THE LISTERINE THEORY: IS YOUR CHILD PAMPERED?

"Is your child pampered in a way?"

I was asked this question by a colleague when I posted in FB that my firstborn is studying in a progressive elementary school.

Do I feel like my child is pampered? Definitely. And in many ways.

If it means that my child finds so much happiness in school that she looks forward to going to class everyday, then yes, my child is pampered.

If it means that my child is always eager to learn something new, then yes, my child is pampered.

If it means that my child is excited to do her homework (which doesn't feel like work) on her own even on a Friday night, then yes, my child is pampered.

If it means that my child asks, nay, begs to be given challenging problems in Math and Science, then yes, my child is pampered.

"Why are our schools not places of joy?" This was the question posed by John Godlad twenty five years ago. Alfie Kohn calls it the Listerine Theory of Education. "If it tasted vile, it obviously had to work well." Never mind about child stress. Never mind that young children barely have time to play.

Somewhere along the way, our educators equated more assignments, more advanced topics, more subjects with better quality of education. In the process, learning became a chore, a bitter pill to swallow.

I know how it's like to dread going to school. I know how it feels like to spend hours studying something not because I really like it but because I have to. I've been through that--when I was in law school.

My daughters can wait until law school to feel that. But for now, I want them to find joy in learning.



Source: Alfie Kohn, Feel-Bad Education

*If you want to read the free and abbreviated version of Alfie Kohn's Feel-Bad Education, please check this. But if you want to read more, then you may want to check the book itself.

EXPERIENCING "EXPERIENTIAL" LEARNING

Experiential learning.

I've encountered this term a number of times in the past 5 years. I've heard of it from school administrators, teachers and even parents. I've read about it in books, online fora and blogs. And with two daughters who are enrolled in progressive schools, I've actually experienced it.

So what is experiential or active learning?

"Active learning takes place with experiences. As students have various experiences, they pick up knowledge. Students will learn more about zoo animals by going to a zoo than by reading about a zoo in a book. Students will learn more about fall leaves by collecting them than by listening to a teacher talk about what they look like. Experiential learning includes all senses, such as sight, smell, sound and touch, to create an overall learning experience." (Source: Active Learning for Children)

Experiential education is often contrasted with didactic education, in which the teacher's role is to "give" information/knowledge to student and to prescribe study/learning exercises which have "information/knowledge transmission" as the main goal. (Source: What is Experiential Learning?)

And so in the spirit of experiential learning, my daughters and I have been to Sta. Elena Fun Farm to see farm animals in action. After seeing what a carabao looks like, my then 4-year old daughter exclaimed, "Oh, a carabao is different from a cow!"

The carabao at work. :)

The carabao at rest.

Do you know what a chrysalis is? I don't. At least not before my daughters pointed out that it's a pupa, the third stage in a butterfly's life cycle. Years after visiting the Marikina Butterfly Farm, they can still remember it because they actually saw a chrysalis.

What about the different rooms in a house? It might be a little boring for a 3 or 4-year old to read about it. But learning becomes more exciting when there's a house visit! 

The usual "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a source of an animated discussion especially if a doctor or a dentist (or even a lawyer!) is invited to talk about what he or she does.

Who are the community helpers? Have you met them? My daughters did when they visited a fire station and met real firemen.

And how do you explain fractions to a 4 or 5-year old child? You invite them to a pizza house! After seeing how the pizza is cooked and sliced, the teacher can now start explaining the concept of fractions, and hopefully, before the pizza is all gone!

Is your child having problems mastering left and right, forward and backward? My daughter happily told me that she enjoyed a game in class where they were grouped in twos. To pass through an imaginary maze and reach the finish line, her teammate has to follow her instructions. "One step to the right. Two steps to the left. Two steps forward..."

Oh, and this one is a favorite. How will your child remember the different parts of a fish? By "inviting" Mr. Tilapia in class! How do you explain the difference between a living and non-living thing? Let the kids observe mongo sprouts grow side by side the "it's-not-alive" stone.

Of course, there are times when the subject matter could not, for practical reasons, be the subject of experiments, field observations, field trips, games, role playing. This is where imagination comes in. And so when my daughter was asked to bring a picture of an animal that lives in cold places, she also showed this picture to her classmates: 

and ended her show and tell with this question--"Doesn't Barkie look like an arctic fox?"

*If you want to know more about experiential learning, you may check this, this and this. But if you're really, really interested in it, you may want to check out John Dewey's book on Experience and Education.

RIZAL'S EXECUTION IN ACTION!

(Photo of Jose Rizal's execution taken by one
Manuel Arias Rodriguez
Courtesy of Norman Sison)

A Facebook friend who is a history buff shared this picture with the note that Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was actually shot by Filipino troops. Behind these Filipino soldiers were Spanish army troops who were there to insure that the Filipinos would do the job.

As 2011 marks our national hero's 150th year, I mentioned this tidbit of history to my 8-year old daughter.

"But I know that already!" she exclaimed. "Cesar Montano was in our school and there was a re-enactment of Dr. Jose Rizal's execution," she continued. I could only nod as she went on saying, "Some of the older kids played as members of the Filipino troops while the others played as Spanish soldiers."

Actor Cesar Montano as J. Rizal

(F with her classmates and "Dr. Jose Rizal")*

She probably would not have remembered this historical detail if she simply read it from a book. But to witness a re-enactment of Rizal's execution, I guess that's difficult to forget!

Now, this is one of the things I like about F's non-traditional, progressive school. And it's not the showbiz part. Lessons are presented and discussed in interesting, innovative and creative ways. Lessons and homeworks are engaging and never overwhelming. As such, F is always eager to learn. In fact, she loves going to school so much that she is extremely disappointed whenever classes are suspended.

I just hope that the next time F's school invites Cesar Montano to re-enact Rizal's execution, the parents are invited as well. After all, who wouldn't want to see "Rizal" in action? :)

*To protect the privacy of the other children, I did something to blur their faces. As I'm not a techie, that's the best I can do.)

THE SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT BIG SCHOOL

I do not claim to be an expert on progressive education. In fact, I'm a product of traditional schools. I finished my undergraduate degree from a college that was founded in 1620, took up law (a course that required a lot of memorization) in a school that's celebrating its centennial year this 2011, and is trying to finish MBA in a Jesuit university.

But both of my daughters are studying in non-traditional, progressive, and yes, (as one of my colleagues tactlessly put it) unheard of schools.

Initially, my husband was bent on enrolling our daughters in an exclusive Catholic school for girls. His arguments are sound. This established school has a proven track record and better facilities, not  to mention the prestige that the school's "brand" brings. 

After several talks, I was able to convince him to at least have an open mind and consider the other options. The school was  in issue.  Our goal--to send our firstborn to an elementary school that will nurture her as an individual learner; help us instill in her the right values; encourage her to ask questions and dream--was not.

In our search for the right school for our daughter, we did the following:

Start the Search Early

This is very important. If your child will enter big school next school year, then I suggest you start the search as early as July of the current year. Why? Because some schools hold their entrance exams as early as October and you still need to collate all the application requirements. This will also give time for some tiger Moms out there to prepare their children for the entrance exam. :D

 Know the Various Options

 

Initially, we searched the internet for the various educational systems that we have here in the country. We are familiar with the traditional Catholic school system but we don't really know much about the non-traditional kind (there's an entire gamut--from progressive to Montessori, Waldorf, multiple intelligences).  These are some of the materials we found in the internet:

Traditional vs. Progressive

Montessori vs. Progressive (It talks of preschools but the philosophies underlying the Montessori and progressive systems are explained) 

Pros and Cons - Traditional and Progressive

Will my child survive a traditional school after going to a progressive school? 

Active (experiential) Learning

*I did the internet search almost a year and a half ago and marked the sites as "favorites". Unfortunately, I erased most of them from my favorites after finally making our choice.

We were fortunate that the progressive preschool Fran was then enrolled in conducted an informal forum on the different educational philosophies. The school did not only invite experts who explained the differences in the pedagogical philosophies, it also invited parents with children enrolled in these various schools. These parents candidly shared their experiences, their reasons why they chose the school and the pros and cons of each type of system. 

Ask the Teachers' Advice

F has been with her progressive preschool since she was 3 years old. By the time she turned 6 (and we were then starting with our big school search), her teachers already knew her pretty well, her strengths and weaknesses, her abilities and capabilities. And so during our one-on-one parent-teacher meeting, I asked her teacher for her honest opinion on what's the best type of school for Fran. Since the teachers in her preschool have Master's degree in Family and Child Development from UP Diliman, I was confident that I'd be getting good advice. (Of course, it was expected that a progressive school is on the top of her teachers' list :D)

Make a Shortlist

After (1) getting as much information on the different pedagogical philosophies,  (2) an honest assessment of Fran's abilities and (3) bearing in mind our goal as parents, we narrowed down our options to two--the exclusive Catholic school and a progressive, non-traditional school.

Getting to Know the School and its Teachers

For some parents, distance and travel time are not major considerations in choosing their child's school. But I personally feel that if adults are stressed out by the maze that is EDSA, what more with a 7-year old child? With this limitation in mind, we had in our list 2 QC-based Catholic schools for girls and 1 progressive school.

Aside from checking the Mission-Vision statements, my daughter and I also did site visits. Since she'll be the one who will be staying in the school for a lengthy period of time, it's reasonable that she should like "the feel" of the place. In the process, I also observed the students. Do they look stressed out? Do they look happy? 

It will be good if the school will allow you to sit in during class. But if this is not possible, then check how the students outside the classroom interact with the teachers and other persons in authority. Do they look afraid? Or do they freely converse with their teachers?

Playing it Safe

My daughter took two entrance exams--one from a Catholic school and the other one from a progressive school. It's always good to have a back-up plan. (She passed the entrance exam of both schools.) 

In the end, we (my husband, F and I) chose a progressive school located in QC. So far, we have no regrets in making that decision. By now, I'm already used to answering questions like, "San 'yon?" whenever I talk about Fran's school. But then again, how many can say that they attended their children's school programs with Sharon, Kiko and KC, Cesar and Sunshine, Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa in the audience? :D

*Here's my post on our experiences in a progressive preschool.