Common concerns and questions that parents may have.....

 

How does The Family School compare to a Steiner school or Montessori school?

 

Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner both believed in childrens' innate desire to learn, both believed that human development is guided by some spiritual force of some kind. Both believed it the task of education to nurture the desire through creative activity and direct experience. Both thought that learning process is far more than than a series of abstract mental events with Montessori tending towards sensory dimensions of intelligence. Steiner was more esoteric homing in on primacy of the imagination. Although both were interested in uncaging the human spirit, they both were responsible for the development of highly structured methodologies that sometimes leave little room for children's individual developmental needs.

 

The Family School sees the development of the child as an individual within their family and wider society as paramount. Our approach is based on sound theory and research. The Family School is based on an experiential model of learning. This model draws on the work of theorists such as Carl Rogers, David Elkin and Howard Gardner; philosophers such as Dewey (1938)--"all genuine education comes through experience" and on the theories of Piaget regarding how children construct their own knowledge through interaction with the environment. In addition, children do not learn in isolation but rather in the company of their peers and significant others who can support them as they learn. In this way, the experiential model of learning is also deeply rooted in Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism. We see examples of this every day as children learn from each other, from adults and from watching and sharing in play.

 

The structure of our Family School timetable comes from the people involved in the group at any time. Their interests and concerns and stages of development are what drives the curriculum. It is deliberately loose to enable flexibility and spontenaity. We believe wholeheartedly that children are individuals should develop at their own pace and in their own way so we support a child to read when we see signs that they are ready or interested but do not impose or coerce them to do it.

 

In our classroom we see some aspects of the steiner model, for example the use of natural materials, open ended resources, the importance of imaginative play, oral storytelling, creative activities, engagement with nature and an understanding of the seasons. We find Montessori equipment such as the movable alphabet immensely useful in supporting our children's emergent writing and spelling and we do use some Montessori early maths and sensory equipment.

 

However there are however key differences. The Steiner model has no books in the classroom for under sevens, we have many. Children will read at different ages with us, whereas the Steiners teach reading as a skill to all at a given age. Our respectful communication techniques for helping children to resolve any problems that come up are unique to our approach. Our curriculum is also very different in that it is genuinely child centred and emerges from the children concerned and is not laid down nor is it delivered to whole class groups. Children play a lot in our 4 - 7s group like they do in the Steiner kindergarden but at 7 the Steiners adopt a more structured delivery based curriculum where our children are still able to self initiated plans and manage their own school day. We find that the character of their activities develop from largely play into being more project oriented as they get older.

 

- What about the academic skills of reading and writing and maths? What role does the Family School plays in that?

 

Often we as a society confuse the acquisition of skills with learning. Reading is a skill set that is useful for pursuing knowledge and information. Reading is unfortunately often taught as a subject, as an end in itself. At the Family School we see reading not as the thing to learn, but as a means to learning and knowledge acquisition.

 

Much research has been done regarding early childhood learning and skills acquisition, especially with regard to early reading.

 

Several educational theorists have looked at the differences in the approach to teaching reading in the various areas of the world. In the French-speaking areas of Switzerland, where early reading skills are taught to preschoolers, there is a large percentage of children who later are assessed as poor readers, whereas in the German-speaking areas of the country, children do not begin formal reading instruction until age seven and very few children experience reading difficulties later. Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood in German-Speaking Switzerland: A Case Study; Marti-Bucknall, Wendy; Childhood Education, Vol. 78, 2002

 

 

It should be noted that Finland, which does not begin formal education until age 7, consistently scores highest internationally in reading comprehension (as well as scoring high in mathematics and science) among 57 nations, with the most recent international study (PISA Programme fir International Student Assessment) conducted in 2006. Programme for International Student Assessment. http://finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25825

 

 

Longitudinal studies, which can overcome some of the built-in problems of attempting to “study” learning and classroom behaviors, have been conducted in various countries through out the past century, and consistently show that an experiential early learning model seems to work most effectively. In Denmark, where reading is not taught formally until after the age of 7, there is a very high literacy rate (97%). An older study carried out by Carleton Washburn in the U.S. indicates that formal instruction in reading could be taught at age 4.5, 6. Or 7 with no differences in reading ability showing up at age 14. However, the children assessed at age 14 by independent assessors with no prior knowledge of when the child learned to read, showed that those who learned later were more motivated to read independently.

 

 

We are not adopting a particular set age to start teaching reading or writing skills. Nor do we teach reading or writing to the group in a formal, structured way or to any set style. We do teach reading and writing and maths but in a more informal, indirect way. All of the children at the Family School currently are interested in reading and writing and are each progressing at his or her own pace in developing these skills. On any given day you will find various children creating books, listening to stories, reading a book together, making up stories and asking an adult to write them down, writing songs, plays and puppet performances, writing letters, writing poems, cutting out letters, making lists of rhyming words, labeling artwork and telling stories. Books and the written word play a large part in the classroom, as do games, music, songs, creative and imaginative play, measuring, counting, weighing, cooking, building, quantifying and many, many other skills and activities. Over time these skills will evolve and the day will become more project based. But again, this will all be based on the interests of the children and adults who are in the classroom. As the school grows and when we have a group of children who are 7 and older, we will most likely begin to introduce other learning models. The Cuisenaire Rods will become more essential in studying mathematics; we may include a Writers’ Workshop. If a child under the age of seven were to say “I want to learn to read.” There would be a place for this. We want children to learn at their own pace and in their own style. If a family is preparing to move or the child is going to be enrolling in a different school then a meeting could be held and all involved would discuss how best to prepare that child for the transition.

 

How many teachers are there?

Virginia is our Director of Education and she has responsibility for the detailed implementation of the curriculum and day-to-day school management and family involvement. At the moment she works in the classroom with Maryanne who is an experienced co-teacher and Justin, an intern who went to a school like this in the States, together with parent assistants and visiting experts and volunteers who run many varied classroom activities.

 

For each group we always plan to have a high adult to child ratio.

 

Will you be following the National Curriculum?

Everyone associated with the National Curriculum, Key Stages and SATS is likely to be aware of the strait-jacket it imposes on teachers and pupils alike, with too many objectives and targets.

 

So we have decided not to follow the National Curriculum (although it will be kept in the background for reference and to "benchmark" our children against their peers in more conventional schools) - we have read a lot of progressive thinking about other ways of designing a broad and balanced curriculum. We like approaches known as 'enquiry based learning' or 'emergent curricula' as developed by the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy and child centred "Free School" models from the USA.

 

Explain what is meant by the 'Emergent Curriculum'.

This method builds on the enthusiasms and actions of children, serendipitous events and the skills offered by the adults during the sessions using the energy and interest these generate, and evolving learning activities from them. The knowledge and experience of professional teachers ensures that these learning activities are guided and encouraged so that each child, over the course of their time in the school, experiences and gains knowledge, confidence and skills in the various subject areas.

 

This style of curriculum planning is based in the following premises:

 

1. Curriculum is what actually happens in an educational environment, not what is planned to happen.
2. Everything in the world is on the curriculum for young children.
3. Young children invent and organize their own curriculum all the time. They are actively motivated learners, studying the world through their play, their interests and enthusiasms.
4. Creative energy comes from intrinsic motivation, from doing what one wants to do when one wants to do it.
5. Young children are active learners. Curriculum planning should focus on action, not lessons to be taught.
6. All curriculum plans are tentative, and children modify them by their response. Like the universe, curriculum is always expanding. To carry out this approach teachers engage in an ongoing process of planning, analyzing, observing, and evaluating the children's activities, ideas, needs and interest.

 

The curriculum in the kindergarden group will largely emerge from childrens' free-play activities as well as adult and child initiated planned activities. The older group's daily activities will also emerge from the interests of the adults and children involved at the time but will often develop on a deeper level into extended "projects", sometimes on an individual basis, sometimes in a group.

 

Teachers work with the children develop a 'web of possibilities', exploring topics that interest them, then naturally extending these into new areas of discovery in a natural, inquisitive way. This style not only allows space for fascinating deviations, but means that individual children can feel a continuous connection running through all their activities, rather than arbitrary 'subject' categories.

The experience of this flexible, varied and responsive flow of activities will require and encourage the children to interact on a variety of levels: social, personal, emotional, and intellectual, using the full range of possibilities:- listening, speaking, writing, researching, making, reading, understanding, experimenting, observing, planning, acting, analysing, singing, predicting, recording, making music, designing, dancing.

 

Working with the children, the teachers draw out activities for exploration. The teacher's job is to use their skill and knowledge to engage with the children with their choice of activities in a deep and broad way.

 

More specifically, the teacher works with the children to think of many connections as possible from each subject, and draw upon the resources of their own and parents knowledge and skills, as well as considering whether visitors from outside can add to the richness of the experience. The children will learn to look upon the teacher as a source of exciting new avenues of enquiry into subjects that they are already interested in.

 

Teachers will be looking all the time for opportunities to encourage the development of skills, experience and knowledge in all the curriculum areas.

 

A child who is interested in tennis, to take a seemingly limiting example, can be introduced to the science of materials through the different types of racquets; can look at the social, cultural and economic history of the sport and its relation to wider issues; can be introduced to concepts of speed, time and distance in relation to service delivery (statistics too); can be introduced to the interesting concepts required for the understanding of slow motion replays - perhaps being introduced to the early time and motion photography of Edward Muybridge; can learn about the various muscle, bone and tendon groups involved in playing the game, and plan an exercise regime that develops them; can find out about the Barnardo's children who traditionally act as ball boys and girls at Wimbledon; can be asked to organise a visit to the All England Club for others in the school; can read Betjeman poems about tennis; can consider issues relating to sex equality over the issue of prize money; can try to design and build a ball lobbing machine so they can practice alone ... the list can be extended for as long as you want, and each separate avenue of enquiry may well throw up further interesting subjects.

 

All of this will be engaged with and developed by the children as a natural result of their carefully supported interest in their project as it develops.

 

A vital part of each plan/project will be the documentation, often by the children, of their work. This re-presentation of their own journey of discovery and the outcome of their efforts will both reinforce the experience, skills and knowledge learnt, will develop further skills of communication and presentation, and will give immense positive feedback and self-esteem as they review what they have produced.

 

 

Why do you place importance on communication skills?

Developing listening and articulation skills will be especially important for the early years group. Listening is a prerequisite of any teaching-learning relationship. Listening is a relationship of reciprocity - it means being open to and welcoming differences:recognizing the value of points of view and interpretations of others. It means waiting and expecting whilst people express themselves, it means having the capacity to respect others and what they have to say.

 

Articulating thoughts helps to consolidate them. Children obviously have the capacity for reciprocal listening and mutual respect but it needs to be supported, practiced and encouraged. Children need to be able to discuss problems and plans, resolve conflicts and negotiate with one another. They learn about sharing cooperation and respect. Through interaction with others the child finds his own identity.

 

 

What are the 'adult led activities'?

'Learning by doing' will be the watchword for these activities. Wherever possible reading, writing, science and maths opportunities will be built into these carefully chosen authentic activities.

 

• Gardening, growing and food - with a focus on organic cooking and gardening, growing things, engagement with the natural world - obvious connections here with science, but also opportunities for artistic work and social connections outside the site - we hope to look after local people's gardens for them, and we already run a vegetable box scheme. We often cook with the children several times a week.
• Making Things - all sorts of practical and artistic creations - cooking, art and craft, design and construction etc. We currently go to pottery workshops every week run by Clapham Pottery. This year we have made a tractor and a train, lots of puppets, sculptures, towers, stations, spiders and webs.
• Music/Performance - music and drama, often linked to upcoming events, but also a time for individual music study.
• Sport, games and exercise - for example, sports, dance, yoga, co-operative games. This is obviously the physical exercise part of the week, but connections are also made with creative expression, experience with competition and co-operation, self-awareness and self-confidence. We regularly visit local parks and the nearby basketball court. One of the children is amazingly accurate scoring many hoops every time we go!

 

Additional activities will often be suggested by the children, for example we can envisage all sorts of exciting ideas...skipping, swimming, football, playing trains, scrapheap/recycling workshops, environmental crafts, bicycles workshop, book club, chess club...the scope is endless!

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I've noticed you say you are 'non-denominational' - what is your attitude to religious education?

The Family School is non-religious. The founding parents come from a variety of religious, non religious and spiritual backgrounds, with an awareness of different religions. The Family School will encourage children to appreciate the wonder and ultimate un-knowability of the Universe, and will seek to engage children as appropriate in discussions as to what that might mean for them.

The school is open to families and children of any religious leaning, or none, as long as these are similarly tolerant of those of other, or no, faith, and as long as there is no intent to evangelise.

The Family School will encourage study and understanding of all and any religions, as real features of the world around us, when and if relevant to the wider curriculum. However, there will be no teaching of religion as a specific part of the curriculum.

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There is no mention of computers or IT - what is the policy?

Computers are moving more and more to the centre of everyday life, and the Family School does use them in the classroom (primarily as a research resource), however it doesn't feel that there is any great need for children in the younger age group to spend extended time with them. If anything, use of computers at this age disconnects children from more important physical and mental exercise.

 

Engagement with programmable toys and robots will be encouraged, particularly for the older group. Getting a fundamental grasp of the mechanistic, logical nature of computers in this way is significantly more empowering than learning how to use a word processor. Use of computers will not be banned, but children will need to make a clear case for their particular relevance to the task at hand.

 

Computer games and game consoles will not be permitted on the site. Calculators will be actively discouraged. Screens will be used only occasionally for presentation of films and slideshows - there will be no television on the site.

 

Will there be lots of homework?

No! The Family School doesn't have a policy of setting homework.

 

However, if someone expresses an interest in continuing to discover more with regard to project s/he is working on then support would be given to suggest ways that this could be done. It would be entirely the child's decision as to how much of this they do, if any. And it certainly won't be handed in for marking the following day!

 

Will there be tests and exams?

No, the Family School will not carry out the government SATS and will have no framework of testing or target chasing. We will however monitor the progress that children make by documenting the work undertaken in various ways for example keeping their work, photographing and videoing certain projects and noting things that occur. This documentation is then used for reflection and critical analysis by the teachers on a regular basis.

 

 

If there are no SATS and you are not following the National Curriculum what will happen when the children are 11?

We aim for all our children to have the necessary skills - be they academic, practical and social to be able to transfer into mainstream education if required. Ideally we will evolve a secondary school for them.

 

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