The Best Dutch School - is in the UK
A piece on BBC Breakfast news 23rd April 07 revealed that the best school for Dutch children is actually in the UK. Founded by Shell for employees’ children based in the UK the school has thrived not only for what it teaches but how it teaches. A key in the schools success gets children to act as the teacher. This proves a double benefit as research by the National Training Laboratories in the USA and others shows the retention rate achieved with practice in doing - at 75%, and a substantial 90% of retention occurs through the process of teaching others. Independent research also shows that children learn at faster rate when “taught” by peers. See the K2 Learning Mountain diagram.
The foundations of the learning process requires the skill and management of the teacher, but as this example demonstrates there are additional benefits from the Practice, Teaching others and being taught by peers activity.Whilst the adoption of these techniques at school would require radical changes in teaching techniques, the opportunity for parents to use them with siblings and themselves at home can have an immediate effect.
Alistair Owens
keen2learn
