Research: Rebecca Givens Rolland laments that schools are racing through K-12 education these days, with policies that encourage children to cover more material in shorter amounts of time under expectations that are misaligned with natural child development. She argues, “This push, while well-intentioned, is counterproductive. Children need time to sit with a subject, to see mistakes not as humiliations, but as chances to learn.” What’s missing in this “need for speed” is an understanding of the nature of the learning process and proper encouragement to create lifelong learners.

Practice: At Chrysalis every student is allowed to learn at their own pace and in their own time. Since we don’t adhere to arbitrary standards we can create educational programs that meet each child where they are and allow them to progress when they’re developmentally ready. Our program allows children the extraordinary gift of time to flourish, learn deeply, and develop a love of learning.

Research: Studies show that traditional classrooms wield inefficient use of student time (Goodlad 1984, Godwin et al. 2013). Only 70 percent of a student’s time in such an environment is dedicated to instruction, while the other 30 percent is dedicated to routines, behavioral issues, and socialization. Within that 70 percent of the school day, instruction is geared to teaching the mythical “average student,” meaning that lessons must be presented broadly, practiced, assessed, corrective procedures put into place, and assessed again. After assessment the teacher moves on to the next lesson, with or without students who mastered the concept. This methodology serves a few students well, but students on either end are left either bored or frustrated and, ultimately, alienated.

Practice: At Chrysalis we try to work smarter, not harder, by offering classes one-on-one and in small groups. Smaller numbers allow us to track student easily, continually assess their progress, create meaningful assignments toward their goals, and achieve mastery. We ensure that every minute we have with a student counts because academia is just one part of a child’s world…there’s so much else to explore!

Research: Todd Rose of the Harvard Graduate School of Education recently presented a TEDx talk on the myth of the average child. When we assume that an “average” child exists, we assume that they have an average learning profile–that they are equally skilled or gifted in all areas. But in reality, all students have different strengths and weaknesses in many dimensions of learning and subject areas. Rose argues that teaching to the average destroys talent. By contrast, when we design learning environments for individuals we can see what they’re really capable of, nurture their individual potential, and let them soar.  

Practice: At Chrysalis we know that while a child may struggle in reading, they may also excel in science, math, art, or drama. They may struggle in art, but may enjoy computer programming or electronics. We are able to create schedules that allow students to develop their areas of challenge, while also spending larger quantities of time in their areas of strength to nurture and grow these areas to work toward their potential. We are the nurturers of individual potential!

Practice: This evidence strengthens the importance we place on hands-on activities and play during the school day. While most schools refer to drama, art, design, geography, or PE as electives that are too easily eliminated from a student’s day, we recognize their importance and can easily incorporate them into a student’s schedule. Students have access to makerspace activities, puzzles, and games during their free time. While they aren’t directly working on STEM content, their brains are being prepared to do so in ways that they find rewarding and fun.

Research: Many curricula utilized in schools today focus on cramming a vast quantity of content into students’ heads with the expectation that they will not only know it, but also be able to evaluate, apply, and think critically about it—all on a high-pace timetable. More focus is placed on what they know than how they think, with a worrisome sense that our kids won’t “know everything” by the time they’re 18. Our founder, Karen Fogle, notes that it’s important to step back and realize that children aren’t going to learn everything. As such, trying to teach them more than they can process is a waste of time and energy. Instead, it’s more valuable to cover less material and have it be remembered than cover a lot of material and have it be forgotten. Students need time to process information and figure out where and how to store it, otherwise they will have no memory of learning it and certainly no ability to use it to solve problems. In today’s world, there is no lack of information and very little need to memorize facts when they are at your fingertips. What’s really valuable is knowing how to access resources to gather what you need to know and be able to think critically about what you discover.

Practice: At Chrysalis we value deep learning that requires complex thinking over shallow, superficial coverage of a subject. We place our focus on teaching the student, not solely the content, which allows us a great deal of flexibility in what we cover, how long we take, and the methods we use with each student. The content serves a a vehicle for larger lessons. Our students aren’t burdened by massive loads of reading and homework because we know just how much to give them to make their learning meaningful and challenging, without burning them out in the process.

Research: Educator and author Tim Lucas argues that one of the most important ways to connect with students is to engage them through their dignity. Schools in general have become places where children’s dignity is constantly tested. It occurs in overt ways like peer bullying, but also in more subtle ways like the labeling of some students as lazy, disorganized, or dumb; grading systems that highlight weakness; and the failure to recognize individual needs in learning. But as Lucas argues, “Only students with a strong sense of their own dignity can grow up to be adults who can take risks, handle failures, and act to protect other people’s dignity.”

Practice: Many of our students have experienced a loss of dignity at some point in their school experience. We work to combat any damage that’s been done by re-framing the school environment from one that’s based in competition and rank to one that focuses on collaboration and community. We encourage positive behaviors at school by modeling them ourselves and encouraging positive relationships with students and one another. Our staff guide conversations, initiate discussions about the importance of respect when needed, and demonstrate empathy. We’ve seen amazing transformations as a result!