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i think the introduction which gives defintion of alternative education is higly problematic. Here i would suggest by removing the second para where you try to contrast it with USA scenario is what is creating trouble. Why should this alternative education / school etc based on a USA situation. I would suggest it is important here to higlight alternative schooling as agianst the 'Mainstream' or "factory" schooling system.
It is so unfortunate that this article read as if alternative education is only USA phenomenon. even if one traces the anglo saxon history of alternatives AS Nells Summerhill school in UK is the first one. and Indian traditions of early 20th century are equally important to the 'factory schooling' system. Some one needs to correct this
Just had a quick look at this page - my first thought was to move the templates from the article page to the talk. Any thoughts? Jtneill - Talk 14:04, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
I changed the Sudbury Valley School link from an outside link to an interlink. The outside link should be provided at the bottom of the SVS article. Thanks, Master Scott Hall | Talk 15:44, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
Should the category Alternative high schools be added to the category for Alternative education? Ropcat 06:03, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
Yes. Thanks, Master Scott | Talk 13:19, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
Someone years ago made this single unique comment:
I learned more from wikipedia in few months than from ten years of school (the person did not sign)
Is anyone interested in exploring the possibility of this kind of learning alternative?
Janosabel ( talk) 19:17, 7 January 2023 (UTC)
Don't you think article is a little heavy in dropping the names of a bunch of dead white men (i.e. Emerson, Dewey, some Swiss guy ect.), despite their importance to the subject. And it's pretty western in that it only gives examples for countries in Western Europe, North America, & Austrailia (which is Western enough). Someone should add content and such to give it a more global point of view.-- Wikiphilia 03:53, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
I do not like this statement being included, however if this is genuinely a reflection of US usage of AE then i'm happy to concede. This is absolutley not a definition which would be recognised in the UK. -- Brideshead 20:28, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
So what is the definition that is recognised in the UK? This is what it is in the US. How do I get the source for it? ( 207.156.196.242)
It is also the tendency in Australia to consider Alternative Education as being for "difficult" students. This particularly includes those with behaviours that are unmanageable in the mainstream schools. This is due to the fact that most 'alternative' schools are set up by the government for such children. It gives the word a bad connotation among the general citizenry.06:31, 15 March 2008 (UTC)06:31, 15 March 2008 (UTC)06:31, 15 March 2008 (UTC)06:31, 15 March 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.214.67.154 ( talk)
The introduction of this article says "Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, describes an education that is modified or particularized for those having singular needs, such as maladjusted people and gifted children." This is not true at all. While forms of education catering to people with special needs may be considered forms of alternative education, they are not the only kind of alternative education. Alternative education refers to ANY form of education other than mainsteam education. Many forms of alternative education are geared towards the exact same people as mainstream education. Unschooling, for example, is a form of alternative education. It is not designed for antisocial children, or dyslexic children, or gifted children, or even exclusively children. It was not designed to meet the needs of any particular special group. Many forms of alternative education share this characteristic. These forms of education are alternative in their methods, not their target audience. Amillion 15:45, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Right now the section about alternative education internationally appears to just be scattered plugs for a couple specific schools and programs. I propose that we should strive to make this section about all of the ways in which alternative education is and has historically been thought about and practiced in these countries. If we discuss a particular school, we should do so only to clarify and provide examples of different movements within these countries. The India section (which I moved from the Overview section) is the only one that accomplishes this currently.
I also think that the overview section ought to describe the history of all forms of alternative education (instead of just progressive education). We should explain what factors caused modern mainstream education to come into existence in different areas of the world and when different forms of education began to emerge (or re-emerge), and what these alternative forms were. It might be a good idea to make the overview section into a short paragraph which briefly reiterates that there are several forms of alternative education which vary in purpose, methodology, intended pupils, and philosophy, (education for kids with special needs (disabled, disiplinary problems, malajusted, gifted, etc.), progressive and wholistic education, home education, etc.) and then to tell their specific histories in their own sections. We might also put them in order of historical emergence to make the article flow better.
It might also be a good idea to make a section for different educational structures, like schools-within-schools, home education, charter schools, etc., one for different philosophies, like holistic education, unschooling, etc., different methods, like unit studies, conventional curricula, etc., and one for different target groups, like disabled, malajusted, or gifted people. Basically we should separate the different components of the administration (not the best word, but good enough) of an education; to whom are they administering it, how, why, what are they administering, and in what kind of educational structure. Amillion 22:43, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
1.1 Stand-alone schools within a mainstream school system- like charter schools (may be paid for with public money)
1.2 Stand-alone schools outside of mainstream school system (not government funded)
1.3 Alternative programs inside of mainstream school (probably government funded)
1.4 Home-based education (probably not government funded)
1.5 A function of, but separate from, mainstream education- like correctional education or special education
2.1 Holistic education
2.2 Student-led education -2.2.1 Unschooling -2.2.2 Autodidactism -2.2.3 Democratic schools
2.3 Montessori method
2.4 Waldorf method
2.5 Special education (there would probably be several subcategories under this)
2.6 Correctional education (there would be different types of this as well)
3.1 Canada
3.2 England
3.3 Australia
3.4 United States
3.5 India Amillion 01:23, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
First of all, alternative schools were catered for students with special educational needs as well as those who would like to experience school differently. Saying it is for "at risk" students is a little bit negative. At risk students are special education students. I think saying special education is more positive than saying at risk students. Tell me what you think. ( 209.177.21.6 - Talk)
It doesn't say that alternative education only caters to at risk students; it just says that that is a quite common connotation the phrase holds in the United States. Education for at risk students is different from special education in that the term "special education" commonly refers to education geared towards students with disabilities (especially intellectual disabilities), whereas at risk students generally do not have disabilities. Special education is generally conducted seperately from education for at risk students. For examply, look at this definition drafted by the Massachussetes Department of Education: http://www.doemass.org/alted/about.html?section=definition
"Alternative Education is defined as "an initiative within a public school district, charter school, or educational collaborative established to serve "at-risk students whose needs are not being met in the traditional school setting." Students who may benefit from an Alternative Education include those who are pregnant/parenting, truant, suspended or expelled, returned dropouts, delinquent, or students who are not meeting local promotional requirements."
Amillion 19:58, 3 January 2007 (UTC)
At risk students are students that have singular needs. Special education is not only for students with singular disabilities. You can go on http://www.dictionary.com and they will tell you that special education includes students with singular needs. What do you think? ( 209.177.21.6 - Talk)
Click on this link: definition of special education. Saying at-risk to describe them sounds so negative. Doesn't it sound better when it says singular needs? Special education has changed a lot. It was once only for people with singular disabilities but now it is also for those with singular needs too. People with a mental illness have difficulty with learning and they too need special education. ( 209.177.21.6 - Talk)
I've done a cursory edit, but it needs more work. In particular, I don't think we should suggest that all or even most alt-ed folks were opposed to compulsory education, per se. Ethan Mitchell 22:35, 8 February 2007 (UTC)
There seem to be some additions in the second para which talk about new forms of religious education and not necessarily alternative education. this need to be corrected. Are there sections in education that talks about various forms of religious education, it may be useful to create such pages. that para also seem to be an attempt to promote a particular point of view. --amg 05:03, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
Let's take example of a student who prefers to do homeschooling. This student prefers homeschooling NOT because they want to be outside of the mainstream. (If mainstream education was included in the article, it would sound like we are excluding students from society) Student who prefers homeschooling want to do something different from the USUAL practices that society deems acceptable. And also, mainstream education also refers to education in mainstream schools. Mainstream schools are schools that practice mainstreaming. As you can see, mainstream education means many different things. Traditional education focuses on the long-established and generally accepted custom. Students who choose alternative education want to do something different. This does not mean they want to be out of society. There are alternative schools that practice mainstreaming. Are you saying that those schools are NOT mainstream schools? Exactly, mainstream schools are NOT the correct term. Traditional education is the correct term. Even though they are mainstream schools, they are NOT part of traditional education. I hope I have clarified my point clear. -- Ladii artiste 16:52, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
I made a few changes and flagged the end of this section as incomplete, because this last sentence seemed like the beginning of a new topic: "A very different variety of drop out is the student who does not face severe personal problems, but leaves school due to his or her philosophical opposition to traditional education." I'm open to discussion about it, though. Anyone have additional information, or an alternative opinion on the matter? Forestgarden ( talk) 18:31, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
I have removed the link to WikiProject Homeschooling. Alternative education isnt a part of homeschooling, homeschooling is a part of alternative education. As WikiProject Alternative Education is being merged with WikiProject Education, i have removed the WP:HOME project tag and added the WP:EDU project tag. Twenty Years 17:08, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
The description of alt. education in various countries is in need of cleanup. Much of it is little more than a list of a random selection of alternative schools. Some of these are notable (Summerhill); others probably do not stand out from others not mentioned. I am tempted to suggest deleting the whole batch but do not want to throw out the baby with the bath water, tepid as the latter is. hgilbert ( talk) 01:40, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
Have removed the following unsourced "intro":
Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.
Traditional education generally implies a master - pupil relationship between an adept or skilled individual who take the role of teacher and one or more pupils. A group of pupils learning together is usually called a class. Since human survival was, until recently, rather uncertain, traditionally classes were large and highly structured simply because there was no realistic alternative method by which the accumulated wisdom of predecessors could be transmitted reliably to the young - many of whom would predictably die. Religion and education were thus intertwined, since the young had to be taught not to fear war or death. Traditional schools therefore have a teacher teaching several dozen pupils by means of speaking and repeating, illustrating and copying plus dictation and writing. The traditional relationship is hierarchical and paternal and usually employed corporal punishment. As sanitation and medicine began to prolong life expectancy, children became more highly valued and attempts were made to find a method of using positive rewards to induce enthusiasm for learning instead of mere diligence and obedience induced by fear of retribution. This implies that, in alternative education, the teacher's structural authority is diminished and is replaced by sapiential authority. School indiscipline arises when a teacher fails to win respect and is unable to punish.
If anyone can clean it up, please return to text - but not as lede to an article on Alternative education.-- Technopat ( talk) 14:33, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
Vassouras, 08 de março de 2010.
Sou Antônio Luiz Bianchessi e apresento-me como autor do artigo “o desafio dos educadores” traduzido para o idioma inglês.
Agradeço pela atenção a mim dispensada. A WIKIPEDIA acolheu meu artigo. Isso para mim representa motivo de grande alegria. Meus parabéns pelo interesse, tantas vezes, manifestado em prol da melhora da educação mundial. Apresento-lhes síntese de 50 anos de pesquisas, experimentos e análises na busca de um sistema educacional que propalasse a responsabilidade do educando na própria formação. Surgiu, então, a EDUCAÇÃO HORIZONTAL que se apresenta como alternativa à Educação Vertical vigente. Algumas características básicas que definem o novo sistema, como: 01) Uso de Paradigmas Internos; 02) Uso equilibrado dos Estímulos Positivos; 03) Diálogo Evolutivo; 4) Técnicas Específicas de Trabalho em Equipe; 05) Desenvolvimento Ativo e Efetivo das Potencialidades; 06) Reforço de Comportamentos Adequados, Visando à sua Repetição; 07) Habilitar o Educando para a Solução de Problemas sem litígios e com a Apresentação de ideias; 08) Formação de Clima Educacional Favorável ao Desenvolvimento Emocional e Intelectual; 09) Promover o Uso da Alfabetização Emocional; 10) Propalar o Uso Adequado do Presente do Indicativo do Verbo; 11) Uso de Técnicas Favoráveis à Humanização do Convívio Diário; 12) Favorecer e Promover a Autoestima do Educando; 13) Adoção de LIMITES CONVENIADOS; 14) Promover Abrandamento das Imposições; 15) O Educador Torna-se o Facilitador das Melhores Escolhas do Educando. Penso que o sistema Educacional Horizontal pode atender aos reclamos de uma sociedade angustiada e sem objetivos e estratégias claros e visíveis para solucionar o problema. Coloco-me à disposição dos senhores para eventuais esclarecimentos do sistema educacional horizontal. Na medida do possível, pretendo colaborar para dirimir dúvidas e apresentar propostas de superaração dos desafios, frente às exigências de uma sociedade moderna. Agradecimentos sinceros pela atenção dispensada. Vassouras, RJ Brasil.
Antônio Luiz Bianchessi
Antonio Luiz Bianchessi ( talk) 20:14, 8 March 2010 (UTC)
The heading "Correctional Education" (below) only contains a link to a non-existent article. Should the headline be removed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_education#Correctional_Education Oferswþend ( talk) 03:56, 17 May 2010 (UTC)
Why aren't unschooling (or non-schooling) and "non-schools" like the movement of Sudbury Valley Schools mentionned here? Is it a choice due to the fact that, strictly speaking, these actually are rather non-education? denis "spir" ( talk) 20:16, 1 October 2011 (UTC)
This article seems to have started with a problem from which it has not recovered. The source for the title "Alternative education" appears to be The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO)... founded in 1989 by Jerry Mintz [1], which describes its mission as help create an education revolution to make learner-centered education available to everyone. That may be seen as a valid and praiseworthy aspiration, but shows that AERO is a campaigning body with a point of view. It announces that it has a network which includes Montessori, Waldorf (Steiner), Public Choice and At-Risk, Democratic, Homeschool, Open, Charter, Free, Sudbury, Holistic, Virtual, Magnet, Early Childhood, Reggio Emilia, Indigo, Krishnamurti, Quaker, Libertarian, Independent, Progressive, Community, Cooperative, and Unschooling. Well and good, but those are forms of education for those with normal (perhaps sometimes exceptional) ability and aptitude for what is being taught. But the article fails adequately to explain the use of the same word for the very different way "alternative" is officially applied for education provided, not for those with normal ability and aptitude for what is being taught, but for education which (quoting the article) the U.S. Department of Education describes as... "that: 1) addresses needs of students that typically cannot be met in a regular school; 2) provides nontraditional education; 3) serves as an adjunct to a regular school; or 4) falls outside the categories of regular, special education, or vocational education" which is something different from what the AERO network education is about, as can be seen from examples such as these:
The content of the section headed "Origins" fails to offer any explanation of this, and only adds to the confusion of any reader who has got that far. The above comments on this page show that this has been a continuing concern for some time. Are contributors who are currently editing here willing to rectify this, to improve the article? Qexigator ( talk) 00:24, 20 September 2015 (UTC)
Done: The article is now in much better shape [5], but still lacks sufficient citations to let the tag be removed. Meantime, to my mind the ambiguity mentioned above has been cleared away. Cheers! Qexigator ( talk) 21:56, 21 September 2015 (UTC)
I wonder if there should not be two articles, one on AE approaches for at-risk or challenged students, and one for AE as an alternative pedagogy... HGilbert ( talk) 21:29, 20 September 2015 (UTC)
text removed from Top [8] This revision [9] will be a simple and concise explanation for non-specialist inquirers, such as readers (or editors) who notice that a source cited 9 times in an article for one of the alternatives has the title Alternative Education for the 21st Century: Philosophies, Approaches, Visions. Another source, Breaking Down the Barriers to Learning: The Power of theArts [10] refers to a year-long study of a project to adapt that alternative's educational methods to the special needs of high-risk delinquent youth attending the Yuba County Court and Community Schools: The partnership project... aims at developing a nationally-replicable...model program. It has been aided in the last few years by grants from the Kellogg Foundation and The California Endowment....The students in question are a challenging group. Between the ages of 11 and 18, most have been expelled or suspended from regular public schools because of violent behavior and criminal activity. Many have learning disabilities and minimal reading and math skills. Getting them to care about school is a major hurdle. Qexigator ( talk) 10:16, 24 September 2015 (UTC)
I'm not sure what this is doing in the lead. Legal requirements for compulsory education have little to do with the article's theme. Alternative pedagogical approaches often offer programs that begin before the age range of compulsory education (early childhood programs), continue after it, and/or operate outside of it (in many countries, alternative education is not approved by the state and actually operates outside the law).
The confusion might be arising because in many countries, provisions for special needs are legally mandated. At least in the USA, this only applies to public schools, however, so that private schools' special needs provisions are largely voluntary (there are some exceptional situations where this boundary is crossed, however). Even here, alternative education and legal provision are two very separate concepts. This relation could be spelled out in the body, but is so peripheral to the concept of alternative education that it hardly belongs in the lede. HGilbert ( talk) 08:10, 21 September 2015 (UTC)
I have removed the following because it is simply not true
Educational curricula and methods are primarily not set by either constitutional or administrative law, at least in the US. What constitutes mainstream education is far more a matter of custom and individual school districts' determinations, not laws. (In England the national curriculum prescribes the curriculum much more, but not the methods.) HGilbert ( talk) 20:26, 23 September 2015 (UTC)
To improve the article's informative value, given that it mentions schools in USA, including those that offer one of the "Alternative pedagogical approaches", are obliged to comply with external requirements for testing and grading, such as mentioned in Education in the United States should it not explain to what extent this affects the curriculum and teaching method? Similarly, in respect of other localities. Qexigator ( talk) 16:54, 22 September 2015 (UTC)
I think the standard is to use inline links in the article and drop anything already linked there from the see also section. WP:See also gives details. HGilbert ( talk) 23:56, 23 September 2015 (UTC)
Is this [14] spam? Qexigator ( talk) 16:36, 25 September 2015 (UTC)
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