Questions for experts

Below is a list of questions I am compiling for my experts.



· What is your experience in teaching young children (k-6) or teenagers (7-8)?
o Are you familiar with the way young kids or teenagers learn?
· In your opinion, how important is it in an educational setting for children to have a direct or indirect connection to nature? Should they have direct access to nature where they can “freely” explore and is this important in a child’s learning process. How about a teenager?
· In your opinion, what are some of the shortcomings of our public school systems in this country or do you feel that there are any?
· The United States spends more money on education than any other country, and yet it seems that we still don’t measure up to other countries in many areas of education. Why do you suppose this is?
· Are you familiar with the exploratory learning process and do you believe it capable of being implemented into a typical public school scenario? Do you have any thoughts on this approach in regards to it positive or negative attributes?
· Are you familiar with the Montessori method of learning? Do you believe this approach is suitable to the way a child learns and develops. What are its shortcomings in your opinion?
· Are you familiar with some of the thoughts on pier mentor relationships between younger and older students? More specifically grade school and junior high. Some of the research I have done believes this is a positive for both levels of students. Do you feel that incorporating 7-8th grade level students into a learning environment with K-6 is a feasible approach, or are there to many problems involved?
· Are you familiar with some of the concepts of Group learning and do you feel that this is a valid approach to learning in a k-6 and 7-8 grade level school environment?
o Lately I have been researching the Japanese approach to education and find it quite interesting. The Japanese are constantly showing high achievement levels in comparison to the United States and the rest of the world and therefore, I felt this was a good place to look. Are you at all familiar with the Japanese approach to learning?
· The Japanese classroom is divided into “Han” groups. These groups are set up to be as diverse as possible when looking at ethnicity, academic level and economic background. Within these groups, the students are presented a problem in which they explore different ways to solve the problem. The ideas is that all members have something to contribute and learn from each other. Each of the “Han” groups then present their findings to the rest of the groups and another level of learning is presented. An interesting part of this is the teacher does not tell a student or group that the answer that was given is wrong. It is up to the other students and groups to challenge an answer. Also, because of the emphasis on diversity, a smaller rural school in Japan that does not have a great number of students is considered to be at a disadvantage. The Japanese approach is very much in contradiction to the idea of smaller classrooms as our public schools are emphasizing. Do you feel that due to the social and cultural differences between Japanese and American students that some of these ideas could be incorporated into an American school system?
o Exploratory learning has a similar approach where students explore a problem on their own, reflect on their findings in a group setting and than apply what they learned.
o There is also the concept of cooperative learning which is again similar to the above.
o Much of the new ideas in teaching math and other curriculum are emphasizing a cooperative style of learning. An environment where the teacher is not the focus and does not ask the questions, but the students ask the questions. An environment of equality not matter what the background of the student. There is of course critics out there of this approach, but there is also much evidence that shows that group learning works, but only if it is implemented in such a way that it is a key part of the learning process and not a break from the usual or a once in a while approach. What are your thoughts on a cooperative style of learning?
· Do you feel that it is valid to incorporate a learning facility into a more natural environment, or into a working ranch (I am currently looking at a site located on a working ranch just outside of my home town. Approx. 6 miles) where children learn about many natural processes, practical knowledge and food production.
· Do you feel that a practical life experience and learning is important in an education curriculum? The Montessori Method, Japanese and other approaches emphasize this. The Japanese don’t even have janitors, as the children and teachers are responsible for the care of the school. This is where I wonder if the farming, ranching and natural aspects could be important and useful.
· Do you feel that in your experience that it is possible to design an educational environment or facility around a definitive style of learning? I have been looking at certain curriculum that seem to be standard across the board and looking at what sort of environment might work well for each subject. For instance, Art is a subject that has certain spatial requirements, such as more northern light, large areas of neutral colored walls and so on, but also this sort of space needs to stir creativity with a mystical or non-practical approach. A more direct connection to nature is also a benefit within this environment. In one respect, I guess I am trying to get away from the typical one classroom approach where everything is learned in one room (I realize that art, music and p.e. are subjects that are many times in separate rooms, but I am looking at math, reading, etc. as well). Many of the curriculum subjects, such as art and science could of course be learned in the same spatial scenario. I also wonder about the space itself and whether the space could transform, depending on the stimulus and spatial qualities needed.