Shinichi Suzuki

My name is Shinichi Suzuki and I was born on October 17, 1898, in Nagoya, Japan.  My father was the owner of the first and largest violin factory in Japan.  Having said this, it may come as a surprise to find out that I did not hear a violin being played until I was 17 years old.  I fell in love with the instrument.  I could not believe this instrument, which I had always believed to be a simple toy, could make such beautiful sounds.  

Eventually, I began teaching children to play the violin. Doing this inspired the creating of my method, The Suzuki Method, Talent Education.  I realized that children can learn music just as they learn to speak. For example, infants do not learn to talk by starting with printed letters and words. Instead, the child learns to listen, and then speak.  Letters are then taught and gradually reading occurs. This development occurs naturally and with relative ease.  I call this the Mother Tongue Method.  We use this method with teaching – first listening, then practicing notes, and gradually playing the instrument occurs.  If this type of natural learning can be applied to teaching other skills, I believe learning can occur successfully.

My Method is based on the following ideas:

1. The human being is a product of his environment.
2. The earlier, the better – with not only music, but all learning.
3. Repetition of experiences is important for learning.
4. Teachers and parents (adult human environment) must be at a high level and continue to grow to provide a better learning situation for the child.

My teaching also emphasizes parental involvement. It is critically important that my students be supported, guided, and genuinely encouraged at home; I believe that if love is deep, learning potential is unlimited. Additionally, given that learning by listening is an effective learning technique, students must be immersed in music even while at home.

I also emphasize kindness and goodness in my students. I believe music can help my student develop beautiful hearts, sensitivity, and endurance.   Creating good citizens is at the heart of my wishes for my students and the foundation for my teaching. During lessons, I always encourage my students to be kind to everyone—their friends, families, and teachers.  Often, I will assign them the task of doing good deeds for those they love.

My students are not musical geniuses although they play flawlessly at very high levels.  I do no testing for ability before accepting students for lessons. All children, regardless of age, are capable of excellence if taught the right way, as the world has seen.  

My method applies to this class by emphasizing that children are not born with skill - talent is not a "special thing" that only few people have.   Do you agree with me?  If not, how can we reach struggling students (especially those that enter our school systems already behind)?

I believe that when children have a supportive and loving environment, they have limitless potential.   What is the role of educators in supporting students when this environment is not found at home?

Stephen Krashen

Hello again, my name is Stephen Krashen. I am currently an Emeritus professor of Education at the University of Southern California in the School of Education. I hold a PhD in Linguistics from UCLA. I consider myself a linguist, educational researcher and activist. People would say I am best known for developing the first comprehensive theory of second language acquisition. I have also made contributions to the theory and application in the area of bilingual education and I have done some important work in the area of reading.

There are five hypotheses of my theory of second language acquisition; the Acquisition-Learning hypothesis, the Monitor hypothesis, the Input Hypothesis, the Affective Filter Hypothesis, and the Natural Order Hypothesis. My following quote summarizes the theory of second language acquisition.

“What my theory implies, quite simply, is that language acquisition, first or second, occurs when comprehension of real messages occurs, and when the acquirer is not 'on the defensive'... Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill. It does not occur overnight, however. Real language acquisition develops slowly, and speaking skills emerge significantly later than listening skills, even when conditions are perfect. The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production."

I also have many opinions based on research when it comes to reading. The National Panel of Reading does their own research on the effectiveness of different types of reading instruction, which are guidelines most educators follow. I often challenge their research through articles and letters I write. I believe students learn to read through Free Voluntary Reading time and access to quality public and school libraries, which is not necessarily supported by (NPR). Free Voluntary Reading can consist of Silent Sustained Reading time each day. Successful models of SSR typically allow students to select their own books and do not require testing for comprehension or book reports. The case for libraries is simple students become better readers by reading more. Librarians are also crucial because they help students find books of interest so they will read more.

My ideas and opinions while based on research are sometimes misinterpreted or considered controversial. I am not afraid to make my opinions known or challenge other people’s research. Do you find yourself in your field of expertise challenging the status quo? Do you think that learning should be forced instruction or that students should be allowed to make some choices?

Hilda Taba

Good evening! My name is Hilda Taba. Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in 1902 in Estonia. I began my education there at a parish school and then at an all-girls grammar school. I received my undergraduate at Tartu University in English and Philosophy. I got my masters in Pennsylvania and then went to the Teacher's College at Columbia University. After I completed that program, I went back to Tartu University to get a job, but was turned down for being female. I ended up as the curriculum director at Dalton School in New York City.

I was a student of John Dewey and have many of the same views as him. While I was curriculum director, I formed some strong opinions on how accountable educators should be for their teaching. I've even written seven books on this subject. I believe curriculum should be focused on teaching students to think rather than just to regurgitate facts. One of my famous quotes is "no matter what views people have of the function of education, they can at least agree that people need to learn to think." We should be preparing our young people to participate in our culture.

I believe there are three levels of knowledge: 1) facts, 2) basic ideas and principles, and 3) concepts. Too often, too many facts are presented too quickly and it does not give the student enough time to connect with prior knowledge, form their own opinion and develop the concept. If facts are given too quickly, they will be forgotten within two years. Because I died in my sixties while I was still an educator, my students continued my work. Many of my students (who were members of the Institute for Staff Development in Miami), used the ideas above to create four thinking strategies known as the Taba approach. The four strategies are concept development, interpretation of data, application of generalizations, and interpretations of feelings, attitudes and values. Using all four strategies, the Taba approach’s goal is to facilitate students in thinking more efficiently.

I also think all teachers should serve as mediators rather than lecturers. They should lead the discussion, but allow students to share opinions and relate to their peers ideas. I also think that too many times teachers give their opinions, not verbally, but with non-verbal cues, such as smiles and head nods when they agree with what is being said, and eyebrow raises or scratching of their head when they don't agree. This is judging the student and shuts down their answers, thinking they will be wrong every time.

I am not swayed easily by all the glitz and glamour of new curriculum. I think advancing technologically is important, but I can discriminate well between what is essential in curriculum and non-essential. Teachers should not be misled by all the materials included in curriculum (workbooks, overhead, CD's, etc.), because most likely it won't be used. My theory is teach them to think and they will go far.

With that being said, do you think we "spoonfeed" our students in this country too much? Are we giving them answers as opposed to making them think for themselves?

Caroline Pratt

Greetings! I am Caroline Pratt founder of New York’s City & Country School and my wooden block units. I am known throughout Progressive Education circles for my beliefs about how children learn. I stand firm in my belief against “the repression of formal education”. I believe the use of open-ended work materials offer children the opportunity to recreate the world around them. You can read one of my books published in 1948, I Learn from Children. I truly have taken great pleasure in learning from children and I encourage you to do the same. Do not copy my activities as a blueprint. Watch and learn from your children letting them guide the learning.
I lived from 1867-1954. After graduating from Teachers’ College I moved to Philadelphia to teach at the Philadelphia Normal School for Girls. While refining my ideas about teaching, I learned quite a bit from the Quaker people. “I began to see education not as an end in itself, but as the first step in progress which should continue during a lifetime. The schools job was to begin education, not finish it.” After teaching first grade for five years in my hometown of Fayetteville, New York, I planned to become a kindergartener. This was a radical idea in the Victorian times. Before now children were looked at sinful and morally corrupt. I rejected this notion along with other Progressives like Jean Rousseau, John Dewey, Johann Pestalozzi, and Friedich Frobel. We viewed childhood as a unique and distinct time in life characterized by innocence and a view of children as essentially good. We saw play and activity as central to growth and development. I varied from others in my belief of play though. I wanted the children to guide their own play, unlike some of my counterparts who encouraged children to be active through controlled activities directed by a teacher.
In my day people wanted to call me a feminist, but I preferred to be called a radical. I chose not to marry and committed myself to a woman centered lifestyle. I scoffed at the notion of women’s role as “natural” teachers and mothers. For me, teaching young children is critical to democracy and should not be left in the hands of non-experts.
In 1913 I opened Play School in Greenwich Village where my students were free to be creative and learn through play. We later changed the name of Play School to City & Country School per the children’s request. They felt they worked too hard for people to think they only played at school. The children think of this as their school as opposed to the grown ups’.
You won’t find textbooks, workbooks, and test at our school. Lessons are based from the interest of children and field trips around our neighborhood. All activities have to be meaningful for the students, not the teacher. Children learn to create a democratic society through their social interactions at play. You will find my wooden block units I am known for. John Dewey praised my wooden unit blocks. Children 2-7 use them as part of their play. They use them to create, solve problems, and challenge themselves. Real world experiences are recreated in class using blocks, paper, crayons, and clay. There is no set curriculum, no subjects, no grading, no direct instruction, and especially no reading. Subject matter is taught as necessary as it emerges through play. For example learning arithmetic takes place in the context of making change when playing store. As children are ready, they begin authoring books about their play and experiences.
Our “eights” and up students have important jobs where they run the school store. They display goods, serve customers, handle money, and record transactions. They even write to wholesalers for supplies, balance the books, and pay the bills of the school store. Students rotate jobs and share responsibility as their ability allows. You see this “play” is work. Real work that is important for the growth of our students and meaningful to them as well.
My only rule is this: students have to work. Work at play. Play is not to release the inner child, or for amusement, play is serious business of building democracy. I believe “ You will not find a child anywhere who will sit still and idle unless he is sick – or in a traditional classroom.”
Through my time learning from children and fighting against the traditional curriculum, I have had my struggles with parents. I have a difficult time seeing them as experts. Our largest area of contention is about reading. “parents are anxious to have their child begin reading, they say, because reading is the beginning of their education…my entire life, and our school, and this very book have been devoted to the cause of demonstrating that education does not begin with books, but with life; that books are only a part of a child’s learning, not even the most important.”
How would my thought “education does not begin with books, but with life; that books are only a part of a child’s learning, not even the most important” go over with parents at your school? If you are a parent and are becoming an expert on curriculum, how do you feel about this thought?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Emile)

Greetings! As you may remember, I am Emile, a character in “On Education.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote this book in 1762. He considered it his most important work and some regard it as the first complete philosophy of education. The text is divided into five books; the first three are devoted to the description of my education. The fourth book is an exploration of adolescence and the fifth book discusses the education of Sophie, whom you have already met. The section titled “Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar,” which discussed religion, created great criticism and caused the book to be banned and burned. Despite the controversy, it was a European bestseller and during the French Revolution, “Emile” inspired a new national system of education.

The story of my tutor and myself are used to exemplify how ideal citizens should be educated. The opening line in the book reads, “Everything is good in leaving the hands of the Creator of things; everything degenerates in the hands of man.” This is Rousseau’s main philosophy and his work is an outline for how to maintain “innate human goodness,” while being part of the corrupt society.

Rousseau believed education should be less dependent on books and result from interactions with the world. He presented an example of a boy whose father takes him to fly kites. The father asks the child to infer what position the kite is in the sky by looking at the shadow. Rousseau wanted to children to develop an understanding of the world through exploration and without specific training. Some people consider this approach as the precursor of the Montessori method. Rousseau was not concerned with specific education techniques, but focused more on the development of character and moral sense. He supposed children learn right and wrong through experiencing the consequences for themselves.
Rousseau was one of the first to advocate for developmentally appropriate education. He divided childhood into stages. His first stage included children up to the age of about 12 and he believed children are generally guided by emotions and impulses. Rousseau stated children from 12 to 16 develop the ability to reason and children 16 and older develop into adults. Rousseau encouraged young males, such as myself, should learn a manual trade to facilitate creativity and allow us to contribute to society.

According to Rousseau, men and women are fundamentally different and therefore must be educated differently. He believed men should be strong, active and educated to govern themselves. Miss Sophie already eloquently explained her roles and responsibilities, so I will not further elaborate on those.

I am interested in your opinions on the role of education and the development of character. Do you believe this is an important part of education? How should morals and character be developed? Additionally, what are your thoughts on developmentally appropriate education? How do you feel about my developmental stages?

Eleanor Duckworth

Hello everyone, my name is Eleanor Duckworth. I was born in 1935 in Montreal, Canada to my wonderful parents Jack and Muriel Duckworth. Growing up with these two role models helped lead me in the right direction from the start. My parents were Canadian peace workers and social community activists. With their help I was able to find my way through life. I am currently a Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education but also enjoyed my time as an elementary school teacher, student at the Universite' de Geneva, as well being a student, colleague, leading translator and interpreter of Jean Paiget. I have also written books including "The having of wonder ideas."
It was while I was working with Paiget that I gained insights into the nature and development of understanding and intelligence in his clinical research method. This led me to develop my "clinical exploration" method. This method can be broken down as follows:

1. Curriculum development: the teacher plans how to engage the students' minds in exploring subject matter.
2. Pedagogy: the teacher encourages the student to express their thoughts as they work to explore the subject matter.
3. The teacher becomes a researcher to explore the student's thoughts and ideas. The teacher then helps to open a variety of paths for exploration, provide any surprises, and help them realize any other viewpoints that could be hiding.
4. The teacher's goal is to keep the student thinking and talking about the subject matter but also help them move beyond the first thought that the student had.

With this method I became convinced that students must construct their own knowledge and find new meanings on their own; if teachers continue to just tell students what they need to know it does not serve enough purpose to keep them interested and learning. Teachers who just "tell" are not opening up the door to exploration and new experiences.

I firmly believe that students need to explore their topic while the teacher acts as a researcher and facilitator. How do you feel about students exploring topics and expressing their thoughts while doing so? Is this something you feel could easily be implemented for every subject/topic or does it only fit into certain subject matter such as Science?

Jean Jacques Rousseau (Sophie)

Hello again!  As previously mentioned, I am a character in a novel written by Jean Jacques Rousseau.  My purpose is the expression of Rousseau's opinions on the education of females.  The education of a female should be different from that of a male because the two are different.  Women should learn many things, but their studies must be restricted to what is useful.  Girls should be taught the duties they will hold as women, which include being pleasing to men, being useful to men, and, to raise males when they are young as well as take care of them when they are grown.  Additional duties are advising men, consoling men, and making their lives pleasant and sweet.  All of the previously mentioned duties should be taught to females starting in their childhood.

 

Playing with dolls provides great training, and therefore should be encouraged.  One day a girl will become her own doll, so to speak.  Motivation for girls' earliest lessons is receiving favors.  That is, allowing girls the things they enjoy and want as long as they are suitable.  For example, most little girls gladly learn sewing.  They take pleasure in believing that this talent will one day serve them for their own adornment.  Valuable lessons in accordance with this interest are cutting material, embroidery, and lace-making.  Another related lesson is drawing.  However, drawing should focus on leaves, fruit, flowers, and draperies.  Girls should not be taught to read until they are able to see the use of it.  Arithmetic should probably come prior to reading because it's utility is evident; it will be useful for account keeping.

 

Educators should always justify tasks they set forth for little girls.  Girls must be kept busy because idleness and insubordination are two very dangerous faults.  They should be accustomed to annoyances early on because they will have to submit to the annoyances of proper decorum for their entire life.  Girls should be taught to control themselves.  Educators should prevent young girls from getting bored with their tasks and infatuated with their amusements.  However, given the choice, there would be no teachers.  Children could then learn on their own what they are already willing to learn.  Furthermore, girls are too full of curiosity not to learn on their own when given the opportunity to do so.

 

An ideal learning environment would be a convent or a boarding school as they have plain food and ample opportunities for activities, races, and games in the open air.  Females can obtain the necessary sound constitution via pleasant, moderate, and healthy exercise. The body is born before the soul, so the first lesson in this area should be nurturing the body.  That is, girls need to be taught grace.

 

My questions are as follows:

1. How do others feel about males and females receiving different educations? 

2. Are children, particularly girls, equipped and motivated to learn on their own?

3. Should the studies of our young people be restricted to only what is useful?

Friedrich Froebel

I am Friedrich Froebel, a German educationalist, best known as the originator of the "kindergarten system". I had a very difficult childhood. My mother died when I was a baby and my father, who was a pastor, remarried. My parents were self involved and didn't nurture me as a child. Even though I had an unhappy childhood, I grew up with a love for nature and with a strong Christian faith which was my central thinking as an educationalist. I sought to encourage unity in all things.
I feel that the purpose of education is to encourage and guide man, thinking and perceiving being in such a way that he becomes a pure and perfect representation of the divine inner law through his own personal choice. Education must show him the ways and meanings of attaining that goal.
I believe that humans are essentially productive and creative and fulfillment comes through developing these with God and the world. I created an educational environment that involved practical work and the direct use of materials. I feel that when people engage with the world, understanding will unfold. The Kindergarten system that I developed has an emphasis on play and use of gifts (play materials) and occupations (activities). I even became known around the world as Froebel Gifts. The Froebel gifts have been widely imitated and adapted by many educators and toy makers. I was convinced that the kindergarten's primary focus should be on play- the process by which I believe children express their innermost thoughts, needs, and desires. I realized that at the time, my emphasis on play contrasted with the traditional view prevalent during the nineteenth century that play, a form of idleness and disorder, was an unworthy element of human life.
Some of the special materials or gifts that I develop include shaped wooden bricks, balls, tiles, sticks and rings, blocks and various materials for drawing, embroidering, paper cutting, weaving or braiding, paper folding, modeling, and interlacing. These materials are used in almost every Kindergarten classroom today. I also developed a series of recommended activities (occupations) and movement activities. Some of the occupations included paper, pencils, wood, sand, clay, and straw. The kindergarten activities included games, songs, and stories that I designed to assist in sensory and physical development and socialization. My original concern was teaching young children through educational games in the family. But in my later years, I became linked with a demand for the provision of special centers for the care and development of children outside of the home. These activities/games not only nourish the inner activity drive, but they also teach the use of the child's immediate environment as means for play and occupations, and as educational aids. These activities/games that have developed are educative and developing for the person who plays with the child, which then influences a genuine bond between them both.

How do you feel about using play as instructional activities in the classroom?

Johann Herbart

Johann Herbart :

My pedagogy emphasizes the connection between individual development and how it contributes to society. I think in order for people to fulfill their true purpose, they need to become productive citizens. Every child is born with certain potential. Only formalized, rigorous, education can develop that potential and lead to moral and intellectual development.

I have noticed that basal readers are becoming very popular in classrooms. These are too predictable and boring. Teachers need to appeal to students' interests instead. The use of literature and historical stories would be much more enjoyable and effective.
My followers designed a five-step teaching method based on my work and ideals. It is as follows:

1. Prepare the pupils to be ready for the new lesson.
2. Present the new lesson.
3. Associate the new lesson with ideas studied earlier.
4. Use examples to illustrate the lesson's major points.
5. Test pupils to ensure they had learned the new lesson.

Do you agree with my thoughts about basal readers? Should literature and historical stories be used in place of them? Also, what do you think of my five-step teaching method? Are they still being used in schools today?

William Ayers

As I mentioned in my introduction I was a weatherman during the Vietnam War. I went underground for awhile, but resurfaced in 1980. Before my days as a Weatherman I was a teacher and school director. I hoped that my students would become activists too. After I resurfaced in 1980 I obtained a master's degree in early childhood education from the Bank Street College of Education in New York and a doctorate in education from Columbia University. During the Obama campaign there was a small controversy over him knowing me. I live not far from his home in Hyde Park.

I now teach at the University of Illinois at Chicago educating future teachers. My work is not focused on policy work, nor on administration. Instead, I consulting, lecturing, writing, and training teachers. When I do this I speak as a classroom teacher, not as a university professor.

I have been involved in reform efforts in the Chicago Public Schools since the 1990s. In 1995 I was able to secure a grant for $49.2 million to fund reform efforts. I used the money for teacher training and support.

My research interests include teaching for social justice, urban educational reform, narrative and interpretive research, children in trouble with the law, and related issues. I believe in progressive education and some people have called me a radical. I do not see myself that way. I was attacked in David Horowitz's book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America.

Schools exist throughout all of our society. I see schools as a sort of microcosm of the greater society. I think it is sometimes difficult for people to see this within our own society. But looking outside of our country I use the example of the apartheid in South Africa. Schools for white children have about 15 students per classroom and the classroom is equipped with the highest forms of technology. A school for black children would have a class of 85 children with no equipment. Schools are supposed to prepare children for the future and the latter school is preparing children for low-paying labor jobs. The same is true of schools in our country.

This country supposedly promises a free and common education to all of its citizens. However, I do not believe this is the case. Some forms of policy, such as zero tolerance undermines the democratic system. Zero tolerance is a policy one would see in an authoritarian society, not a democratic one. The classroom should involve a justice system. I also believe that standardization is anti-democratic. It requires all children to be the same and does not allow them to chose what they want to learn.

In the classroom I believe that teachers should advocate for a commitment to free inquiry, questioning, and participation from their students. Teachers should not lecture or drill their students. I do not believe in the new practice of "accountability" because suppresses flexibility, experimentation, democracy. I also believe that students learn better in "small learning" communities. Students should turn out to be active, engaged citizens.

What do you feel is the biggest issue in our school system today and how would you advocate to change/fix it?

Deborah Meier

Hello

My name is Deborah Meier and it is hard to believe I have spent four decades involved in public education. I have worked in public education as a teacher, principal, writer and public advocate. I have been noted to be the founder of the small schools movement and founded a number of public elementary and secondary schools in New York and Boston that serve predominantly low-income African American and Latino students.

Currently I serve as principal emeritus of Mission Hill School in Boston, co-chair of the Coalition for Essential Schools, and am a senior scholar at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. I received the MacArthur Genius Award in 1987 for a few of my books which includes, The Power of Their Ideas, In Schools We Trust and Many Children Left Behind.

Recently I was interviewed by Amy Goodman at "Democracy Now", in response to the education policy of President Obama and Arne Duncan, the Education Secretary,speaking before the House Education and Labor Committee Wednesday, May 21, 2009.

This is part of my response;

I think it’s missing the heart of what’s the problem and looking at this from the eyes of—there’s a wonderful book called Seeing Like a State, which I urge people to read, because there’s a way of looking at what’s wrong with schools that I think the business eye sees, which is different than the teacher, child and parent eye, what’s wrong with our schools. And so, to look for the answer increasingly in distant from where the action takes place, the cutting out of teachers’, parents’ and children’s voices in making decisions about schools, as we escalate the penalties if they don’t meet test scores. The incredible obsession with test scores, particularly in two particular areas, that hardly define what it means to be a well-educated person.

For my complete interview please click on my link http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/21/stream

Reggio Emilia Approach

Our approach to education is based on a variety of principles. The first principle is an emergent curriculum. An emergent curriculum is one that builds upon the interests of children. In our schools topics of study are created from the talks a teacher has with children, through community and family events and was wells as the known interests of children such as dinosaurs, transportation, etc. Teachers work as a team to create and formulate hypotheses about the directions of the project, the materials needed and possible parent and community support and involvement.
The next principle is project work. Projects are in-depth studies of concepts, ideas and interests that arise within the classroom. These projects may last one week or could continue throughout the school year. It is through these projects that teachers help children make decisions about the direction of study, the ways the class will research the topic, how they will represent and demonstrate the topic.
The third principle is collaboration. Students work in collaborative groups. This is considered valuable and necessary to advance their cognitive development. In our approach we collaborate with families and the community in order to form a team to support the learning of the child.
The fourth principle is teachers as researchers. A teacher’s role is somewhat complex compared to that of a teacher in a traditional learning environment. The teacher is seen as a researcher. Teachers listen, observe and document children’s work and the growth of community in their classroom. They provoke, co-construct and stimulate thinking in collaborative groups.
The fifth principle is documentation. Our teachers document their students learning through a process that is very similar to a portfolio approach. This is a very important tool in the learning process for children, teachers and parents. In our class, you would see a teacher taking lots of pictures to document students learning. Documentation is not only used for assessment but for advocacy.
The final principle is the environment and considered the “third teacher”. The set up of our classrooms differ from a traditional classroom. Our classes are very warm and inviting. Teachers organize space for small and large group projects. Documentation of children’s work, plants and collections that children have made from former projects are displayed both at the children’s and adult’s eye level.
Our approach to education is quite different from the traditional early childhood approach. If you walk into our classrooms it may seem we are only playing but, we use this as a way to build a child’s learning. Teachers are guides that create their instruction based on children’s interests rather than instructors who teach a set curriculum. Do you feel our teachers can be effective educators? The community and parents play a very vital role in our approach. What are your thoughts on community and parent involvement in a child’s education?

Horace Mann

Hello everyone! My name is Horace Mann. I was born in Massachusetts on May 4, 1796 and served in both the House of Representatives (6 years) and Senate (7 years) over my lifetime.
I attended Brown University and graduated at the top of my class in 1819, continuing to become educated as a librarian and tutor of Latin and Greek, and studying law for just a short period of time. Though I did not initially intend to be so involved in educational reform, a paid position in legislation allowed me to train teachers at conventions, found and edit The Common School Journal , and sent out annual reports about the progress in the schools. This journal and these reports are still regarded as "among the best expositions, if, indeed, they are not the very best ones, of the practical benefits of a common school education both to the individual and to the state" (Hinsdale).

In my journal, I wrote about controversial issues that were targeted at the schools and the problems within the schools. Specifically, I addressed the following: "(1) the public should no longer remain ignorant and free, (2) that such education should be paid for, controlled, and sustained by an interested public; (3) that this education will be best provided in schools that embrace children of all diversities; (4) that this education must be non-sectarian; (5) that this education must be taught by the spirit, methods, and discipline of a free society; and (6) that education should be provided by well-trained, professional teachers." Essentially, I wanted to fight for more effective, better equipped schools, better pay for teachers, wider curriculum and extended time in education (until 16 years old). I was so convincing that legislators often changed and adapted policies within the school based on my recommendations. This made me realize how much influence I could really have on the world. Though there were several people that did not agree with my ideas, I continued to alert the public about what I believed was the best education in America at the time. Ironically, I was quite influential on the school system, but never actually taught in the schools (only at the university level).

After my time in legislation and reform, I was president at Antioch College, teaching several courses. My legacy lives on there, as well as several other colleges around the nation that have dedicated parts of campus in my name. I am well known in today's world as "the Father of American Education" based on my influential work. I died in 1859 at the age of 63.
A fun fact about me is that my brother in law is the great writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Something to think about…
I brought up controversial issues such as separation of church and state and other public policy that were not well received by some. However, I was still very influential in changing the way the public school policy was implemented. Do you think my ideas would have been influential if I were a female? Furthermore, why do you think I was able to have so much influence even though I was never actually an educator in the school system?

Maria Montessori

Hello everyone.  I am Maria Montessori.  As I told you in my introduction, I became involved in education in the late 19^th century and continued my work into the 20^th century. I believe that education of all children should involve three components: the child as learner, the prepared environment, and the trained adult (teacher).

 I strongly believe that learning should not be forced.  Learning is something that humans do naturally.  As such, learning does not need to be externally motivated.  Too often, I see educators force learning and use motivators such as grades and rewards.  This goes against what is natural for all children, as they will learn on their own given the correct environment.  I believe "that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words but of experiences in which the child acts on his environment." 

Environment certainly is key and should be carefully prepared.  Classrooms must be organized and ideally contain my recommended materials that encourage hands-on learning.  Teachers may also consider outside spaces as potential learning environments.  Gardens are one of my favorites as they provide many learning opportunities for young children.  A properly prepared environment contains a plethora of carefully considered materials, organized in a careful manner. 

When children are in school, they should be divided by age.  Age groups are best constructed with developmental level in mind.  I believe that children pass through various stages of development.  When considering young and early elementary school aged children, ages 3 to 6 should be grouped together and age groups of three year spans should follow.  Children benefit from interaction with diverse peers.  Ages 3 to 6 are especially important because children of this age range have very absorbent minds – they are taking in an incredible amount and are learning at an amazing rate. 

A Montessori classroom may not resemble that to which you are accustomed.  In one of my classrooms, the child is very active and the teacher may appear more passive than one might expect.  My approach emphasizes a child's freedom and self-direction and motivation in learning.  Many hours may be devoted to allowing self-directed activity.   Importantly, my approach balances this freedom with discipline, as my classrooms are certainly not out of control.  To the contrary, my classrooms are clam and organized.  While children are allowed to choose their activities from the available and carefully selected materials, they learn to use all materials appropriately and to put things back where they belong.  Children are not allowed to disrupt others.  This rule is especially important because I believe that it is very important for children to be allowed to be absorbed in their activity.  When children become absorbed in this manner, their mental and physical energies come together in a process that I call normalization.  Concentration is the key to normalization.

In my classrooms, teachers function as guides.  In a typical lesson, the teacher would introduce an object and its intended use, explain how to care for the object, and then retreat so as to allow the child to learn and explore uninterrupted.  Such learning often takes place on a one-on-one basis, or may take place in small groups.  For young children, objects in the classroom may relate to practical life activities and experiences, such as that which relates to hygiene.  To learn something such as a mathematical concept, concrete materials are introduced that allow the child to explore abstract concepts.

I would like to know what you think of my approach to the education of children.  Do you agree that children are naturally self-motivated and that learning should take place without many external motivators?  Do you agree with my approach to teacher involvement – that teachers should act as guides and take a less active role than the student?  I look forward to hearing your opinions and responses.

-Maria Montessori

 

VIVIAN PALEY

Hello! I am Vivian Paley. All you kindergarten teachers will be glad to meet me. I taught kindergarten for 37 years. I am also a child psychologist and an early education researcher. I am the only kindergarten teacher to ever win the Mac Arthur "genius" grant.

While teaching kindergarten, I started thinking about my children's learning. I came to the realization that there are too many boundaries on children's learning. I began to do some research on how play can be the most valuable tool for interaction and intellectual growth in kindergarten. All the play-based curriculum is now being replaced with sub-skills of reading and writing. My biggest legacy during my teaching career has been developing the story telling and fantasy play curriculum. I started really listening to my students' conversations as they were playing. What the children were saying during play time had very valuable lessons I could teach about morals and social life. One time I overheard a group of children saying they weren't going to let someone play. I turned it into a lesson on sharing and feelings. Later I wrote a book titled You Can't Say You Can't Play. My storytelling curriculum consists of dictation and dramatization. I help children tell their own stories of events that happen in their lives and I write down what they say. I then have the class act out their stories. This allows my students to develop a sense of importance and belonging. It helps them be more confident and it forms a community amongst my class. I found that storytelling has an impact on children's social, language, and narrative development.

I have written 10 books about life in the classroom. All of my books came from my experiences of what I heard children say during play or from their stories they told. A few of the books I have written are: You Can't Say You Can't Play, A Child's Work, Wally's Stories, and The Girl with the Brown Crayon, amongst several others. If you have not read any of my books, I would encourage you to do so.

Do you think there are currently too many boundaries/restrictions on students' learning within the school systems? Are you providing students enough social interaction, and if so, how are you using their interaction as a learning tool?

curriculum worker - Marie Clay - Reading Recovery

Hello!  My name is Marie Clay.  As  a reading educator I have alway been interested in how children learn, but particulary with children who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write.  My interest allowed me to gravitate toward researching teaching children with difficulties how to read, and to help teachers redesign their traditional delivery of reading instruction to benefit their struggling readers.  I present to you the research based intervention known as Reading Recovery.

 

    ** A Brief Overview **

 

    Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first grade students.  I intend Reading Recovery to be effective by making it available to all students who need it and to work with classroom teachers for supplementation in the classroom.  The goal I intended for Reading Recovery is for dramatic reduction in the number of first grade students who have extreme difficulty learnig to read and write, which would then reduce costs of these learners to the educational systems.  The children who qualify for Reading Recovery are the lowest achieving first graders.  These students do not catch on to the concepts that help them to read and write.  The students who qualify for Reading Recovery benefit from a half-hour lesson every day school is in session for 12 to 20 weeks with a teacher who has had specialized training concerning Reading Recovery.  Once the students meet grade level expectations and demonstrate independence with classroom work they may discontinue Reading Recovery lessons and a new student may be enrolled.

 

   **Outcomes of Reading Recovery**

 

    Approximately 75% of the students who complete the 12 to 20 week intervention can meet grade level expectations concerning reading and writing.  Studies that have been completed on students completing Reading Recovery achieve competency on standardized tests and maintain their growth during their later elementary years.  I feel that this is such an accomplishment for these students.  They must work diligently to make strides where they have begun with a deficit.

 

    Any child that may still be having challenges concerning reading and writing after Reading Recovery has been used are recommended for further support within the school.  The child is not left at this point, but continuing support is constructed with reference to the information gathered during Reading Recovery.

 

   **The Infrastructure of Reading Recovery**

 

    The intervention I developed was one of great thought.  The professionals involved have a continuing support system and many resources for questions and/or problems that may arise.  The Reading Recovery teacher is trained for a time period of one year while remaining in the classroom to implement the intervention.  Part of the training allows for much observation through a one-way glass.  Teachers instruct lessons for others to watch as well as being able to watch lessons.  Discussion follows.  The year that follows the initial training provides ongoing professional development sessions which are referred to as continuing contact.  Teachers continue to teach for colleagues and construct discussion of interventions used.  I believe that this allows for many points of view to be presented and ideas to be built upon for further use with children.  The teachers have teacher leaders to rely on for support in all aspects of Reading Recovery.  These experts also conduct local training programs about the intervention and help to guide teachers to the best instruction for the extreme challenges these children face.  At the third level of the tier of support for Reading Recovery are the trainers themselves.  The trainers are most usually professors based at universities who prepare the teacher leaders, advise about new developments concerning the intervention, provide guidance concerning the issues of Reading Recovery.  As society changes I believe this tier to be important to making the adjustments necessary to guide Reading Recovery programs for the sole benefit of the child.

 

  **Reading Recovery lessons**

 

    I believe that the objective of every Reading Recovery lesson should be to promote accelerated learning so that students may catch up to their peers so that the gap that is hindering them may become null, and the students can once again benefit solely from the general classroom instruction without dependence on others.  Each Reading Recovery lesson is completely individualized, based upon what skills have been shown as needed by the student, as well as to capitalize on their strengths.  Many strategies are used within each lesson, but the teacher must make quick decisions within the lesson to best suit each particular child.  Each lesson includes taking a running record, working with letters and/or words, reading books familiar to the child and reviewing a book read previously, writing stories, reading new books, and assembling stories that have been rearranged.  The Reading Recovery teacher allows opportunities for problem solving with scaffolding taking place so that the correct amount of support is constructed for reading and writing.  Within the activities of each Reading Recovery lesson skills are embedded such as learning about letter/sound relationships (phonemic awareness), hearing and recording sounds in spelling patterns (phonics and spelling), and understanding the text so that the child is not simply reading the words (decoding), but using problem solving skills within the print (comprehension and fluency).

  

Time and time again I have seen success within the program of reading that I have had great influence.  Reading Recovery is utilized in many different countries with the same outcome again and again.  I take such pride in being such a small part of what each Reading Recovery teacher is able to accomplish with their students each year.  I feel no greater purpose for my research than to be able to help children on a daily basis.  I would ask you to consider the reading techniques and/or strategies you have utilized for decoding and fluency as well as for comprehension and meaning making for text.  Which techniques work? Which do not?  Why do you think the techniques work or do not work?  What influences your choices for using a strategy or technique for struggling readers?  I hope that I have given you an opportunity to evaluate your own practices and ponder or revisit the impact Reading Recovery has had on so many children.  Thank you for your interest in a dear topic for myself.

 

Marie Clay

     

 

     

Intro to Stephen Krashen

Hello, my name is Stephen Krashen. I was born in 1941 in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois. I am currently a professor at the University of Southern California in the School of Education. I have written numerous papers and books on second language acquisition People know me as an advocate for bilingual education. I have been caught sending over 1000 letters to editors of newspapers on behalf of bilingual education.

Introduction - Shihichi Suzuki

Good afternoon!  My name is Shinichi Suzuki and I was born in Nagoya, Japan in 1898. Although I worked in my father's violin factory as a child, I first heard the violin being played at age seventeen.  I love the instrument and began to teach myself to play. In doing so, I realized that people can learn to play music just as they learn to speak. I have begun to develop Talent Education for teaching children to play music. My philosophy is based on basic principles of language acquisition and emphasizes listening and repetition. I believe that the right environment, one with  deep love and sincere encouragement, children have limitless potential.  I also believe that hearing and playing music can help children become good people with beautiful, serene hearts. I encourage my students not to hurt other people and to be kind to everyone - friends, families, and teachers. I have spent many years teaching children to live through music.  Observers often ask if my students are musical geniuses, but they are normal children.  While many believe that talent is inborn, I believe anyone can learn and it is never to late to start.

Intro to Horace Mann

Hello everyone! My name is Horace Mann. I was born in Massachusetts on May 4, 1796 and served in both the House of Representatives (6 years) and Senate (7 years) over my lifetime.

I attended Brown University and graduated at the top of my class in 1819, continuing to become educated as a librarian and tutor of Latin and Greek, and studying law for just a short period of time. Though I did not initially intend to be so involved in reforming, a paid position in legislation allowed me to train teachers at conventions, found and edit The Common School Journal , and sent out annual reports about the progress in the schools. This journal and these reports are still regarded as "among the best expositions, if, indeed, they are not the very best ones, of the practical benefits of a common school education both to the individual and to the state" (Hinsdale).

In my journal, I wrote about controversial issues that were targeted at the schools and the problems within the schools. I was so convincing, that legislators often changed and adapted policies within the school based on my recommendations. This made me realize how much influence I could really have on the world. Though there were several people that did not agree with my ideas, I continued to alert the public about what I believed was the best education in America at the time.

After my time in legislation and reform, I was president at Antioch College, teaching several courses. My legacy lives on there, as well as several other colleges around the nation that have dedicated parts of campus in my name. I am well known in today's world as "the Father of American Education" based on my influential work. I died in 1859 at the age of 63.
A fun fact about me is that my brother in law is the great writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Something to think about…
Horace Mann brought up controversial issues such as separation of church and state and other public policy that were not well received by some. However, he was still very influential in changing the way the public school policy was implemented. Do you think his ideas would have been influential if he were a female?

William Ayers Introduction

My name is William Ayers and I was born on December 26, 1944. I was opposed to the US involvement in the Vietnam War and some people called me a radical. I was a part of one of the earliest Weatherman groups and even planted a bomb at a statue commemorating the Haymarket Riot. I also participated in bombings of the New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, the US Capitol Building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972. Today I am a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the College of Education. My research interests include teaching for social justice, urban educational reform, narrative and interpretive research, children in trouble with the law, and related issues.

Intro to Eleanor Duckworth

Good morning, afternoon and evening to all, my name is Eleanor Duckworth. I was born in 1935 in beautiful Montreal, Canada. My parents, Jack and Muriel, taught me well through their actions and lessons. Both my parents were Canadian peace workers and social community activists...how could I help but follow in their footsteps in attempts to better myself and those around me. I had the most wonderful opportunity of being a former student, colleague, leading translator and interpreter of Jean Piaget (you may have heard of him before). Since my time with him I have found pleasures in being an elementary school teacher, earning my Ph.D. at the Universite' de Genève in 1977, and being a Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. People consider me as a cognitive psychologist, educational theorist and constructivist educator. I am especially interested in the experiences of teachers AND learners of all ages, both in and out of school.

Peabody

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody 1804-1894

Good afternoon! Pleasant to meet you, I'm Mrs. Elizabeth Palmer Peabody. A few months ago my husband and I were both teaching in the boarding school I opened but seeing as I believe our family deserves to live the life of a higher class my husband, reluctantly, will seek out a career as a dentist so we may be able to achieve this status. Although he enjoyed his career as an educator I'm forcing him to quit and start dentistry school- I don't care if he doesn't like it. He shall do it for us and our five children. I LOVE telling my children of my life at their age on a regular basis; however, my husband often scoffs and leaves the room. About me- I became a teacher at the age of sixteen and have always enjoyed seeking more knowledge.

Over my lifetime and I struggled with keeping the many schools I opened open. Children could often times, not afford to enroll. Most schools were primarily for women and girl. Topics taught on while in sessions with women included discussions of history, mythology, literature, nature, and fine arts. In 1834 my dream of opening a school for boys became a reality. At this time I joined forces with Bronson Alcott and together we started Temple School. We based our principles off the fact that truth does not come from intellectual learning alone, but also from nurturing those nonrational, intuitive powers within. I expected the students to learn through self-directed inquiry and expressing their imagination on a regular basis. Alcott and I upheld strict discipline procedures, we expected silence and motionlessness. Many of our pupil's parent's began to dislike the nature of our school saying we didn't spend enough time in traditional book study. Meanwhile in my personal life I started to feud with Alcott. I caught his wife opening my mail and after much disagreement I resigned from Temple school and moved out of the Alcott home.

In 1860 I opened a kindergarten in Germany. I assisted this new practice in becoming well accepted. After all, children under six years old should have an education! We worked on hand-eye coordination, shapes, writing and more.

Throughout my life I was also interested in the antislavery movement and enjoyed researching in the area of spiritualism.

THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTION: Why do you think it is that Ms. Peabody seemed to flow from job to job and often times had a hard time receiving acceptance from peers- especially in the area of education?

Introduction- Friedrich Froebel

My name is Friedrich Frobel. I am a German eduationalist, best know as the originator of the "kindergarten system". I encouraged the creation of educational environments that involve practical work and the direct use of materials. I believe that play plays a very significate role in education. It is both a creative activity and through it children become aware of their place in the world. I estbalished this new type of early childhood school, a child's garden, or kindergarten. Using play, songs, stroies, and activities, the kindergarten was designed as an eductional environment in which childre, through their own self activity could develop in teh right direction. With this I mean that through child's development, they would follow the established laws of human growth through their own activity.

Maria Montessori

Hello. I am Maria Montessori. I was born on August 31, 1870 in Italy. I took an unconventional approach when receiving my own education. I was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome La Sapienza Medical School, and was the first female doctor in Italy. In 1896, I served as the director of the Scuola Ortofrenica, which was an institution that cared for individuals with cognitive disabilities. After achieving acclaim for my work educating children with cognitive disabilities, I became interested in the potential of average children. In 1907, I started a school in a poor neighborhood in Rome, Italy called Casa dei Bambini. I believe that children should be allowed to work at their own pace, that children are capable of self-directed learning given the right environment, and that teachers should serve as observers and guides in the child's learning process, and I applied these beliefs at Casa dei Bambini. After Casa dei Bambini opened, others learned of my methods, and interest grew around the world. Though not always popular (I had some clashes with Mussolini!), I have influenced educational practices for over a century. Variations on my method of teaching are in practice today, all over the world.

Jean Jacques Rousseau (Sophie)

My name is Sophie.  I am character in the novel Emile, which was written by the famous 18th century philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau.  I am the wife to be of the main character, Emile.  According to Rousseau, I am the ideal woman.  My education is different than that of my future husband because men and women are different.  Not to mention, my education will help me assume my future role as a wife.

--
Amy Zimmerman, M.A.
Graduate Assistant
Department of Educational Psychology
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306

Jean Jacques Rousseau (Emile)

Hello. I am Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I was born in Geneva in 1712 and I am best known as a philosopher and a writer. My political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and continues to influence political and educational thought. My most important work was “Emile: or, On Education” and it describes how children should be educated so they can become virtuous citizens of the community. This work explores the nature of education as well as the nature of human beings. I used the character Emile and his tutor to show how an ideal male citizen should be educated. Children’s character and moral sense must be developed so they can practice self-mastery and remain honorable in society. Children must learn the difference between right and wrong by experiencing the consequences of their actions. Emile learns moral lessons about humility, chastity and honesty through manipulation of his environment.

Hilda Taba

Hi! My name is Hilda Taba. I was born in 1902 in Estonia. During my life I was an architect, a curriculum theorist and reformer, and an educator. I was a student of John Dewey and believed educational curriculum should focus on teaching students to think rather than simply to regurgitate facts. I wrote many books informing teachers how to teach effectively. I break it down into three levels of knowledge: facts, basic ideas and principles, and concepts. Since I died at a relatively young age in my 60's, my students carried on my research and created a strategy called the Taba Approach.

Vivian Paley

I am Vivan Paley. I was born Jan. 25, 1925 in Chicago. I am a retired kindergarten teacher. I am also a child psychologist, and early education researcher. I have written several books. While teaching, I thougth there were too many boundaries on children's learning. I began to look at how play can be the most valuable tool for interaction and intellectual growth in kindergarten. I began to reasearch the idea of "play" as learning. Most of my books focus on this aspect.

Meet Johann Herbart

Hello. My name is Johann Herbart. I was born in Oldenburg and went to school at the University of Jena. My beliefs stem from the analysis of experience. I do not believe that all concepts are separate mental ideas. Instead, I believe all mental activity results from interaction of elementary ideas. I think methods used in education should be based on psychology and ethics. You need psychology for the necessary knowledge and ethics should be used to determine the social ends of education.

The methods I developed still have a huge impact on modern-day education. These methods are based on the idea that the psychological processes should be used to devise educational programs based on the aptitudes, abilities and interests of students.

Reggio Emilia

I am not a person but a city in the beautiful country of Italy. It was clear after World War II, by many parents in and around the villages of Reggio Emilia that their children need to learn in a new way. They felt that it is in the early years of a child’s development that they are forming as an individual. The parents felt that this new method needed to focus on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through allowing the child to explore and discover in a supportive and enriching environment. The parents also believed that the curriculum for this new method needed to be based on the child’s interests and through self-guided learning.

Marie Clay Introduction

Marie Clay was born in 1926 in Wellington, which is the capital city of New Zealand. She completed her training for teaching at Wellington College of Education in 1945. In 1950 Marie Clay came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to study developmental and clinical child psychology. She continued in psychology for the next 25 years. Reading Recovery is Marie Clay's most recognized contribution in education. Reading Recovery occurs in most English speaking countries. Marie Clay has been given many awards for her work in education and inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame. She is widely recognized for articles and books that she has written over the years.

Meet Glenda Bissex!

Glenda Bissex started as a high school English teacher and has since, worked with children of all ages, including adults. She has been a researcher for the Vermont Writing Program and also enjoys mentoring teacher researchers. She is the founder of the National Writing Project.

Sorry! I couldn't find a picture. : (

Welcome to Web 2.0. Here is the spot where the curriculum workers will present their ideas and we will respond to their questions.