A New View of Education

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

Previous 1 2

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

pause

Sat, Dec 01 2018, 6:26 pm

I think the main hurdle would be the expense. Most RW families, whether chassidish or yeshivish, have larger than average families. Those parents, even those who see the benefits of a Montessori type education, won't be able to afford the inevitably higher tuition, when they can barely afford tuition as is.

amother

Ruby

Sat, Dec 01 2018, 6:40 pm

pause wrote:

Agreed. And you need well-trained teachers in this method for it to work, which will cost more and be difficult to find within the community.

Also, they would need to be very well connected for the institutions they feed into to take them seriously. The different methods and system of grading would be seen warily by high schools and seminaries. In some ways it's easier for boys, who they can faheir in the traditional way and see what they know and how they learn. But with girls, they need to be able to compare, and usually use grades and content more, and being a school they trust is very important. There is a frum Montessori-type school I know of with a consistent boys school, but not girls.

studying_torah

Sat, Dec 01 2018, 6:49 pm

Groissa momma, is this a real school you're talking about or an idealized one? It sounds amazing but I never heard of a frum school like that.

amother

Babypink

Sat, Dec 01 2018, 7:09 pm

I stead of creating a brand new school that will inevitably be lacking in funds, we can train our teachers to teach within a different framework, modified rubrics and child-centred learning.

I am chassidsh, I work in a right wing yeshivish boys school out of town. I am university educated and certified to teach at the elementary level (I don’t live in the states and the certification process is complicated. This should be much easier in NYS). My classroom is centre based. Most of the learning takes place in small groups while the rest of the students are working on projects or exploring hands on activities that are related to the subject being taught. We do have some mini lessons that are taught to the entire class, but they are short and usually take place on the floor (!!!! So that students can stretch, move or just breathe for heavens sake!).

I’ve taught with this approach at chassidish high schools and I’ve taught subjects that required the students to take government exams. There are ways to teach the standardized subject matter in non-standard ways.

The biggest push-back so far has been from parents in my classes who are teachers themselves and disagree with creative teaching methods.

It can and should be done. We don’t need new schools. We need administrations that are less into power struggles and more into learning about the struggling students and helping them shine.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 1:01 am

I was a teacher in a chassidishe headstart. We did a lot of hands on learning & centers.
The way I understand Montessori to be is kid is own boss....so can maybe learn on own pace & experiment but then you also end up with no respect for higher ups... you are on same level & entitlement.
I would encourage a mix of creative teaching with outlets but needs to have structured learning as well. Not only textbooks & sheet tests & lectures but also not playing all day with no tests

groisamomma

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 2:17 am

studying_torah wrote:

Groissa momma, is this a real school you're talking about or an idealized one? It sounds amazing but I never heard of a frum school like that.

It’s a public school. A frum school wouldn’t survive financially with all that’s needed to pull it off.

imasoftov

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 6:07 am

If you let the children make choices they'll go on wanting it when they become adults.

Rappel

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 6:29 am

Babypink - do you know of any resources which delineate the specifics of your approach? I want to learn more.

Imasoftov - LOL

amother

Pewter

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 8:28 am

amother wrote:

This is amazing!

Yes, something like this, but I wonder if it would work well in, say, Chasidish communities?

This school is in Crown Heights.
It mainly attracts modern families, though it does also attract children with learning and behavioral issues.

If a child doesn’t want to do any work, they are not left on their own to just play randomly all day. They have to choose from several “centers” how to learn the subject.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 10:02 am

my children go to a montessouri school. It's not really like what's being described here. It's not a free for all at all. The teachers decide what the kids are learning not the other way around. I think things might sometimes look different in the theoretical then the reality. Their school definitely doesn't work for everyone. I know children who switched out and did a lot better elsewhere.
The more yesheivish people don't usually send to our school and it's not due to price. There is a belief that the boys learning in a montessouri school is not on par with other yeshivas and it'll be harder to get in to a good yeshiva.

ectomorph

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 10:12 am

My kids go to an extreme Montessori school due to lack of choice for me. My child was not doing well in a regular place.

At home I am very disciplined with them which I hope balances out some of the negatives of the school.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 10:15 am

ectomorph- is that for preschool or elementary?

ectomorph

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 10:37 am

amother wrote:

ectomorph- is that for preschool or elementary?

preschool. I worry that they are not learning parsha and basics. But we're happy there for now

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 10:47 am

I think its very school specific. they teach parsha...in our montessouri pre-school in case people start getting an idea that all montessouri schools are like that. I know you wrote that your school is "extreme" but people who aren't familiar might not know what aspects make it extreme.

ectomorph

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 11:05 am

Yes thats y I wrote its extreme. I work on basics at home w the kids. But it has positives. My child is doing much better emotionally and socially and now regularly enjoys play dates.

amother

Gold

Sun, Dec 02 2018, 11:08 am

I think every Montessori school structures itself differently, based on what I've seen. I've worked in two Montessori schools in my area (not tri state) and neither has impressed me, for various reasons. The school that my own kids attend is definitely more progressive than the one I attended as a child, which I appreciate- they enjoy school more as a result, and they probably retain what they learn better as well. It's not a special school, I think this is just the direction the education world is moving in, in general.

Page 2 of 2

Previous 1 2