What is Democratic Education?By Sarah DeWeese UCD Fall 2010

“Meaningful participation, personal initiative, with equality and justice for all.” – IDEA (Institute for Democratic Education in America”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LbZ3XcfK4

Why do we NEED Democratic Education?

For a vision of students TODAY watch this video here --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=related

“Every student that fails, costs the nation approximately $260,000 over his or her lifetime.

More than 12 million students are expected to drop out over the next decade, costing the nation $3

trillion.”

- Alliance for Excellent Education 2007.

Time for a WebQuest!

Pick two of the following to learn more about:

A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School

Sudbury Valley School

Fertile Grounds: The Hallway Project

Waldorf Education in Charter Schools

The next slides will have more directions/ information…

Ask the following questions of each model as you read and do research:

How is this school model different from a traditional school?

What benefits does this type of education seem to have?

What are some of the concerns or drawbacks to this type of education?

A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School

Activities Students can choose from:

Gardening, Bug Study, The Game of Diplomacy, Magic Lessons, Psychology for Kids, Thinking Skills and Games, Photography and Photoshop, Afternoon Walks, Computer Strategy Games, Writing, Making a Radio, Play Chess, Macramé…

Open these links to find the answers:http://summerhill-photographers.co.ukwww.summerhillschool.co.uk

Even though this is a Private School, what lessons could this model offer Public Education?

Sudbury Valley School

How could this private school’s values be adapted to affect the way public education educates students? Is the model too extreme? Watch & decide.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awOAmTaZ4XI&feature=related

Fertile Grounds: The Hallway Project

Read about and see the video about this program incorporated in a high school in New York:

http://www.fertilegrounds.org/hallway_project

A philosophy of education first practiced in private schools, now making it’s way into the public sector. Watch and form an opinion for yourself.

http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse-video

Waldorf Education in Charter Schools

Waldorf education, in general, values the following:

family and community lifea healthy unfolding of childhoodjoy in the learning processviable alternatives to high-stakes testingage-appropriate use of electronic media and computerseducation focused on wholeness in body, mind, and spiritintellectual excellence, imagination, strong memory, and problem-solving skillstraining of ethical and moral judgmentbeauty of the environment as a formative force in the child's world.

-- Windows into Waldorf, An Introduction to Waldorf Education

Share out what you’ve learned…

Time to go back to the online discussion board.Comment on the following threads –

1)What two schools of Democratic Education did you research? What do you think about their philosophies of education? What are some benefits and concerns?

2)Have you seen examples in public schools where students are given democratic freedoms in regards to their education? What are some ways you think students could be given more freedom?