International Dalton Conference 2023 in Turkey.

We are excited to announce that XXVI Dalton International Conference will take place on 30th of April 2023 in Izmir, Turkey at Katip Çelebi University.

Keep an eye out to learn about dates, speakers, registration, and more. We are looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and to seeing new faces, and we are extremely excited to gather with our global Dalton community. During the conference you will have the opportunity to discover the heights of Helen Parkhurst global influence and connect with educators from numerous institutions across the world. This year’s theme “Dalton as a way of life, for today and tomorrow” will be the main motto of the conference.
See you there!

My lecture for Senior Staff of Ascham School in Sydney.

My afternoon seminar for teachers and management of Ascham School in Sydney concerned practical and theoretical dimensions of three Dalton components: Study, Lab, and Assignment. I analyzed the implementation of these three elements in Dalton International Schools in China, with the special emphasis on using Social Constructivism theory and Timperley's Spiral of Inquiry to stimulate active and reflective learning. Such constructed implementation of evidence- based learning is undoubtedly increasing the effectiveness of students' own learning process.

Happy New Year from D.I.

 Happy New Year from all of us at Dalton International team and board! Happy Holidays to all! Wishing everyone peace in the New Year. We are grateful for your support and commitment, and we look forward to welcoming you to one of our courses or to our International Dalton Conference and Congress in 2023.

This marvelous Dalton Calendar drawing was done at Shenzhen Dalton Xinhua School by grades teachers to set the goals for 2023.

Dao, Li and Dalton Education in China published in Culture Impact Journal.

 I would like to share with you my article concerning the vision on Dalton Education published in Culture Impact Journal in a special edition on Culture and Education. The cultural and historical vision of the Dalton Plan in China

Full article in the link:

https://culture-impact.net/dao-li-and-dalton-education-in-china/

Pictured here John Dewey with Hu Shi, the President of Pekin University and a student of John Dewey in 1922.
Source: Weixin W., Chinese Dalton Guide, Dalton Education, Beijing 2022. John Dewey and Hu Shi.

Dalton Symposium in Sydney, 2022.

 The main theme for the Dalton Symposium in Sydney will be “Education without limits: Exploring Journeys into Dalton World”. The symposium is organized by Ascham Dalton School in Sydney on the occasion of 120 years of a school existence and 100 years of the Dalton Plan. The meeting will take place between 15-25^th of October 2022 and it will feature the experts and board members from Dalton International. In the event program among others:

·         Welcome from Dr. Joanne Manning (school management of Ascham School in Sydney) and Andrew Powell, the headmaster of Ascham School in Sydney;

·         Roel Röhner (President, Dalton International) A journey into Dalton education in 21^st Century;

·         Rene Berends (Consultant, Researcher Dalton International) Dalton a Future Proof Education

·         Dr. Agata Röhner (Executive Director, Dalton International) Dalton, happiness and global skills- drawing on the wisdom of Helen Parkhurst.

·         Q&A session with the Senior School’s Staff concerning Dalton Strategies in Senior Schools across the world, embedding Dalton principles and rationale for Dalton in the 21^st century and climate of learning, Dalton and social, communication skills in a modern society.

 

 

The introduction of the assignment contract in Wenzhou International Dalton School.

 From the start the Dalton team of Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School have been learning, exploring and practicing “Contract Assignment”. Until this day, the practice of “Contract” has become truly a daily routine of the teachers, students and parents at our school. Every week, students get a piece of “Assignment Contract” in a digital form, on which they could read over all the assignments from every subject and make an assignment schedule of their own. Students are provided with opportunities to discuss and set their own goals, tasks and expected results of learning with their class teachers, until an agreement is reached upon the assignment for that week and the “contract” is ready to be signed by both. For different age groups of children, teachers designed diverse models of the “contract”, in order to realize the goals for the developmental stages of independency, responsibility and self-reliance of the students. Thanks to the usage of contract and assignment, learning has become an effective and well-organized Dalton process. Recently, Wenzhou Dalton team has been handing handing a concluding report of a provincial level research subject titled “Contract Assignment: The Original Assignment Model of Raising Independent Learners”. We are so proud that this great assignment tradition of Dalton is now also enlightening the new assignment culture in China with approval and acknowledgement from students, teachers, parents, managers and governors. The research on quality and effectiveness of contract in Chinese Dalton Schools is going to be started this year.

Congratulations to Izmir International Dalton School!

 It is our immense pleasure to congratulate the wonderful team of Dalton College Izmir on obtaining the certificate International Dalton School. It is for us, Dalton International a meaningful and special occasion. The whole team of Dalton College Izmir under the management of Sarah Louise Money have been working hard on an implementation of Dalton Plan in kindergarten, middle and secondary section of the school, also during the Covid period. Following the series of trainings since 2018 from the trainees and consultants of Dalton International, the school is now joining the family of other International Dalton Schools.

Dalton College Izmir creates an innovative, Dalton International community that fosters holistic development of each child. In 1999, the idea of opening a school that offered each child the opportunity to reach their own potential without limits through Dalton education was a dream. Today, we observed that this child-centered vision to education created by Helen Parkhurst more than one hundred years ago provide the children with all necessary social and communication skills so that they can survive their own future. It is a joy to witness an advanced organized Dalton learning environment, class management as well as carefully selected learning materials. The idea of enterprising living and working, freedom and interaction of a group life and providing children with real life experience are main principles of the school team.  

Dalton Study Days in Izmir 24-27 September.

The study days combined with an official audit of Dalton College Izmir will take place between 24-27 of September. During the official visit of the experts from Dalton International the following subjects will be worked out:

1.     Ownership and Dalton learner’s Agency in theory and practice (among others: engaging self- directed learning with the help of technology to encourage children to set their own goals, plan their own work, reflect on the goals and their own work, how to personalize the assignments and differentiate the content of the lesson, providing opportunities for children to self-assess, etc.)
2.     Dalton and Project Based Learning for kindergarten, primary and secondary education.
3.     Responsibility in theory and practice. The role of the teacher and a child, introducing scaffolding tools, such as : action guide, free choice assignment, contract, portfolio, diaries (mostly gratitude diaries).
4.     Elements of Enquiry Based Learning- how to teach children asking the right questions, use of labs, to let the children share their learning experience with each other: “tell each other what you have researched”; ‘what is your discovery?” ‘what is/are the best solutions to the problem stated ?”; “rank the information you discovered by telling what are the most important for you personally?”.
 
We are looking forward to see you soon!

Congratulations to Wenzhou Dalton International School.

Congratulations to Wenzhou Dalton International School for being awarded with Special Achievement Award of Zhejiang Province Pedagogical Course Planning Research Projects ,Top 10 cases of "Double Reduction" Policy Practice Cases in Zhejiang Province as well as first prize of the first batch of Classroom Reform Projects in Wenzhou.

The awards were given to honor the innovative approach to education. The tools developed by Dalton coordinators and mentors such as Digital Assignment, Digital Portfolio and Digital Contract are now under copyright and are now officially the property of Wenzhou Dalton International School. All the tools were developed under the guidance and training of Dalton International.

The end of the school year in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School.

Last week we have celebrated online the end of the school year in Wenzhou Dalton Elementary School. We were honoured to welcome numerous special guests, including city authorities, researchers from academic environment, school authorities and representatives from the local educational bureaus.

Thank you to all Governors, school management, Dalton coordinators and Dalton mentors who were working with us this year so hard. It is a privilege to serve among such a dedicated group of individuals. We are so fortunate to have such creative and outstanding contributors on our Board. 

With the end of the school year, we would like to wish all International Dalton schools and members a peaceful, healthy and happy summer filled with friends, family and loads of fun!

 

 

Congratulations to Ods't Gijmink for being nominated as "Member of Dalton international".

Congratulations to Openbare Daltonschool Ods't Gijmink for being nominated as “Member of Dalton International”. This nomination rightly reflects high standards of Dalton education along with your input in our worldwide activities. We appreciate your constant efforts to make our community a diverse and inclusive sector. Thank you for working in, and promoting a Dalton-inspired approach to education within Dalton International community across the world.

We wish you further success in working with Dalton influence on international level.

Children's Day in Shenzhen Dalton International School.

 Last week Shenzhen Xinhua School had an unique way to celebrate children’s day. "Happiness" was the main theme of the event. This day the whole school community in Shenzhen Xinhua Dalton School experienced the Chinese folk customs culture.

The Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are a time of competition and collaboration for Dalton junior school students to discuss history, geography, Taoism and Chinese language together, as well as a traditional cultural knowledge development activity jointly planned and organized by the Junior School Integrated Arts Group and Chinese Group.

The Third Chinese Traditional Culture Knowledge Competition was held in the theatre on June 2. The moments that best exemplify Dalton's spirit of freedom and cooperation are truly ubiquitous.

In the theatre, the "Dragon Boat Racing; Ride the Storm" was the most eye-catching scene on stage, with several boats in a row, and was the most unusual form of points presentation for this competition.

Children’s Day celebrated together with Dalton International and Dragon Boat Festival are much more than just a carnival.

Each festival for Dalton students is as unique, creative and beautiful as each student is.

Dalton's teachers, on the other hand, are overjoyed to see their students happy, cooperative, having shared social experience.

Dalton Austria in Holland.

Dalton International welcomed yesterday a delegation from Austrian Dalton Association. The president of Dalton Austria, Simone Reichenberger has arrived with the group of eleven teachers from Sternschule in Deutschlandsberg (International Dalton School, member of Dalton International), to a study visit co-organized by Dalton International.

Yesterday we have participated in the visit to International Dalton School ‘”De Maten”, which hosted the Austrian group. Thank you so much Jenny Valk, director of the school and Eline van der Vegt for your hospitality and guidance. Thank you for presenting a personalized feedback and a demonstartion of children's responsibility in action. The presentation about learning lines and digital portfolio was very valuable. Thank you to lovely children guides who showed us around your Dalton school, demonstrated the attitude of openness, responsibility as well as brilliant level of English.

Thank you, a wonderful delegation from Dalton Austria for sharing with us the story about your country, your Dalton Vision and your school. It was for us all an amazing Dalton experience.

We hope to see you soon in the near future!

Below the photo from the study visit: