about MicroSocieties
Okay... so here's another one of those last minute assignments I need to do.
Anyone who wants to respond before about 1:00 P.M. on Monday, that would be grand. You don't have to be a parent, or a teacher, or even have any experience with kids whatsoever. Just have an opinion. :)
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"In 1967, George Richmond was a new teacher in a public school in Brooklyn, New York. To make learning more relevant and engaging for his unruly 5th grade students, Richmond transformed his classroom into a miniature society with its own simulated economy. He later exapanded this concept into an approach called Microsociety. ...The model has now spread to more than 250 schools in 40 states."
-"Building a MicroSociety"
Sheryl Dunton
In MicroSociety schools, children learn about banking, business, law enforcement, and even marketplaces. They get jobs as bankers, entrepreneurs, and judges. They create their own Constitution, they have their own currency, and they introduce new laws. At the marketplace, often held in the gym, small business owners sell everything from t-shirts to picture frames to baked goods.
The idea is that children learn best when the subject matter is related to the outside world and real life. They can connect what they are doing with what their parents do.
The MicroSociety cuts into time that is often spent sitting at desks reading, writing, and doing math. Many MicroSociety schools, for example, dedicate the last hour of every day to their MicroSociety. Other's hold monthly assemblies for the Marketplace. Additionally, the other thing that makes MicroSocieties different is that they challenge the school system as a dictatorship. The teachers have to be dedicated to teaching the children about the roles they have chosen in the society, and they have to phase themselves out and let the children run the show.
Sooo.. my question is.....
How would you guys feel if the public school in your community decided to become a MicroSociety? Would you want your children, if you had any, to attend school there?
Would the uncustomary methods of teaching writing and math skills bother you?
Lets say your child went before the court system in the MicroSociety and was found guilty and recieved punishment in the form of garnishing their MicroSociety wages for a while and having them do community service. Would you prefer this over the traditional sit-in-from-recess or do-an-extra-assignment sort of situation?
Community members often volunteer with MicroSociety schools. For instance, parents help their children with business production, and local professionals often come into the school to teach the children about the positions they hold in their MicroSociety. If there was a MicroSociety school in your area, would you be willing to volunteer? Do you feel you would be valuable to the system?
Anyone who wants to respond before about 1:00 P.M. on Monday, that would be grand. You don't have to be a parent, or a teacher, or even have any experience with kids whatsoever. Just have an opinion. :)
*****************************************
"In 1967, George Richmond was a new teacher in a public school in Brooklyn, New York. To make learning more relevant and engaging for his unruly 5th grade students, Richmond transformed his classroom into a miniature society with its own simulated economy. He later exapanded this concept into an approach called Microsociety. ...The model has now spread to more than 250 schools in 40 states."
-"Building a MicroSociety"
Sheryl Dunton
In MicroSociety schools, children learn about banking, business, law enforcement, and even marketplaces. They get jobs as bankers, entrepreneurs, and judges. They create their own Constitution, they have their own currency, and they introduce new laws. At the marketplace, often held in the gym, small business owners sell everything from t-shirts to picture frames to baked goods.
The idea is that children learn best when the subject matter is related to the outside world and real life. They can connect what they are doing with what their parents do.
The MicroSociety cuts into time that is often spent sitting at desks reading, writing, and doing math. Many MicroSociety schools, for example, dedicate the last hour of every day to their MicroSociety. Other's hold monthly assemblies for the Marketplace. Additionally, the other thing that makes MicroSocieties different is that they challenge the school system as a dictatorship. The teachers have to be dedicated to teaching the children about the roles they have chosen in the society, and they have to phase themselves out and let the children run the show.
Sooo.. my question is.....
How would you guys feel if the public school in your community decided to become a MicroSociety? Would you want your children, if you had any, to attend school there?
Would the uncustomary methods of teaching writing and math skills bother you?
Lets say your child went before the court system in the MicroSociety and was found guilty and recieved punishment in the form of garnishing their MicroSociety wages for a while and having them do community service. Would you prefer this over the traditional sit-in-from-recess or do-an-extra-assignment sort of situation?
Community members often volunteer with MicroSociety schools. For instance, parents help their children with business production, and local professionals often come into the school to teach the children about the positions they hold in their MicroSociety. If there was a MicroSociety school in your area, would you be willing to volunteer? Do you feel you would be valuable to the system?