An Alternative Educational Program

The OSC is a district-wide program offered as an educational alternative to all children on a space available basis. The classes are self-contained and, with few exceptions, are multi-aged. Building upon the findings of Piaget, it operates within a framework that accommodates the affective needs of the child first, and strives to allow each individual to grow in cognitive skills at a pace and level commensurate with ability, readiness and need, while ensuring that educational goals are met. The instructional program emphasizes:

• Integrated Instruction
• Individual and Social Responsibility
• Creative Arts
• Individualized Instruction in Basic Skills
• Communication Skills
• Self Concept Development
• Problem Solving and Thinking Skills
• A Rich and Stimulating Environment
• Making Choices
• Developing Self Reliance
• Developing a Positive Learning Attitude

Thoughtful men from Aristotle to Robert Louis Stevenson have observed the exploratory nature of children, and in recent years a number of educators have considered the restructuring of traditional education in light of these observations. Jean Piaget, John Dewey, John Holt, William Glasser, Charles Silberman, Susan Isaacs, and others proposed a learning system which, as well as being concerned with the transmission of knowledge, also considered the manner in which children learn. The system was first implemented in England during World War II when traditional schooling was disrupted. Subsequently many classrooms across the United States have implemented the concepts of open education.

In 1972 a group of parents wrote proposals, publicized their activities and obtained approval from the Chico Unified School District to initiate an open classroom program for their children. Two experimental classrooms, a K-2 and a 3-6, opened at Rosedale School in the fall of 1973. Children were car pooled from all over Chico. Since then the program has continued to expand. There are now ten classes at Hooker Oak School.

Throughout these years the program has been found to be effective through extensive evaluation, and the demand has continued to grow. Parents enroll their children on a voluntary basis each spring, provide their own transportation, and are very involved in all phases of the program.

The OSC strives to provide an environment of responsibility and trust in which a child can interact with other children who are at different ages and stages of development, and one which offers many opportunities for acquiring knowledge. The goals of the OSC reflect a concern with cognitive, affective and perceptual motor growth. Given the OSC environment, it is assumed that each child will:

• Increase in motivation to learn.
• Increase interpersonal competence and awareness of the feelings of others.
• Increase self-esteem and self-reliance.
• Increase participation in creative endeavors, such as music, art, writing, inventions, and movement.
• Increase communication skills.
• Experience learning situations appropriate to the uniqueness of the individual.
• Develop basic skills (reading, writing, speaking, mathematics) at a level commensurate with ability and readiness.
• Use learning skills for problem solving in real life situations that have personal meaning and/or practical benefits.
• Become acquainted with the richness of materials in the sciences and humanities.
• Develop skills sufficient for a positive experience of learning in subsequent educational settings.

Academic and Social Responsibility. Teachers and children establish classroom guidelines to nurture both academic and social responsibility. As readiness develops, children are empowered with more and more choice and responsibility for their own learning. The desired outcome is students with the ability to function independently and responsibly.

Group Interaction. Group interaction is used as a primary activity to stimulate learning, share information, learn social skills, develop self confidence and self concept, and develop social responsibility.

Facilitation of Learning. Many modalities are utilized to facilitate learning needs. Individual, small group and large group instruction occurs daily. Cross age tutors, instructional aides, parents and university volunteers make this style of teaching possible. Competition is discouraged. Rather, the child is encouraged to value quality for its own sake.

Integrated Curriculum. To accommodate learning needs and encourage child-centered activities, classroom curriculums frequently incorporate many subject areas.

Each Open Structured Classroom is unique and contains equipment and materials arranged according to teacher preference and student interest. All are generally divided into academic areas, including a group meeting area, reading area, interest centers, creative arts area, cooking center, computer center, writing area, and science/nature area. The shelves in the various areas are crammed with a multitude of learning materials and concrete items. The classroom is considered an open, flexible space that changes as units of study, student interests, and student needs change.

Upon entering the room, a visitor will see a variety of activities occurring, such as group discussion, small groups working cooperatively or each child doing something completely different - from quiet sitting and reading, to playing a game, to constructing a project. Group size may vary from 1 to 10 to 30 and may be teacher or child selected. Although the activities may vary and appear confusing, it is important to understand that there is a high degree of structure, organization and planning which makes the open system function effectively.

Parent volunteers, student teachers, university students and others from the community at large support the teachers in the classroom. Parents specifically support the classrooms by collecting materials, transporting children on field trips, assisting in classroom construction, aiding in the classroom, sharing special areas of expertise, planning for the overall program needs, and fund raising. Because parent support is essential to the success of the OSC Program, there is an expectation that parents will volunteer the equivalent of two hours per week per family in some way.

June 1999