This looks like an inside job
Photo by Mike Greer
Construction men work to complete the inside of the two-floor addition to Malott Hall. The expansion project is scheduled to be completed before classes begin in the fall.
High School redefines education
By LEONARD SOPHRIN Kansan Staff Writer
Twenty minute modules . . . seven week cycles . . an eight hour day . . individual research and study . . pass or fail, no grades . . free time . . few regulations.
John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, N.Y., is one of the few secondary schools in our country that can claim the above characteristics. Located in a lower middle-class, residential area of Brooklyn, Dewey High represents an attempt at educational advancement.
This experimental school differs from the conventional institute in its approach to the question, "What is education?" Dewey High has abolished the idea of periods and grading system. A student travels through a day at Dewey without the normal tensions and pressures of "making the next class." Although no homework per se is assigned, there is an extensive program for the student who wants to do individual study.
The facilities to learn by yourself are readily available. "Disks," as students refer to them, have pre-taped lectures from which a student may retrieve information any time of the day. There is a resource center for every major and minor department of learning. In these centers, disks are stored along with reading material.
Liberal programming is a key to the success of Dewey High. Every seven weeks a student may change his course selection. He may remain in a course that has served him well or he may drop classes that have been a waste of time. Daily scheduling is not rigid. Classes may remain in session one, two or three modules (time periods).
Math, language, science and history are subjects in which a student may advance at his or her own pace. A student at Dewey may cover as much material in a year as a student in a contemporary school might cover in his complete high school education. Text books and teacher assistance are all around the student. He can feel the touch of learning and become involved, and participate.
An eight hour day is something that Dewey High students grow accustomed to. This is not as difficult as it may seem. Free time is in abundance. Students may leave the building anytime during the day. Cafeteria facilities are open from early morning to late afternoon. Many people converge on the lunchroom as a gathering place. Table space is no problem. The library is another favorite spot among students.
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The surrounding campus is large and conducive to socializing and reading. During the winter students find other small inconspicuous hideaways inside.
The doors of Dewey are always open to visitors and for students who wish to leave for a breath of air. Time is not of the essence. All these factors contribute to freedom, something most of our schools lack.
The flexibility of programming allows the student time to work consistently. Flexibility plays the lead role in Dewey High's pleasant atmosphere. An atmosphere of learning and relaxation helps the student to help himself.
Despite this free atmosphere, however, hostility exists—hostility towards the establishment. Many students feel this experiment in education is a pleasing trick to distract their attention from extreme change.
"By placing us in an atmosphere of serenity, the system hopes we retract our attempts to renovate society," said one student.
Forms of destruction are evident. There are broken windows, along with the bold political statements on the bathroom and telephone walls. Is destruction necessary? Do students have respect for material values? Is the building itself what students respect?
There is a tremendous amount of respect on the part of the students for the teachers and what they have to offer. The courses are interesting and discussion is prominent in teaching methods. Classes are open to all students even though they may not be signed up for that course. Walking into a class while discussion is taking place is common practice among teachers and students.
Small classes add to the ability of teachers to relate to students and carry on further conversation after class. This semester, the average class enrollment was 15.
During the first year at Dewey the number of applicants was below the established quota. For the coming sessions the set figures have already been exceeded by more than 1,000 students.
These factors do show signs of success. Students all over the borough of Brooklyn know about John Dewey High. They have shown interest. More people see hope in the new forms of teaching, though perhaps true
CRIB DEATHS A MYSTERY
PHILADELPHIA (UPI)—Mysterious crib deaths, which claim 15,000 infants a year, occur more frequently among Negro and poor families, a recent report showed.
A survey team at Temple University School of Medicine studied cases of 337 sudden and unexpected deaths of infants over a three-year period.
success will never be determined. If students leave Dewey under their own incentive to learn, then Dewey High has been able to accomplish what few high schools in the past have done.
Can a school such as Dewey High educate its students where other schools have not?
Charles Gibson, member of the guidance staff commented, "... it can only be measured by time."
Symposium features Cleveland Amory
Five speakers, including TV Guide critic Cleveland Amory, will address a symposium on "Television and the New Persuasion" in the Forum Room of the Kansas Union July 16-17. The symposium is sponsored by the Speech Communications and Human Relations Division of the Department of Speech and Drama.
E. Laurence Chalmers, Chancellor of the University of Kansas, will give the opening address at 9:15 a.m. followed by Lee S. Dreyfus at 9:30 a.m. speaking about "The New Man-Made Environment." Dreyfus is president of Wisconsin State University and professor of Radio-Television Broadcasting. He is also a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. Cleveland
Amory, will conclude Thursday's program at 1:15 p.m., with the subject "TV: The Medium Medium."
The program for Friday will feature two guest speakers. Arthur L. Smith will speak at 9:30 a.m. on "Television and the Tactics of Black Revolution" and Lawrence W. Rosenfield at 1:15 p.m. on "Children, Television and the Future of Political Institutions." Smith, professor of speech at UCLA, is the author of Rhetoric of Black Revolution, Transracial Communication, Rhetoric of Revolution, and The Voice of Black Rhetoric. Rosenfield, professor of speech at the University of Wisconsin, is a member of the Speech Association of America.
Each speaker will be followed by a forum period for questions.