner discipline.
Our teaching objective is to make the pupils not only responsible for
their own learning process, but also for their own learning environment.
We give them real responsibilities.
I've found this advice of a teacher in one article:
I would like to suggest a way to make the children feel as if they can contribute to how their class is run.
Giving children the feeling as if they can contribute is in my opinion a very strange attitude, a contempt of the respect for the children.
When they feel that they are not really responsible, you will have
disciplinary problems after some time.
Dalton education is based on the consistency of three assumptions:
RESPONSIBILITY - INDEPENDENCY - COLLABORATION.
It is the interdependence that makes pupils contributors in the
educational process.
Classroom management in Dalton is in the first place the visualizing of
the organization and secondly giving children the opportunity to be the
owner of the learning process.
But when you visualize the organization, be careful for too many
incentives like in this example.
the word discipline is used. Articles with the title: "How to handle
discipline problems with effective classroom management".
Mostly you can find advices how to deal with disruptions and which
kind of disciplinary measures the teacher can apply.
In Dalton education we are not focussed on fighting against the negative
behaviour, but stimulate the grow of inner discipline.
Our teaching objective is to make the pupils not only responsible for
their own learning process, but also for their own learning environment.
We give them real responsibilities.
I've found this advice of a teacher in one article:
I would like to suggest a way to make the children feel as if they can contribute to how their class is run.
Giving children the feeling as if they can contribute is in my opinion a very strange attitude, a contempt of the respect for the children.
When they feel that they are not really responsible, you will have
disciplinary problems after some time.
Dalton education is based on the consistency of three assumptions:
RESPONSIBILITY - INDEPENDENCY - COLLABORATION.
It is the interdependence that makes pupils contributors in the
educational process.
Classroom management in Dalton is in the first place the visualizing of
the organization and secondly giving children the opportunity to be the
owner of the learning process.
But when you visualize the organization, be careful for too many
incentives like in this example.
January 27, 2012
New Dalton school
Congartulations to the team of teachers of the Rehobotschool.They passed the visitation of the Dutch Dalton Association and are an official Dalton school now.
I was happy to work with this team many times.
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