Alternative Education
by Paige Breisacher
Issue date: 4/21/10 Section: Opinion
As part of my Alternative Education concentration, I am taking a tutorial about alternative education this semester.
Together with Sue Lyon, the professor for my tutorial, I formed a class that provides an opportunity for students to explore alternative ways of learning new skills and ideas and expanding their horizons.
The class is modeled off of the Sudbury school movement. Sudbury schools are K-12 schools with no required curriculum or classes. The school is run by a general meeting wherein each student and faculty member gets one vote. This class puts that idea within the more structured system of the college.
The students in the class are free to do whatever they please as their work for the class, from reading a book they've been wanting to read to playing ultimate Frisbee.
Obviously these things could all be done in a student's free time, but the class allows everybody to become a resource for each other. Every student is allowed to claim some of class time to run an activity, workshop, discussion, or project.
The idea behind this is that all sorts of different things can have educational value, not just academics. That game of Frisbee has plenty of value all on its own, without needing to discuss the physics of Frisbee, or the aesthetic value of a Frisbee, or anything like that.
Similarly, an end product is not necessary for all activities. A person can get a lot out of reading a book with no pressure to write about it afterward. A big part of this is that there is no coercion; every activity is undertaken out of interest.
I will be away next semester, but if it is a success, hopefully the class will continue to be offered every semester.
Together with Sue Lyon, the professor for my tutorial, I formed a class that provides an opportunity for students to explore alternative ways of learning new skills and ideas and expanding their horizons.
The class is modeled off of the Sudbury school movement. Sudbury schools are K-12 schools with no required curriculum or classes. The school is run by a general meeting wherein each student and faculty member gets one vote. This class puts that idea within the more structured system of the college.
The students in the class are free to do whatever they please as their work for the class, from reading a book they've been wanting to read to playing ultimate Frisbee.
Obviously these things could all be done in a student's free time, but the class allows everybody to become a resource for each other. Every student is allowed to claim some of class time to run an activity, workshop, discussion, or project.
The idea behind this is that all sorts of different things can have educational value, not just academics. That game of Frisbee has plenty of value all on its own, without needing to discuss the physics of Frisbee, or the aesthetic value of a Frisbee, or anything like that.
Similarly, an end product is not necessary for all activities. A person can get a lot out of reading a book with no pressure to write about it afterward. A big part of this is that there is no coercion; every activity is undertaken out of interest.
I will be away next semester, but if it is a success, hopefully the class will continue to be offered every semester.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
resumes
posted 5/22/10 @ 8:46 AM EST
Quite good concept, I think it worth to be taken into account.
Alex
posted 7/23/10 @ 1:13 AM EST
A very good, but already not a very new idea. I always support alternative methods and think that only in such a way students (especially slow students) can get the full university program. (Continued…)
Duchess
posted 8/10/10 @ 3:35 PM EST
Year after year we give more and more freedom to our offsprings, allowing ourself to be run by them. It's not good.
essay writing
posted 8/23/10 @ 2:19 AM EST
Society always search conceptions for alternative education. I think it is a good way!
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