Two democratic schools - Israel vs Denmark

A democratic school runs by a system in which both students, teachers and staffs are equally involved in decision-making and routine-setting. In a democratic school, children decide what to learn, how to learn it and with whom they learn. Some democratic schools are designed for expeled students for they cannot cope with the "normal" education system. The first video below is an example of such, this democratic school in Israel has rooms from children whose talent is not in reading or writing. The second democratic school is in Denmark; children decide when to go to school and what to learn.

The idea of a democratic school is quite out-of-boundary in the sense of a regular school system, yet when you dig deeper, you see how it resembles the real world - where there is choas, there is also order.

1. A democratic school in Israel

2. A democratic school in Denmark

A green school in Bali, Indonesia

In the midst of Bali, Indonesia, there sits a green school. Students grow their own vegetables and have close contact with animals. The educational model follows the Steiner system which emphasizes on balance among academic, artistic and social learning. Here is an introduction video by CNN; you may visit the GREEN SCHOOL SITE if you'd like to know more!

Finland's Education Success

"Children here do the least number of class hours per week in the developed world
AND
get the best results."

Please click HERE to visit Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture

Homeschooling - Is it adequate?

I had an interesting discussion on homeschooling in Hong Kong with a parent. She is frustrated by Hong Kong's education policies and the policy changes in her daughters' school. So she wants to withdraw her children from school, at least for a while, so that she can homeschool them. Unfortunately, homeschooling is illegal in Hong Kong.

Since it is not an alternative to formal education, Hong Kong parents would not bother to further investigate into the pros and cons of homeschooling. The only pieces of relevant knowledge would be from the news when it reports how particular parents got sued for withdrawing their children from school regardless their intention.

Though we don't have much knowledge on homeschooling, the impression we have is quite negative - homeschooling doens't provide children with the right social up-bringing, parents' role should not be confused with that of an educator. However, parents may be shocked when they see the graph above (click on graph for its source from 1998), which tells us the academic achievement of homeschool children in comparison to children who recieve formal schooling. There are other researches, like the Homeschooling Grows Up research survey from 2003, which prove how successful homeschooling create better students and citizens.

Click here for the TIME article, Seceding from school (August 2001), mentioned in the survey.

Honestly, I'm not a supporter of homeschooling either due to my own upbringing and lack of knowledge in this area. However, after reading some researches and sharings, I started reflecting on how the home (caregivers and the environment) is contributing to the socialization of the younger generation. We are aware of the imperfection in the school system and education policy, yet after our children enters the school, "home" plays such a passive and minor role in their learning. Parents' role is only to cooperate and cater for schools needs (namely financial ones), is this right? Homeschooling has been the mode of learning throughout history before the concept of formal schooling and compulsory education were born; it has given birth to many great thinkers, philosophers, artists and scientists. Is formal schooling only a way to keep society in order and it has actually been supressing a lot of new thoughts and ideas?

Furthermore, as a promoter of creativity education, I am particularly interested in looking at how a structured homeschool arts program help nurture children's creativity. Schools are already putting too much emphasis on academic subjects like English and Math; are parents faciliatating learning by giving children more English and Math homework at home? Many parents are aware of how schools are not putting as much emphasis on aesthetic education as they desire, so kids are sent to music classes, drawing classes, dancing classes, etc - is this the best we can offer our children? Although homeschooling is not a choice in Hong Kong, can a homeschool arts curriculum supplement what children are lacking in their formal schooling?

What do young children deserve? - Early years education in Sweden

I mourned while I watched this episode about the preschool education system in Sweden. It's so unfair - Why can some children learn in such a free and natural environment while others need to be stuck in concrete classrooms meeting adult expectations since an early age?

I was deeply touched when I hear a few points made by the teacher, the narrator and the students:

"We go outside and play every day, even when the weather is bad"

"In the school, there is only one computer, but plenty of flowers"

"(In the early years) Children should not worry about literacy skills, they should do what children do; they play and have fun."


Part 1/3 - The system



Part 2/3 - The teachers



Part 3/3 - The parents



After watching the video, I foolishly started thinking about ways to move to Sweden, where I can be convinced to have a baby. Perhapas I can do research there? Or be a janitor at school? Or a cashier at the grocery store? - anything! I guess all moms would do anything if their children's precious childhood can be so carefully-preserved.

颳風下雨又如何﹖(An outdoor preschool in Norway)

說來慚愧﹐我大半生人都不大喜歡戶外活動。到了上大學的一次遊學﹐我才第一次躺在草地上看天空﹔而且那次更是逼不得以 - 一班女孩子嘻嘻哈哈地嚷著要躺在草地上拍張照﹐我怎好意思推搪﹖還記得躺在草地上的十數分鐘內﹐我腦海裡想著的只有害怕小蟲及螞蟻會爬到我的頭髮裡﹑有怕濕漉漉的泥土會沾到手臂上。

我在香港長大﹐“骯髒”的定義很廣 - 我從小便知道不能碰泥土裡的小蟲﹑石灘上的寄居貝殼或草地上的野花 - 因為它們都很骯髒。小孩子時代﹐有時候按不住自己的好奇心﹐會頑皮地跟這些大自然的朋友握個手。不出一分鐘﹐我便會被帶到廁所洗手。久而久之﹐我便連跟它們握手的衝動也沒了 - 大自然從此便是個陌路人。

現在的孩子﹐兩歲的時候讓他們搓泥膠﹔不消半分鐘﹐他們便會看看自己沾滿麵粉的雙手﹐嚷著要媽媽帶他們去洗手。他們用顏料畫畫﹐有水彩不小心滴到衣物上和臉上﹔傭人看在眼內﹐立即會用最快的速度把小孩子帶離“現場”﹐替他們洗臉和換衣服。漸漸地﹐孩子不想再碰那些顏料和泥膠 - 因為它們很骯髒。

在石屎森林長大的小孩﹐一句“eeeeeee! 好污糟啊!”便令自己喪失了很多接觸大自然和藝術的機會。那是多麼的可惜!

你看挪威這班上戶外學校的孩子。他們的手感受過小蟲在手心爬行那癢癢的感覺﹑感受過土豆從泥土裡剛拔出來時的濕度﹔哪怕被蟲子咬了一下﹑哪怕泥土藏於指甲逢內﹖你看他們多享受跟大自然做朋友!!他們畫火柴時不小心碰到小火種也不哼一聲﹔因為老師說只要下次小心點便可以了。

三﹑四歲的小孩子便明白天氣的變化﹔他們不會因為下雨天而失望﹐因為有些遊戲只有下雨天才能玩啊!風大一點﹐他們不會皺著眉上學﹔只要多穿一點衣服便行! 這教學模式令我很感動﹔雖然我不了解整套課程的內容﹐但至少﹐小孩子長大後會變成不怕風雨的人! 身為家長﹐還求甚麼﹖

Blue man group all-in-one

I'm awed by the performances of the Blue Man Group. Yet I haven't played any of them to children because after all, the Blue Men are quite weird and scary looking for children.

Their performance represents the essence of creativity - creating extraordinary out of the most ordinary. Their most famous stage performance includes "paint drumming" and music-making on PVC tubes.

Here's a short clip of them performing on the Jay Leno show in 2006. You'd be amazed by how they turn paper, paint and plastic drainage pipes into instruments of an amazing performance.



If you're interested in seeing more, simply search for "Blue Man Group" in Youtube; you'll see a lot of great recordings.

My sharing doesn't end here.

The Blue Man Group was founded in early 90's. Now that the founders have become fathers; they have a desire to pass on their creativity to the next generation through education. Therefore they started The Blue School in NYC.

Is it a gimmick or is it an inventive way to trigger children's creativity in a school setting? The 3 men are gonna share their intention and vision to this school.