IALA » Democratic schools

Institute for Democratic Education in America

Wayne Jennings — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:54:24 +0000

A fairly new organization the, Institute for Democratic Education in America identifies critical areas for learning that “equip every human being to participate fully in a healthy democracy.” Their website urges reinventing education strategically, collaboratively, and sustainably. It offers examples, links, definitions, invitations to become involved and a host of resources. Clearly, an up-and-coming organization bound to have an impact on public education.

A Most Remarkable Book

Wayne Jennings — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:10:17 +0000

IALA promotes educational choices and there would not be the compelling call for change in district schools if they engaged students more. Here are my comments about an amazing book by an extraordinary teacher in a most democratic program.

If Holden Caulfield Were In My Classroom: Inspiring Love, Creativity and Intelligence in Middle School Students by Bernie Schein is one of the most astonishing books on teaching that I have seen in my 50 years of reading education books. This remarkable teacher of middle school students brought out the real feelings and emotions of students to create authentic people and in the process a classroom of vitality and greater learning. This book takes you inside the lives of adolescents, their fears, hopes, jealousies, dreams and inner selves. He also uses class meeting, trials and the core curriculum as a progressive educator. Every teacher at every level would gain from this engaging, readable book.

International Democratic Education Conference

Wayne Jennings — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:22:39 +0000

The International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) provides some of the most provocative and growing challenges to conventional education and probably some of the most extreme examples of choice. John Loflin has attended all of the recent conferences and filed comprehensive reports on their proceedings. The first conference was in 1993 and most recent was in Vancouver, Canada, August, 2008 and John did his usual thorough report. You can find his previous reports and other information on IDEC at the home website using IDEC as the search term.

Courses Available on Alternative Ed and Starting a School

Wayne Jennings — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:10:56 +0000

The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) is providing courses on how to start an alternative school and on the history of alternative education. Start a School 101 begins September 15, 2008 and is taught by Jerry Mintz among others. The Theory and History of Educational Alternatives is taught by Ron Miller and will also start September 15, 2008. Both are experienced educators well versed in alternatives. You can enroll online or request information at amkaero@gmail.com. Scholarships are available.

Democratic Education Resources and IDEC Conference

Wayne Jennings — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:00:26 +0000

Dana Bennis has started a website specifically devoted to promoting democratic education and can be reached personally at dana.bennis@yahoo.com. Dana has a long standing interest in democratic education having studied it in several countries and being part of a democratic school. He advocates giving students voice in decisions about their education and their school’s operation. You will find much useful information and news at the site.

Another important development in democratic education is the annual meeting of the International Democratic Education Conference, held this year August 11-18 in Vancouver. Jerry Mintz provides a write up in his free newsletter under item #2. John Loflin provides a detailed account (IDEC 2006) of the conference. DVDs are also available

Democratic Schools Paper

Wayne Jennings — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:58:30 +0000

Arising from discussions with Politeia, Brazil’s democratic education institute, at the 15th International Democratic Education Conference last summer in Sao Paulo a new work “A History of Democratic Education in American Public Schools” by democracy advocate and IALA member John Harris Loflin is now available.

Supported by IALA, this comprehensive 161 page paper aims at persuading American urban public classrooms and schools to become more democratic. In doing so, he encourages public schools to enter solidly into the 21st century by questioning, rethinking and providing alternatives to 20th century concepts particularly for under-served children and youth.

Personalized Education

Wayne Jennings — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:59:29 +0000

Personalized education refers to providing learning experiences tailored to each student’s interests and learning styles. It also implies student-directed and self-managed learning. Teachers may individualize instruction in a classroom setting but admit that this is hard to accomplish given the competing need to cover subject matter material. Students are given choices within a larger topic or curriculum theme or as promoted by an approach known as problem-based learning.

Beyond this, non-subject based schools have allowed and encouraged students to select any topic that interests them. That is usually done is through a program of project-based learning promoted by EdVisions and the book, Passion For Learning. One example: a junior high student selected skateboarding. That led to wanting to establish a skateboarding park in the community. That involved discussions with city government, zoning laws and costs. The student examined other skateboard parks, drew up estimates, calculated costs, created drawings and in the process learned about construction, physics, graphics, writing, mathematics, civics and research. Motivation for school went from zero to 100 in weeks. Democratic schools, some homeschoolers and unschoolers are generally familiar with this approach.

The world’s leading center for personalized education is the Centre for Personalized Education located Bramcote, England. They publish a newsletter, Personalized Education Now and unremittingly support students in what they will study, how and when believing that greater motivation, broader learning, deeper learning, and lifelong learning will result. Provides links to numerous related organizations including the Educational Heretics Press with important radical education books.They also have a delightful, powerful 4 minute annimation of the key points and contrasts between personalized and conventional education.

Youth Councils as Change Agents

Wayne Jennings — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:41:59 +0000

Some feel education won’t change until the students demand it as they did during the 1960s sit-down strikes in some urban high schools to protest segregation. Much can be gained from involving youth in decisions about their education. Dana Bennis has been tracking youth participation in decisions. He writes: “In recent years several states and cities have created youth advisory councils – small groups of youth usually age 15-18 from across the region who come together to discuss policy and create recommendations (and in some cases even draft legislation) to present to legislators and/or governors/mayors. This offers a powerful way to give youth a voice (short of lowering the voting age, which is another issue many groups advocate). States that have youth advisory councils include: Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Washington.”

Related organizations include: National Youth Rights Association, theWhat Kids Can Do (published a booklet on The Schools We Need), the English Secondary Students Association, the National Youth Leadership Council, and Student Voices project of Education Evolving.

In related news, I just finished reading The Euridem Project: A Review of Pupil Democracy in Europe by Lynn Davies and Gordon Kirkpatrick of the U of Birmingham. The report is in association with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England. Children in Denmark, Holland, Sweden and Germany are well ahead of English children in legal requirements on schools to involve children in a wide range of decision-making committees; participation by children in the development of curriculum and teaching methods; pupil representation on local, regional and national education committees; and, funding and support for national unions of school students.

Also related is the work of Drs. Raymond Moore (recently deceased) and Dorothy Moore who over many articles and books counseled educators and parents to delay instruction until the child exhibited readiness to learn. They encouraged following the child’s natural interests and pace for learning. Their recommended formula for learning in The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook is 30-180 minutes of study, 30-180 minutes of real work and additional time in service to others.

Institute for Humane Education

Wayne Jennings — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:33:21 +0000

You should see the lovely Institute for Humane Education’s video at their website. (Click on Begin the Movie above the question) The organization is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to creating a humane world through humane education. They provide on-site and online training programs, one leading to a master’s degree. Numerous materials are available.

The Secret Revolution

Wayne Jennings — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 05:41:22 +0000

Our plea for choices as the IALA mission finds a powerful rationale in this new book: The Secret Revolution: A Psychologist’s Adventures in Education by Emmanuel Bernstein. He describes how conventional schooling destroys many students and what needs to be done. He is fair and even-handed in recognizing that even conventional schooling works for some and that democratic education doesn’t work for everyone. Still, conventional schooling must change dramatically to foster the potential in all students. Highly recommended!

Don Glines said of the book: “Dr. Bernstein brings to life a monumental collection of philosophies, histories, personal experiences, programs, descriptions, viewpoints, and research calling for a transformation away from uniform schooling toward personalized learning options. This staggering compendium is essential reading for parents, educators, and politicians, for it is perhaps the best book written clarifying the need for educational alternatives–not just for the few–but for everyone.”

Holistic Education Approach

Wayne Jennings — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:20:18 +0000

Dr. Ron Miller of Paths of Learning and passionate advocate for democratic education says: “Holistic education began to emerge as a coherent philosophy in the mid-1980s and is today becoming recognized in many parts of the world as an inspiring response to the serious challenges of this age of globalization, such as violence, cultural disintegration, and ecological decline.”

He argues that holistic education uses the best of research and practice and addresses the needs of a democratic society for socially responsible people. Miller writes authoritatively about the growth of free and democratic schools, progressive education and the purposes of schooling. He teaches at Goddard College, is an international speaker and edits the AERO newsletter, Education Revolution.

International Democratic Education Conference

Wayne Jennings — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 23:47:57 +0000

The 14th International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) was held this past July in Sydney, Australia. 250-300 people from 15 countries attended. The event is relevant to today

Democratic Schools Directory

Wayne Jennings — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:10:44 +0000

“Democratic education is an educational approach grounded in respect for human rights and a broad interpretation
of learning, in which students have the freedom to organize their daily activities, and in which there is equality and democratic decision-making among students and staff.” This definition is from the Directory of Democratic Education just published for $20 by Alternative Educational Resource Organization as an inaugural edition. It lists contact and descriptive information for 175 democratic schools in 28 countries. It includes 15 colleges and universities with programs and 15 organizations supportive of democratic education plus a bibliography and 10 articles by leading practitioners. This is a valuable resource about a little-known choice in education. Most of the schools are private but some are public.

Gene Carter, Executive Director of ASCD says, “…they {schools} should be laboratories of democracy…” Patrick McQuillan of Boston College say, “…most American youth are socialized for adult civic life by an institution that defines them as passive and subordinate and treats them in ways that are anything but democratic.” Perhaps, we should take an interest in the operation of democratic schools to observe their results.

Alternatives in India

Wayne Jennings — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 06:33:43 +0000

John Loflin worked with India educators to succeed with greater numbers of students using the results of research on learning, experiences with alternatives and the promise of democratic schools. This report contains valuable references about brain based learning, individualized learning and other aspects of school reform. The discussions created a powerful rationale for providing alternatives to serve all students in an area of schools serving 9,000 students.

Personalized Education

Wayne Jennings — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 15:39:34 +0000

Personalized Education Now advocates student managed learning, a shift from dependency to independence, use of an educational landscape of opportunities, and other advanced concepts. Their 2 newsletters and 2 journals provide lively paradigm shifting items to advocate for learner-centered, learner-directed and democratic programs. A related organization Education Heretics Press offers well-received but radical books including Natural Learning and the Natural Curriculum, Comparing Learning Systems and items on home schooling. Probably no one does a better job of documenting the harsh reality of traditional practices on the human spirit and learning.

They provide descriptions of new approaches to learning, vision statements, principles, alternatives to schools, critiques on testing, book reviews, upcoming conferences and more. Janet and Roland Meighan of Bramcote Hills, Nottingham, England and the board of trustees provide an excellent international resource and are highly recommended sources for serious critics of traditional practices.