Indiana University Foundation’s Post

Did you know there's a school where children choose how and when they learn? Alexander Neill taught algebra in a regular school but became disillusioned because he believed learning should be voluntary, not forced. So, he founded the Summerhill School. Its main idea is that children should not have to obey adults. They can make their own decisions, such as choosing how long and which subjects to study. Instead of lessons, children can go swimming in the school pool, draw, or simply relax. It may seem that in such conditions, children would forget about studying and just have fun. They could indeed just have fun, but eventually, a natural interest would awaken, and children would come and learn with pleasure. The Summerhill School was approved by the UN, and inspections have shown a high quality of education there. Neill believed that a child's happiness is paramount in upbringing, and the source of this happiness is personal freedom. What do you think about this approach to education? Share your thoughts in the comments. And if you want to know more about children's education, follow us: @rocket.tech.school.eng #ProgressiveEducation #SummerhillSchool #VoluntaryLearning #ChildCenteredEducation #PersonalFreedom #ChildHappiness #AlternativeSchooling #UNApprovedEducation #RethinkingEducation #ChildLedLearning

I’ve been thinking about how when I was a kid I loved getting into the woods (even if this was only a public park!) to pretend I was one of the explorers I so wanted to be. This desire to get outside and hike in the woods has remained. I attribute this love of being out in nature and physically moving to the physical identity that was simply part of being a child. Maintaining this inborn physical identity is why it’s so important to make sure our children and our students are finding movement throughout the day. This is why we need a physical education (PE) revolution - from sedentary classrooms to moving classrooms to daily PE. This could look like: 🏃 Mandatory physical activity breaks throughout the class that are suitable for each individual. 🏃 45-minute PE classes each and every day for every student, every year of school. 🏃 Open gym and playgrounds before and after school. What do you picture when you think about how physical education could show up in your child’s school or your classroom? Tell me in the comments. #physicaleducation #exercise #parenting #getoutside #hiking #physicalidentity

Sports day season at Scotland’s primary schools is well underway. Having 10 stations where half of all P1-P7 take part at the same time, forming queues and generally doing nothing. If you are like me you might be disappointed. My son goes to a fantastic school but PE is a bit of an after thought. This is not a dig at his teachers as delivering sports classes is not what teachers are paid to do. There is no specialist PE teacher in any state primary school that I know of. Each sport should be given enough time to be worked on. That means 5/6 week sessions (twice a week) with a coach planning a programme that involves: Skills relevant to that sport ABC work ( agility, balance, coordination) Playing the game itself Surely this should be a priority in our kids education? Yes it will cost money but it is absolutely essential that children are given a proper thoughtful experience during physical education so that more kids can thrive and stay happier and healthier as they grow up.

🚌 Back to School season is here, and with it comes the quest to find the perfect before & after school programs for our little ones! 🏫 We've got you covered, with expert advice from Natisha Bowling from YMCA of Greater Cleveland. Tip: Don't just look at the cost, assess the quality and atmosphere of the program. 🔎 Ready to put on your detective hat and find the best fit for your family? Dive into our latest article to uncover the essential questions to ask and what truly matters when it comes to supporting your child's growth. 📚 Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3MtdulF

The Easter Holidays after fast approaching and I have had some great conversations recently with Primary Schools around long term staff support and training in Physical Education. It’s fantastic that schools are recognising the importance of supporting staff to enjoy delivering PE lessons, ensuring it is of the highest quality to impact upon their children, on top of being inclusive and fun! Sometimes we forget that there has been little training , if any, for staff and their confidence and knowledge is very low and they dread the delivery of PE lessons! One of my biggest joys is working long term with staff to increase their confidence and enjoyment which ultimately then feeds down and impacts the children’s skill sets. My packages of support to schools in Physical Education are moulded to their needs. It’s so important to make staff feel that they have a personal support mentor and it’s about their own personal journey and development, which is always going to be very different from another staff member, for a plethora of reasons. This is why I’m offering individual teacher support, with their class and their lesson plans, rather than just staff twilight training. It’s the less confident staff that still hide away and feel awkward asking questions in a whole school training. If you are a new PE subject lead , I can help support you in creating a vision and plan for PE in your school. If you are thinking , you don’t know where to turn to for support, I am happy to have a discussion with you to see if I can help and create a roadmap for your needs. Please email me , Annie - inspiresportsservices@gmail.com Please feel free to share with colleagues. Annie #primarype #physicaleducation #pesupport #pedeepdive #peofsted #realpedeliveryspecialist #realpe #primaryteachertraining

These strategies and resources offer much peace of mind if you’re hoping to start your back-to-school season with confidence and smiles. . https://bit.ly/4efUCTi Mission: Milspouse

What an inspiring story! Staff at Baringa Secondary College are learning Braille to support a blind student. This commitment to quality support at a young age highlights the importance of inclusive education and the positive impact it has on students' lives. Read more here: https://buff.ly/3zWcNyd #NewsSaturday #DisabilitySupport #InclusiveEducation #Inspiration"

THANK YOU, SHAFER ELEMENTARY! A special thank you to Matt Tyler, the physical education teacher at Shafer Elementary, for coordinating this wonderful initiative. As part of their participation requirements in this program, students must complete 26 ‘good’ deeds. They chose to make their deeds meaningful by positively impacting the lives of those in need enrolled with Katy Cares. The students prepared and packed several gift bags filled with essential items and thoughtful goodies. What is Read, Deed, and Run? RDR is an all-encompassing program for the WHOLE child. Students in grades 3, 4 & 5 commit to a 26-week program in which they will read 26 books (or 2600 pages), perform 26 good deeds in the community, and run a total of 26.2 miles. Students run their final 1.2 miles in a "race" to earn their finisher's t-shirt and medal. Read Requirement: Students are required to read 26 books or 2600 pages. Books read in school can count towards the Read requirement. Books must be at the student's reading level. Records of the books read will be kept in the student's RDR book. Deed Requirement: Students are required to perform 26 deeds in or for the community. one deed = one hour of service Deed opportunities will be communicated throughout the program. A Deed opportunity is NEVER required; it is entirely up to the student and their family to decide if they wish to participate. Run Requirement: Students are required to run a total of 25 miles throughout the course of the program. On Run Days, students run a mile on a course supervised by coaches. Staff is with students at all times. Students must dress appropriately – shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Join hands with us and make an impact; just follow this link: https://lnkd.in/gqM-uZvD. Let's unite our efforts and create hope together!

On average, schools allow 15min in the morning and afternoon for recess, with a 30min lunch recess. 1 hour of time outside the four walls of their classroom, is not enough. Exploring and embracing the outdoors, is crucial to a child's emotional, physical, and social development. Here I look at the many benefits associated with outdoor education, as well as some simple ways to get started both at school and with home learning. We need to do better, especially when studies show just how critical this time is for our young people. How much time do children at your school get to be outside? Do they get any time to actually explore and learn outdoors? Do you bring them outside for story time, or independent reading? I'd love to hear what your children get to do! #outdooreducation #outdoors #outdoorlearning #children #schools #getoutside #learning #explore #freshair #beyondthefourwalls #play #playbasedlearning #lifeskills #nature

At this stage of the future schools process, parents will begin to consider the offers that their children have received, and try to decide on the 'right' school for their child. We ask our parents to simply consider where that child will thrive and what will allow them to do so... each child is different and every child has different needs, and therefore, it is important to not compare with others but consider what is best for that individual. It got me thinking about how/why my parents and I picked my senior school.. The 4 main reasons that I believe (in no particular order): 1) Amazing sport, with a huge variety of options and opportunities. 2) All boys school. 3) Boarding - ready to fly the nest. 4) Academically challenging, but would not go missing in class. How did you and your parents pick your senior school?