Celebrating 20 years of Dalton International

Today Dalton International is twenty years old. We would like to thank all the people who supported us for so many years. Here is the speech of the President: “Respect the child, respect him to the end, but also respect yourself. Be the companion of his thought, the friend of his friendship, the lover of his virtue…” Helen Parkhurst, Education on the Dalton Plan It has been already twenty years ago, on 30. March 2001, when the official notary act of Dalton International was signed. It was the concrete result of an intensive cooperation between my Dalton school in the center of Utrecht/NL with four innovative primary schools in Brno/CZ. Together we started to search for more international Dalton contacts, and organized visits to the Dalton schools in New York and Sydney. We have built our Dalton International community from trust and respect. It is from this perspective I would like to share with all Dalton community a vision and mission of Dalton International. From where we stand, we can firmly state that the Dalton International community worldwide, after twenty years, is stronger than ever. Owing to trust and respect, but also hard work we achieved a success. The core of Dalton International’s mission is to preserve the legacy of Helen Parkhurst. We have been doing our best to protect that legacy consequently. We are proud today of the high quality of our implementation processes and high standards in certification of schools and teachers. In taking care of the high standards, we became protective. Our protection came from love, respect, devotion and trust. During our work we have also became critical and judgmental for those who benefit from our organization for own profit, or who add the name ‘Dalton International’ illegally to their school name. Over time, more than forty schools worldwide are `Member of Dalton International` and we supported and trained even more ‘International Dalton Schools’ worldwide in: Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, China, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Turkey and The Netherlands. During the twenty years of our activities we have managed to: Initiate and guide the development of ‘International Dalton Schools’ Initiate and support the Austrian, Czech and Polish Dalton Association Initiate and support yearly Dalton conferences in several countries Contribute actively to local Dalton magazines Initiate the research in connection with ‘NENU University’ in China and ‘Adam Mickiewicz University’ in Poland on quality and effectiveness of Dalton education in International Dalton Schools Cooperate with universities providing students the option to receive the certificate of ‘International Dalton teacher’ Cooperate with the Chinese embassy in The Netherlands Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and local Educational Bureaus in China Initiate the Chinese and Turkish Departments of Dalton International in cooperation with academic environment and ministry of education in China and Turkey. Currently, we are constantly open to the new initiatives and we look forward to work hard on the future of Dalton education worldwide. We continue to open our hearts and our minds to the future united in the service of the children. We must speak on behalf of them. That is our legacy and our mission. We are focused on building bridges between the countries, we want all to speak one voice and look in one direction. That is the way to honor our legacy and ensuring our future. Today we thank all of our friends and educators with great vision and creative minds to support our activities and effort in building a world where the voice of the children can be heard. Roel Röhner, President Dalton International

Teacher Training Series in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School

During an online seminar we spoke about practice and the organization process in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School. During the second part of the session we have presented practical, authorial materials from the teacher´s Dalton handbook. The content of this session concerned the ways of providing an environment that serves the particular needs of each child´s stage development. Through the implementation of holistic approach of Helen Parkhurst , we help teachers in practical implementation of Dalton education at each stage of child´s development in order to shape their moral, emotional, behavioral and intellectual growth.

Webinar in Izmir Dalton College

Today we had a webinar with the ‘DALTON COLLEGE’ in Izmir- Turkey. We could meet the group of new teachers and spoke about several aspects of being a new teacher in

a school which is already some time in the Dalton progress.

Research Project in Izmir Dalton International School

In the social sciences in Izmir, teachers made a research project together with children from grade 6th. They concreteized Central Asian culture and Turkish first settlements and lifestyles with machine work. Project is a perfect idea for all children, espacially for kinesthetic learners.

Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox 2021

We wish all Dalton International Schools in China a Happy New Ox Year.

Reflection and evaluation of the school semester in Wenzhou Dalton International School

In Wenzhou and Shenzhen Dalton International Schools we have finished summarizing our work in this semester. Teachers were implementing learning process where learners have ownership and control of their learning – they learn by their own actions and direct, regulate, and assess their own learning. Children slowly start learning how to set their own goals and organize their own work. The process of implementing twenty agreements of Independent Learning was successfully implemented in the classroom. Good luck in the new school semester! Below one of the ideas of teachers in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School on giving the children certain roles while doing the mini research project.

Yesterday in Wenzhou International Dalton School the team of teachers had a chance to listen to an inspiring lecture of Ms. Bai Lili, the headmaster of the school on the way the Dalton teacher should be. After the lecture we made a summary of our activities in the previous semester and set the Dalton goals for the upcoming school term. Below the photo of Ms. Bai Lili, the headmaster of the school giving a speech.

How inspiring that in this difficult period we can be in constant contact with International Dalton Schools worldwide. Today we had a chance to inspire each other during my lecture on Mission and Vision of a contemporary International Dalton School. After the lecture we had an opportunity to discuss such issues as: how to raise a fearless child, why is it important to be a fearless teacher, how to enlarge intrinsic motivation? After the discussion we have reflected on what we worked in this semester and we could set the goals for our work for the next semester. Below the short reportage from our meeting. https://lnkd.in/ehtmjH8

The new number of Dalton inspirations

The new number of ' Dalton Inspirations' is already there. In the magazine there are articles both in Polish and English. The first part focuses on articles and polemics, the other part subjects to analysis practical solutions in Dalton education. The number is closed with events and information. In this part there is a reportage concerning this year's Dalton conference. Among others the DNA and philosophy of International Dalton Schools: Ascham Dalton School in Sydney, Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School, Shenzhen Dalton School and one International Dalton School from Izmir, Turkey. We wish you a nice reading.

 

Shared experience of innovative Study Lab Program in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School

 De Dalton School in Wenzhou voert voortdurend kindgericht onderwijs uit en richt zich op de holistische ontwikkeling van leerlingen. Ook voor de implementatie van individuele sociale rollen.  De school combineert de filosofie van het Dalton onderwijs met de ideeën van het oorspronkelijke Study Lab program.

Tijdens onze workshop zullen we het idee van leven in sociale interactie presenteren, evenals de pedagogische en didactische waarden van samenwerking op school.

Ook laten we de door ons ontwikkelde innovatieve technieken voor het samenwerking tussen oudere kinderen tijdens het Study Lab zien.

Wij nodigen u van harte uit!

The whole Dalton International team is wishing all International Dalton Schools in China a Happy Teacher's Day and a lot of success in the coming school year. Below the photos from the ceremony in Wenzhou International Dalton School i.p. The school commemorates today Shu Xin-Cheng and his research and input in the Dalton Plan in China. We salute all the teachers!

Project based learning for the youngest

The first edition of Postgradute Dalton Studies is coming to an end.The studies takes place at University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan and they were commenced in association with Polish Dalton Association and Dalton International. During two and a half years of Dalton Studies there was created a project, based on a constructivist theory containing both theory and practice. Terms such as „authentic learning” is commonly represented as constructivist, which is learning through hands-on and relevant practice with realistic scenario. The project is a proposal of weekly classes for 6-7-year-old children. The title of the project is `Is the food growing in the supermarket?’. Authors of the project: Małgorzata Kostecka, Agnieszka Łupkowska, Dorota Michalak, Ewa Semmler and Agata Wojdak are teachers from Polish Dalton schools and students of Adama Mickiewicz University. The general goals are as follows: expanding the dictionary of terms related to food, shaping the attitude of a conscious consumer, shaping awareness of the origin of agri-food products, developing respect for work, creating conditions for cooperation as well as independent action and responsibility for them. The project helps to shape the child as naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It attempts to develop children physically, socially, emotionaly and cognitevely. The project will be introduced to all Dalton International schools worldwide.

Webinars for wenzhou Dalton Elementary

On 24th of May teachers from Wenzhou Dalton elementary school participated in a webinar `Reflective teaching techniques during during corona crisis`. During the webinar teachers were familiarized with Dalton approach that is respectful for children and grounded in the atmosphere of free choice. The webinar also discussed elements influencing well being of a pupil, the dynamics of emotional burden. Moreover, there were presented practical ways to deal with pandemic situation such as assignments in which children could describe their emotions and experiences related to the pandemic time. Below the photos of children working with assignemnts designed by International Dalton Consultants realizing by Mental Health expert from Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School.