Continuation of discussion from the thread Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
I would like to hear more about the history of Barton and the other open schools. I was a Marcy Open school parent in the late 1980's. At that point the open schools still had a spotty reputation. Barton is now one of the top schools because its program is based on sound principles and it has been resistant to reforms which the distinct administration has imposed on most of the other schools. The most pernicious of those reforms is the reintroduction of curriculum differentiation in the early elementary grades via part-time tracking and ability-grouping. Open schools were a new thing back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, and I am sure that it took most of the teachers a while a figure out how to teach effectively with an approach they were unfamiliar with. The open schools are really based on an old model of teaching and are in some respects a throwback to the public schools of the late 19th century. The more successful open school programs are similar to the Montessori schools. The Montessori schools have multiage, multi-ability classrooms which were typical of public schools in their formative years -- the 1870s and 80s. Montessori teachers do not group students in any way, although the students work in groups: They group themselves, and generally not according to ability. Compared to most public school programs, learning activities in a Montessori classroom are more student-centered and the curriculum is more individualized. The teachers are less engaged in tutorial activities and more engaged in active observation and individualized educational planning. -Doug Mann, King Field Educationright.tripod.com In a message dated 6/15/2003 11:25:39 AM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > It is always interesting to see how parents perceive changes in the school > district regarding learning styles and quote the "SLC" curriculum. Do you > all know Barton School and its reputation today. Barton is classified as an > open school and a merger between Lake Harriet Open School (Fulton Open) and > Harrison Open. When Lake Harriet Open School first started, the turnover > was extremely high. Why, because the parents did not understand the concept > or have the patience to see what would happen to their child as the school > began to identify itself. It needed time to develop its own personality and > learn how to became the school it is. Just like a human who does not have > an indentifiable personality when born. Now look at Barton, one of the top > schools in the city. I believe that we have to give "SLC" a chance to > develop itself and see how the students achieve in later life. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
