Zuleika

When Students Direct their Learning, Teaching is Flipped on its Head

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ October 8, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

from an experience on 9.25.12 After breakfast this morning, I made my way to the computer room, a central location in the “downstairs”, or k-6 part of The Free School (AFS). I was prepared to try an approach to conducting a drawing lesson suggested by quite a few of the AFS staff. I arrived with … Continue reading →

Mentorship in Democratic Learning Environments

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ September 10, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

This morning I sat in on a meeting to discuss the beginning of this years mentor program at The Free School. Sixteen students from grades 5 through 8 are eligible to take a younger student as their mentee for the year. I can recall the various mentoring I’ve participated in from high school through college. … Continue reading →

Second Free School update

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ September 7, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

Read all about it! Here

Beginnings at the Albany Free School

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ August 28, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

For the 2012 -2013 year, I will be an intern at the Albany Free School. I found out about the Free School through AERO, the Alternative Education Resource Organization, back in the days when I first began learning about democratic schools. I decided to join their internship program as my own form of alternative learning. … Continue reading →

Vigor not Rigor

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ January 29, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

Above from Google searches of vigorous and rigorous Vigor means having [intensity, energy, and enthusiasm], and the potential for enhancing “active strength of body or mind”. When something is invigorating, it’s “stimulating…energizing…restorative”. A vigorous thing challenges you, and tests your abilities in a creative way. Even if it’s difficult, at the end of the experience … Continue reading →

The Peer Matching Network

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ August 13, 2011 ⋅ 4 Comments

A good educational system should have three purposes: it should provide all who want to learn with access to available resources at any time in their lives; empower all who want to share what they know to find those who want to learn it from them; and, finally, furnish all who want to present an … Continue reading →

An Introduction

Posted by Zuleika ⋅ August 10, 2011 ⋅ 4 Comments

I am a blogger for IDEA, and through Melia Dicker and Adam Burk, I was invited to post here at the Coop. I just thought that I should give an introduction before I begin contributions. I became aware of democratic education through an offbeat series of events (but who doesn’t find out about it that … Continue reading →