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First of all, thanks for the first hand perspective. I work in a small alternative school that's explored a number of models, and we're still finding the right
by japhyr 12y ago
First of all, thanks for the first hand perspective. I work in a small alternative school that's explored a number of models, and we're still finding the right model for us. I tell students about Sudbury schools from time to time, as a measure of how far we could go away from traditional ed.
> There is no teaching done here. Rarely I might get a question about math from students, but those who pursue it do it on their own. They don't want answers, they want journeys.
For students who want a journey, an expert in the field can be an invaluable mentor. I didn't learn a whole lot of programming for my dad, but he sure helped me choose directions in my journey at key points. I imagine some of your conversations put you in that role.
Thank you for the work you and your colleagues are doing. You are a source of deep inspiration for many of us.
- jostylr 12y agoI certainly had that idea before I started. I think we all do. And I hope it may happen here and there. Mentoring and collaboration are to me the true teaching models that work for humans. But interests have to align, of course. We are still a young school with just a handful of 14+ year olds. I think in terms of content, that kind of mentoring would happen with the older ones, if at all. And it may take a sufficiently large pool before compatible interests start to emerge. More than likely, older students would end up with mentorships from external people. But certainly the presence of a diverse set of adults being authentic about what they do and who they are is an important aspect of this model. If you or anyone else you reference to Sudbury ever want more information, my email is my username here at gmail.