Example Daily Schedule and Curriculum

I can't stop thinking about Someday School!

Today I worked on a sample schedule/curriculum. While the point is that students will get to choose what they work on, in order to be an approved school in Washington we still have to offer 6 hours of instruction per day. So this schedule includes lots of choices of organized classes, as well as semi-organized exploration times... but keep in mind that students will still be free to come up with their own ideas and work on their own things. They will not have to participate in every organized thing on the schedule... instead they will choose how they will use their learning time.

It is important to realize that, while Someday School gives students freedom to decide how they spend their time, it also gives them responsibility and holds them accountable. Each morning they will have to set a goal for themselves on a Kanban board. A Kanban board is a type of visual organizer that lets you see where you are and what you are moving towards. They are divided into categories. A simple one may just have the categories "Ideas," "To Do," "In Progress," and "Finished." So on a student's personal Kanban board, he may have post-it notes, each with a word or drawing about something he wants to do. These would always be added to the "Ideas" category. On Monday he might pick two or three he wants to work on that week, and move those to "To Do." Then, as he starts to work on these, he moves them to "In progress." Whenever he finishes something, he can move it to "Done." There, he can see all of the things that he has learned and accomplished over time. These might be things he is working on in the organized classes, things he is working on with a volunteer, or things he is pursuing on his own or with friends.

At the end of the week, students have Sharing/Reflection time, in which they share what they have learned and worked on by writing in a blog or journal, organizing photos, etc.
This shows that students are expected to do constructive things with their time. They may use some of their time to just relax and have fun, but they are also expected to use their brains and be a part of the school.

Here is the example schedule, if you would like to see it.It is, of course, subject to change. I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Another Rant About How Forcing Kids to Do Work is a Waste of Time

When I try to explain the concept of Someday School, and schools like it (such as Agile Learning Centers, Sudsbury Schools, Northstar, etc) many people give me the look. You may be able to imagine it... their eyes shift to the side, their eyebrows raise, their lips tighten. It is the "Hmmm, I don't know about this" look.

They sometimes ask a question such as, "But what if they don't want to do anything except play with their iPads?"

There will probably always be kids who don't want to do anything except play with their iPads. My first answer would be, we don't necessarily have to have iPads available at all times. At the Village Free School in Portland, Oregon, the staff members talk a lot with the students about the difference between tools and toys. The students are allowed to use their iPads as tools at any time they want. They have an hour of the day, in a specific room, that they are allowed to use their iPads as toys if they want to. The students helped to vote on the rules around iPad use. If you simply don't make iPads and other technology available, they'll have to make other choices.

There still might be kids who don't want to do anything. I've seen them in every public school classroom I've ever worked in. I can tell you how it might play out in a public school, with a hypothetical student we'll call Jason.

Jason is a 9-year-old fourth grader in a public school classroom. Jason hates school. When it is time for math, Jason refuses to do his worksheet. He sits at his desk and puts his head down on his arms. The teacher tells Jason that he "needs" to do his worksheet. Jason still does not do his worksheet.

The teacher finds herself with only a few options here. If she were an ABA therapist and Jason were her only student, she might be able to make him do his work. She could move his desk to a corner, block him in with her body, take his hands and physically force him to do the work. She could do this over and over, until eventually he might begin to do it on his own because it is easier than being forced. But that seems pretty harsh, and would probably be frowned upon in a general education classroom,

She could tell Jason that if he doesn't do his worksheet, he will miss recess. But the class's recess time is also the teacher's break, and she needs some time to eat lunch and get her planning done. She can't stay in and supervise a stubborn student.

She could just ignore Jason. But then, she fears that all of the other students (who are carefully watching this interaction because they are bored and this is way more interesting than a math worksheet) may start refusing to do their worksheets as well.

What often does.happen, is that the teacher gets angry and frustrated with Jason. She tries to order him to do his work. She may threaten to call his parents. Often in this scenario, Jason becomes frustrated and upset also. He may yell back at the teacher. He may stand up and overturn his desk. He may stomp out of the classroom. The principal or school security guard may be called in to "deal" with Jason. He may get suspended for the behavior that stemmed from his refusal to do a worksheet.

If this "work refusal" behavior continues, the school psychologist and special education team may get involved. They'll do a Functional Behavior Analysis on Jason to try to find out why Jason is refusing to do his worksheet. After hours of observing him and keeping data, they'll decide that Jason is refusing to do his worksheet because he wants to avoid doing his work. (Hmmm...) They'll propose giving Jason an acceptable way of avoiding doing his work temporarily. They'll give him 3 cards that say "BREAK" on them, and allow him to use these cards whenever he wants to take a 5 minute break from whatever work he's doing... with the goal being that he will, after 5 minutes, complete his work. The teacher will balk, saying that if Jason gets 5 minute breaks from his work, all of the students will want 5 minute breaks. The school psychologist will convince her to try it. However, there will be one problem. Since Jason was already not doing any work, he does not feel the need to use the break cards. Or, Jason will start to do some work, then use a break card, but refuse to return to work after 5 minutes. Another control battle will ensue. Desks may be overturned. Books may be thrown. Jason may end up in the principal's office. The school psychologist will urge the teacher to continue trying this break card strategy for 30 days and keep data on whether or not it is working. The teacher will argue that she does not have time to keep data on whether one student is working, when she has 28 other students to teach.

After 30 days, they will find that Jason is still not doing his work. The next strategy will involve a complicated system with which Jason can earn rewards such as iPad time for doing work. The teacher will be reluctant, because if Jason gets to earn iPad time, all of the students will want to earn iPad time, and we just can't have that. Still, she will feel pressured into giving it a try. It may look hopeful at first. Jason will be excited about earning iPad time. He will complete some work. He will earn his iPad time. After 5 minutes, when it is time for him to return to work, Jason will refuse to give up the iPad. It will need to be pried from his hands as he screams and fights.

An outsider may look at the situation and notice that the teacher and other staff members are spending hours upon hours of time trying to get Jason to complete worksheets. Meanwhile, the other students spend a lot of time having to do "free reading" or busy work because the teacher is occupied with Jason.

He may eventually be evaluated and found to have a behavioral disorder. A special education case manager will write a goal for him: Jason will complete his worksheets 80% of the time. The case manager will dedicate hours to finding ways to get Jason to complete his worksheets.

Have you noticed that, throughout this whole ordeal, the focus has not really been on "Is Jason learning?" but rather on, "Is Jason doing his worksheets?" or "Is Jason doing what he is told to do?"

Have you noticed that an unproportional amount of time and energy is spent on trying to get Jason to do work, rather than on trying to teach the other students anything?

What if Jason went to a school where things were looked at entirely differently?

What if the students who wanted to do a math activity (which probably wouldn't be a worksheet anyways) were in one area of the school, and Jason simply didn't have to join in if he didn't want to?

What if there was a staff member who could take a walk with Jason, spend time with him, and find out what he wants to learn about? What if Jason would rather eat turnips than do subtraction with regrouping, but he's really interested in learning multiplication?

But...

WHAT? STUDENTS GET TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY LEARN ABOUT??? THIS DEFIES THE VERY PURPOSE OF SCHOOL!

Or does it?