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| Here is an excerpt from Learning Disability: A Rose by Another Name at The Natural Child Project website: "Imagine for a moment that you are visiting a plant nursery. You hear a commotion outside, so you investigate. You find a young assistant struggling with a rose bush. He is trying to force open the petals of a rose, and muttering in frustration. You ask him what he is doing and he explains, "My boss wants all these roses to bloom this week, so last week I taped all the early ones, and now I'm opening the late ones." You protest that every rose has it's own schedule of blooming; it is absurd to try to slow down or speed this up; it doesn't matter when roses bloom; a rose will always bloom at its own best time. You look at the rose again, and see that it is wilting. But when you point this out, he replies, "Oh, too bad, it has genetic dysbloomia. I'll have to call an expert." "No, no!" you say, "you caused the wilting! All you needed to do was meet the flowers' needs for water and sunshine, and leave the rest to nature!" You can't believe this is happening. Why is his boss so unrealistic and uninformed about roses? Such a scene would never take place in a nursery, of course, but it happens daily in our schools. Teachers, pressured by their bosses, follow official timetables, which demand that all children learn at the same rate, and in the same way. Yet children are no different than roses in their development: they are born with the capacity and desire to learn, they learn at different rates, and they learn in different ways. If we can meet their needs, provide a safe, nurturing environment, and keep from interfering with our doubts, anxieties, and arbitrary timetables, then- like roses- they will all bloom at their own best time." See our Learning Styles page for more on children's different temperaments and needs. And don't forget to let them play! See "A Child's Work The Importance of Fantasy Play". Educational Therapy Educational therapy investigates, defines and addresses an individual’s pattern of learning strengths and deficiencies. Educational therapy addresses underlying learning skills such as visual and auditory processing, attention and focus, and memory skills on an individual basis. An educational therapist is a professional who works with young children, adolescents and adults for the evaluation and treatment of learning problems. These problems may include, but are not limited to, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, reading comprehension, language processing problems, writing, spelling, math, ADD, poor motivation, low academic self-esteem, poor social, organizational, and study skills, performance anxiety, and other learning difficulties. Therapy goals include restoring self-esteem, improving the learning process, developing learning strategies, and helping the student feel comfortable in his or her learning environment. Key to the success of educational therapy is the one-on-one format that provides positive, immediate feedback in a "safe" environment; one in which a child is not embarrassed or threatened by exposure of what he is unable to do in front of peers, siblings or parents. Teaching students HOW to learn allows students the eventual freedom of succeeding on their own as independent learners. An Educational Therapist typically has access to and consults with many other specialists including Educational Advocates, Child Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Resource Specialists, and Tutors. If your child is struggling, see All Kinds of Minds resources for help. Educational Therapy Q & A. Visit our links page for local resources, advocates, and community groups. Waldorf When children relate what they learn to their own experience, they are interested and alive, and what they learn becomes their own. Waldorf schools are designed to foster this kind of learning. Waldorf Education has its roots in the spiritual-scientific research of the Austrian scientist and thinker Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). According to Steiner's philosophy, man is a threefold being of spirit, soul, and body whose capacities unfold in three developmental stages on the path to adulthood: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Waldorf Education is a developmentally appropriate, balanced education that integrates the arts and academics for children from preschool through twelfth grade. Waldorf Education encourages the development of each child's sense of truth, beauty, and goodness; an antidote to violence, alienation, and cynicism. The aim of the education is to fully develop the capacities of each student and to inspire a love for lifelong learning. Some distinctive features of Waldorf education include the following: • Academics are de-emphasized in the early years of schooling. There is no academic content in the Waldorf kindergarten experience (although there is a good deal of cultivation of pre-academic skills), and minimal academics in first grade. Reading is not taught until second or third grade, though the letters are introduced carefully in first and second. • During the elementary school years (grades 1-8) the students have a class (or "main lesson") teacher who stays with the same class for (ideally) the entire eight years of elementary school. • Certain activities which are often considered "frills" at mainstream schools are central at Waldorf schools: art, music, gardening, and foreign languages (usually two in elementary grades), to name a few. In the younger grades, all subjects are introduced through artistic mediums, because the children respond better to this medium than to dry lecturing and rote learning. All children learn to play recorder and to knit. • There are no "textbooks" as such in the first through fifth grades. All children have "main lesson books", which are their own workbooks which they fill in during the course of the year. They essentially produce their own "textbooks" which record their experiences and what they've learned. Upper grades use textbooks to supplement their main lesson work. • Learning in a Waldorf school is a noncompetitive activity. There are no grades given at the elementary level; the teacher writes a detailed evaluation of the child at the end of each school year. • The use of electronic media, particularly television, by young children is strongly discouraged in Waldorf schools. See the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) website. Our Natural Toys page has links to our favorite natural, wooden, and/or Waldorf toy sites. Montessori See our play page for more of Maria Montessori's philosophies. Anyone who is interested in finding or starting a Montessori school should be aware of the fact that the word Montessori, is not patented and anyone can use it. Thus, the use of the word Montessori is no assurance of quality. If you want to enroll your child in a Montessori school it is important that you learn what a Montessori school should be like, and then observe children working in the school you are considering. Educational Materials for 0-3 A sparse environment of carefully chosen materials calls the child to work, concentration, and joy. A crowded or chaotic environment can cause stress and can dissipate a child's energy. Before the age of six, a child learns from direct contact with the environment, by means of all the senses, and through movement; the child literally absorbs what is in the environment. The toys and materials in the home and school should be of the very best quality to call forth self-respect, respect and care from the child toward the environment, and the development of an appreciation of beauty. Montessorians are very cautious about allowing children to be guinea pigs for the use of new inventions, and in the long history of humans on earth, both computers and televisions are very recent inventions. We are finding out that even such relatively simple objects as pacifiers and walkers get in the way of optimal and healthful development, and recent brain research reveals to us that computers and television may have far more negative influences on our children's development than positive. The Montessori educational philosophy believes that the educational method, to be effective, must support and address the nature of the child. The nature of the child is not a theoretical construct, but based upon Montessori's detailed observation of the child. Based upon her observations Montessori came to understand the inner nature of the child:
Based upon the inner nature of the child the role of the teacher is defined:
Based upon the nature of the child and the observed needs of the child the environment is prepared to serve the child. Visit the American Montessori Society to locate a school. Coalition of Essential Schools Small, personalized learning communities where teachers and students know each other well in a climate of trust, decency and high expectations for all. Essential schools work to create academic success for every student by sharing decision-making with all those affected by the schools and deliberately and explicitly confronting all forms of inequity. Essential schools focus on helping all students use their minds well through standards-aligned interdisciplinary studies, community-based "real-world" learning and performance-based assessment. See the Essential Schools website to find out more or locate schools near you. Unschooling and Homeschooling Unschooling is also known as natural, interest-led, and child-led learning. Unschoolers learn from everyday life experiences, follow their interests, and learn in much the same way as adults do—by pursuing an interest or curiosity. In the same way that children learn to walk and talk, unschooled children learn their math, science, reading, and history, pursuing questions and interests as they arise and using conventional schooling on an "on demand" basis, if at all. John Holt, schoolteacher and founder of the unschooling movement has an in-depth definition here and has written several books on the subject which can be found at the website Unschooling.org. Homeschooling is an exciting movement in education today. It's not exactly new; up until 1850 most children in America were educated at home. The past 25 years have seen a revival in homeschooling and now between two and three million children in the United States are learning at home. Homeschool.com was created to empower parents to create the ideal school for their child at home! Homeschool.com’s founding principle is to consistently provide resources, information, and support to all homeschooling families. In his book, "Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense", David Guterson, a high school English teacher tells why he has chosen to educate his own sons at home, offering information on the academic success of home-schooled children, the meaning of education, the psychology of learning, and education in other societies. Visit All Things Homeschool and/or Homefires for a great start. There are also many online educational websites that offer curriculum, games, worksheets, and more! ICT Games-online math and literacy games for grades K-5 Medtropolis-Virtual Tour of Human Body for grades 5-12 See our Earth Friendly Classroom page for ways to teach environmental awareness and make your classroom a part of it. Summary There is one thing you can give to your children that no one can take away and that is an education. No matter what type of education you choose for your child, be involved. Ask their teacher how things are going. Talk to your child about their day, their friends, and their schoolwork. Volunteer at their school. Be an advocate for them. And trust that they will grow into the independent, responsible, honorable adult that they were meant to be. See our community page for ways to become involved in your child's school. "Kids don't resist learning; they resist teaching." John Gatto |
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