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A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

nytimes.com

1–10 of 42 posts

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#2
I agree with the philosophy. Foundations of learning should not be built on use of Google as a search engine. Foundations should he a mix of the things necessary for brain and personality development.

Its synonymous to the debate about letting kids use calculators for simple (or not so simple ) math problems.

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#4
My sister-in-law has taught at a Waldorf school for years. The school the article describes sounds typical. Waldorf is actually based on an extremely deviant philosophy. They get away with it because they deliver results. In particular, their kids routinely decimate all standardized tests.

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#5
I went to a Waldorf type school (called a multi-year back when I was in elementary school). My classroom was 90 kids, grades K-3 in a room that was four classrooms with walls knocked down. No desks, self-directed curriculum, etc. I was in a 4-6 after this, which was more structured but still self directed.

http://fsd.k12.ca.us/rollinghills/multiage.html

This was my program. My sister and I went through it. To this day a lot of us still keep in touch with our teacher.

It was not strict Waldorf, more inspired by it and still is to this day.

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#8
post #4

My sister-in-law has taught at a Waldorf school for years. The school the article describes sounds typical. Waldorf is actually based on an extremely deviant philosophy. They get away with it because they deliver results. In particular, their kids routinely decimate all standardized tests.

> In particular, their kids routinely decimate all standardized tests.

Out of every 10 tests they have 9 standardized tests club a randomly-chosen 10th standardized test to death?

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#9
post #7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rich freethinkers.

Is that good or bad?

Good on both points in my book.

(Was going to say "rich hippies" but thought better of it. I mean freethinker in the original sense, someone who doesn't follow norms.)

Re: A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

#10
Maybe they don't let students use computers because when you search for information about the Waldorf schools, you get all sorts of stuff about them being some kind of cult.

In my admittedly limited research, I found information about astral bodies, Atlantis, soul nourishment, clairvoyance and and a dislike of the left handed.

From the Skeptic's Dictionary:

Waldorf schools reflect Steiner's education theories, which hold that children advance through three stages....during the first stage, birth to age 7, the spirit inhabiting the body of the child is still adjusting to its surroundings, hence lower grades in Waldorf school offer minimal academic content. Reading is not introduced until second or third grade. During the second stage, ages seven to 14, children are said to be driven primarily by imagination and fantasy, so students are introduced to mythology. After age 14, the third stage, an astral body is believed to be drawn into the physical body, creating the onset of puberty.

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