The Whole Child Curriculum: General

What it means to be an educated person in the 21st Century
An educated person in the 21st Century understands that they are an inextricable part of the world around them. The educated person posses the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be a successful and interdependent member of society while being empowered to follow their own unique path within the diverse global community. An educated person in the 21st Century possesses individual intelligence, social intelligence and environmental intelligence.

Individual Achievement
An educated person in the 21st Century:

1. Is self-motivated, self-directed, and self-governing.
2. Has a strong grasp of the fundamental concepts in science, math, and the humanities.
3. Has mastery of the English language and some fluency in at least one other world language.
4. Can think critically and creatively, using these skills to solve problems by innovative means.
5. Can translate plans into action by finding and using resources to gather information.
6. Can concentrate and follow a complex task through to completion.
7. Is self-expressed, confident, and not afraid to try new things.
8. Understands that actions have consequences.
9. Is not deterred by complexity and paradox.
10. Experiences the richness and beauty of art and music.

Social Intelligence
An educated person in the 21st Century:

1. Knows that he or she matters in the context of the group.
2. Works cooperatively and understands and respects individual and cultural differences.
3. Knows how to lead and how to follow and can work collaboratively with others.
4. Has the skills to enter and be successful in the economic mainstream.
5. Values friendship, responsibility, cultural diversity, self, others, and the quality of life.
6. Has a sense of social justice and feels a sense of responsibility to the local and global community.
7. Sees others as individuals, not as members of a group.
8. Gives of themselves and works to make ethical decisions.

Ecological Awareness
An educated person in the 21st Century:

1. Can observe and understand phenomena.
2. Understands living systems and the language of nature.
3. Understands the link between ecology and community.
4. Appreciates that he or she is part of the ecological web.
5. Has a sense of wonder about the beauty of the natural world as well as an understanding of the scientific processes that occur therein.
6. Sees all of life as an evolving living system.
7. Understands the concept of global interdependence and the need to be a global citizen.

How learning best occurs
Ocean Charter School will have clear educational objectives that are detailed, quantified, and measurable. We will focus on intensive language literacy; keep to small class sizes and an overall small school culture. OCS will involve parents in their child's learning goals and in creating a supportive home environment, including support of a healthy home diet and appropriate use of technology15.

At the heart of the Waldorf-based Whole Child Curriculum is the recognition of how much children change from year to year. Our lesson plan places pivotal importance on the mental, emotional and physical nature of each grade level. The curriculum ensures that the material presented - and how it is presented - is developmentally attuned to the appropriate age at every grade level. This model of school reform is particularly strong for educationally disadvantaged students as it values the stages of childhood development, greater interaction between child and teacher, and the integration of the arts into a rigorous academic program.

The Whole Child Curriculum based on the Waldorf educational approach at OCS is child-centric. It includes 14 learning strategies that attune what is taught, when it is taught, and how it is taught to the cognitive, psycho-social, and kinesthetic phases of child development:

(1) Community Learning and Teaching: OCS will use the classic "class teacher" model in which one teacher "loops" together with his or her class from grade to grade. The teacher remains with the same class from grade one through grade three, another teacher remains from grade four through grade six and another in grades seven and eight. This structure of continuity helps create a gradual transition from home to the school community.

The class teacher welcomes each child individually with a handshake and brief check-in at the beginning of each day and then teaches the academic "main lesson" which comprises the first two hours and usually some other lessons later in the day. He or she ends the pupil's day with another handshake and check-in. This daily bonding and oversight ritual is the foundation of what is possible for individual students at OCS.

The class teacher is not the only teacher the pupils see each day. Specialist teachers teach foreign languages, music, games and movement, handwork. Interesting guests will be integrated into the life of the school. Besides their parents or guardians, children develop the most consistent relationships they have with their teachers.

OCS teachers endeavor to work together as a group to support each other's individual work. Because formal education takes place in a community setting, it is essential for teachers to work collaboratively with each other and the parents out of an understanding of how they are shaping pupils' relationship to learning. This is a solemn public responsibility that requires mutual collegial support.

OCS will work outside the classroom to build our larger pupil/parent/teacher community through the use of regular seasonal festivals. These festivals provide an opportunity for the larger community to come together as a whole around a central seasonal theme. The centerpiece of these events is usually the presentation of student work be it music, drama or dance.

(2) Focused concentration: The structure of the school day at OCS is attuned to pupil's inherent bio-rhythms. The most intense and focused learning happens at the beginning of the day when the students are most receptive. Each day begins with a two-hour period known as the "main lesson". This teaching unit is integrated and cross-curricular and includes activities to awaken and focus attention. 40-45 minute subject lessons follow the main lesson. Academic subjects take priority in the morning. The afternoons are usually used for arts and crafts, outdoor activities, sport and practical work. Subjects such as music, movement, and foreign languages, which benefit from regular practice, are evenly spaced throughout the middle of the day whenever possible.

(3) Thematic Learning: Teachers present each subject in 'blocks' of time lasting several weeks. Teachers use the main lesson format to address a progressive range of competencies in mathematics, language arts, science, and humanities. Meaningful connections link subject areas and previous and future main-lessons - even main lessons years ahead or long in the past. The main lessons are part of a block scheduling system of themed learning that centers the schedule and organization of the day from 1st to 8th Grade. Within the requirements of the curriculum, class teachers choose the material, presentation, and activities to suit the needs of the specific class. They aim to make each lesson an interesting and artistic whole that has rhythm, structure and purpose. Main lesson activities and content meets pupils' cognitive, affective, and practical modes of learning.

(4) A stimulating learning environment: A regular change of activities stimulates student's interest. Like any living system, OCS will create a rhytmically structured school day, week, and year with a built-in pressure-release system that keeps everything lively and avoids boring day to day routines. Teachers will balance concentration and relaxation, mental and practical work, movement, listening and participating, observing and doing. Each lesson will balance cognitive, emotional/social, and active learning. Teachers will plan activities to suit the attention span of a given class and pay attention to the rhythm of the week.

(5) Deep learning: A rhythmic approach to teaching enhances learning and memory. Information that is not immediately 'regurgitated' can be absorbed and later 're-membered' within a wider context that includes the pupil's own experiences. Teachers introduce new experiences allowing time for pupils to assimilate previously taught material. Teachers distinguish between subjects that need regular practice (foreign languages, music, spelling etc.) and subjects focusing on new content. Topics are dropped following a period of concentration, say 3-4 weeks. This allows for information to settle, and time for data and information to become knowledge and eventually understanding.

(6) The Whole Class Dynamic: Teachers focus on the class as a dynamic whole. Teachers constantly work to shift and reintegrate smaller groups - such as ability groups for math and reading - back into the whole class. A class of mixed ability children is a model of community. Pupils learn from each other. The whole-class dynamic celebrates differences. Teachers avoid giving rewards for being first or best. Teachers are aware that rewards and prizes make pupils compete for prizes rather than working from inherent motivation. Teachers aim for a creative balance between cooperation and competition among pupils, aiming for them to be enlightened and inspired by each other as well as the teacher.

(7) Teaching Through Narrative: The use of narrative gives pupils a conceptual framework within which they can orientate themselves and understand their experiences. Younger pupils listen to stories told by a teacher in his/her own words, not read from a book. Teachers inspire pupils to identify with characters in stories and develop linguistic and listening skills. Teachers use story as a classroom management tool with younger pupils. Inspirational or thought-provoking stories take the place of moralizing or lecturing older pupils. History is taught initially through narrative and stories from a wide range of sources: fairy and folk tale, legend, fable, parables, mythology, and literature and then moves on to recorded history and historical fact. Teachers share content in oral form, not through written textbooks, especially in the earlier grades. Teachers use biography to strengthen pupil identification with people who made a difference. Communicating, exchanging viewpoints, dialogue and debate are part of lessons. The groundwork for such abilities is laid down in the younger classes. Teachers cultivate the quality of listening and speaking in class.

(8) The Use of Imagery: The use of imaginative imagery "mental pictures" is an essential element of the Whole Child Curriculum. When presenting factual information Teachers will strive to present information with both a pictorial and emotional element. Teachers avoid abstract concepts throughout the primary years (ages 6- 12) and stress the pictorial element which grows with pupils' changing understanding of the world. Teachers use imagery that evokes strong sensory impressions and stimulates the imagination wherever appropriate in speaking to the children up to the ages of 8 or 9. Teachers transition to more abstract intellectual processes after the age of 10 when the ability to think in abstract and causal terms begins to emerge. From 10 until puberty, teachers adopt metaphor, simile, and comparison to create mental images. In adolescence, teachers construct imagery from history and current events.

(9) A "Living" Classroom: Teachers use a wide variety of materials and resources including prepared worksheets, texts, vocabulary lists, maps, diagrams, and multimedia. Pupils are not taught by mass-produced textbooks but by live teachers. Teachers and pupils together develop the main lesson from a variety of sources. Pupils use blank journals to write and illustrate what they have learned and observed into their main lesson books. As a matter of course, books such as dictionaries, atlases and other reference material are an integral part of the classroom. Assignments and projects arising out of the lesson theme require that the pupils develop competence in a range of information-retrieval skills by the time they reach age 12.

(10) Learning to Lead: The personal behavior of adults and teachers at OCS will be an example to the pupils. In addition, pupils will learn about how to be a leader in different ways at different stages of their development:

• Kindergarten teachers will endeavor to be a model of kindness, strength, and daily rhythm to the pupils, knowing that children at this age imitate adult behavior on their path towards becoming their own individual.
• Class teacher of grades one to five will endeavor to set clear guidance and boundaries for the class as a whole, knowing that children at this age rely on guidance and boundaries to continue developing their individuality.
• Class teachers of grades six to eight will endeavor to be experts in their subjects knowing that at this age pupils want to be led by teachers they respect as experts to develop themselves into enthusiastic lifelong learners.

(11) Respect, tolerance, and understanding: Each individual class within the school will be a multi-cultural, mixed ability educational environment with equal chances for all. Each class, moving through the years together, will be a learning community for respect and understanding of different individual academic and social gifts and challenges as well as for varied social and cultural backgrounds. The class - which includes the parents as an inextricable part of the whole - will develop principles that will enable the class to carry and deal with the kind of crises that occur as part of normal development. Kindness, sharing and the ability to listen to others will be actively encouraged. Pupils are inspired to take pride in their work and to achieve the highest standards they are personally capable of. Teachers will work to balance an atmosphere of positive competition and collaboration. Pupils will evaluate their fellow pupils' achievements in an objective, though positive and constructive way. Team work and problem solving will be practiced and the school community as a whole will work to reflect these principles.

(12) The Continuous Learning Community: Ocean Charter School is designed to function as a living system that balances initiative and accountability. All teachers, staff, and participants will be asked to make a commitment to develop him or herself along with the pupils, as described by Parker Palmers' adage: "We teach who we are"16. Our fundamental assumption is that there is always room for improvement. We will endeavor to make planning, review, and ongoing educational research a creative, fruitful and effective process.

(13) Living Systems Learning: At OCS it is our intention to educate the whole child to see him or herself as living within the context of a whole environment. Developing the capacity to think ecologically is not just a matter of teaching about the importance of recycling or our reliance on fossil fuels. We intend to teach pupils to become aware of the inherent ecology of life and as something that is connected to everything we do, from a baby's exhale to the ozone, from a lit match to an exploding volcano. In the same way that each child must be taught as a whole human being, so the multi-dimensional, complex issue that is our world ecology must first be seen as a single unit with many interconnected parts. From there, specific aspects of ecology are woven into our curriculum, our building site and our worldview so that the child will fully understand the individual and collective relationship that child and every other person has with the planet.

(14) Community Service: One of our goals at Ocean Charter School is to educate children in such a way that they are able to envision and create a peaceful world as adults. Doing things for others contributes to a sense of selfsufficiency, self esteem, and accomplishment, as well as strengthen qualities of self-discipline, perseverance, patience, and imagination. Community service is an intrinsic part of that goal.

Bringing children into contact with those less fortunate than themselves and caring for the environment helps broaden their understanding of the realities of our society. It helps them develop compassion and empathy for others as well as a desire and will to help. A service project for a class also helps build a spirit of community within the class. Working together towards a common goal helps develop skills in cooperation and working together. This is one reason why service projects are important even in the early grades. The children learn to work together and to trust one another.

Professional Development
Teachers are the educational leaders of our school. The Whole Child Curriculum based on the Waldorf educational philosophy calls for a preponderance of teachers who have been especially trained to work with an integrated curriculum, active learning, the arts, aspects of social ecology and who have a basic understanding of living systems. Each year begins with a professional development retreat for visioning, planning, training, and organization. Experienced teachers will mentor novice teachers to assist in their development.

Waldorf-approach courses and workshops specific to public schools are available. We would like to see more. We intend to encourage and nurture professional development programs for teachers working with the Whole Child Curriculum and holistic education in public schools in the Los Angeles area.

An example of such a course comes from the Rudolf Steiner College brochure, "Integrated Curriculum, Active Learning, and the Arts - The Waldorf Approach Applied in the Public School Classroom K-8" (Summer Institute for Teachers / July 15-26, 2002: by Parker Palmer).

KINDERGARTEN
These workshops will focus on ways to integrate language arts, number skills, music, storytelling, movement, nature study, and arts and crafts within the curriculum of the developmentallyappropriate kindergarten. It will present aspects of the Waldorf approach applicable in public school classrooms.

Teachers will learn to:

• Create a nurturing environment for healthy development of the senses.
• Cultivate creative play/activities in the classroom.
• Expand their awareness of current educational/brain research that supports the importance of play and the arts as a foundation for creative thinking.
• Develop children's phonemic awareness through nursery rhymes and poetry.
• Develop skills in storytelling, puppetry, and drama that enhance crucial language development.
• Build strong foundations for later academics, including math and science, that prepare the child to meet state standards
• Joyfully celebrate the seasons with singing games, stories, and a nature table
• Appreciate the deeper meaning and importance of fairytales and stories that cultivate crosscultural awareness through activities that develop movement, rhythm and skills.
• Make simple dolls and puppets, model with beeswax, paint with watercolors, and create seasonal crafts.
• Deepen their understanding of the developmental needs of the young child.

GRADES 1-3 / GRADES 4-6 / GRADES 7-8
These workshops will demonstrate how teachers can creatively implement an arts-filled, integrated curriculum for grades one through eight, using practices developed in Waldorf education that are applicable in public school classrooms. Introductory and Advanced Levels are available. Teachers will learn:

• Methods to integrate recitation, storytelling, drama, painting, modeling, movement, and music into the teaching of history, geography, social science, language arts, mathematics, and science.
• Innovative, practical ways to develop and strengthen language and numeric literacy.
• How to awaken imagination and wonder, enlivening and expanding the breadth of student learning.
• How to inspire and motivate students to reach high levels of achievement and meet district and state standards.
• How to nurture emotional intelligence, kindness, and responsibility in the classroom through character building activities.
• How to deepen and enliven the multicultural aspect of history and language arts through stories, myths, folk tales, and legends of various cultures.
• How integrated, arts-filled learning speaks to the developmental needs of all children, including those with special needs, addressing the full spectrum of learning styles
• How an experiential, integrated approach can benefit multilingual classes and English language learners

Specific subject areas may include:

Grades 1-3

• Folk Tales, Native American Stories
• Math
• Nature Study, Introduction to Science
• Language Arts
• Cultural Studies: food and shelter from around the world

Grades 4-6

• Eco-systems; Botany; Math and Geometry
• California and U.S. History and Geography; Language Arts
• Ancient Civilizations of: Egypt, India, and Greece; Science

Grades 7-8

• Math, Perspective Drawing, Geometry
• Language Arts
• History: Renaissance, Reformation, American
• World Geography
• Science: Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Meteorology, Nutrition

In addition to professional development based on the Waldorf educational approach, we will offer OCS teachers opportunities for other kinds of training consistent with the holistic principles of the Whole Child Curriculum's focus on individual intelligence, social intelligence, and ecological intelligence. Examples are:

• Workshops by Rachael Kessler, author of The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion, and Character at School
• Workshops by the Ojai Foundation on the "Council Process" of speaking and listening.
• Workshops by Parker Palmer, author of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
• Workshops by Riane Eisler, author of Tomorrow's Children and The Power of Partnership.
• Workshops based on the work of Mel Levine, author of A Mind at a Time: How Every Child Can Succeed.
• Workshops on "Action Research for Holistic Education", a teacher development program by EnCompass in Nevada City, CA
• Workshops on "the extra lesson" for special education from the Healing Arts Association.
• Workshops with Betty Staley, author of Hear the Voice of the Griot! A Guide to African Geography, History, and Culture.
• Workshops and training through the Center for EcoLiteracy Network in the Edible Schoolyard model of creating and sustaining an organic garden and landscape which is wholly integrated into the school's curriculum and lunch program.
• Workshops by Doc Childre, author of the HeartMath Solution on heart/mind coherence for less stress and higher performance for students.
• Support for peace education at school, for example through Educators for Social Responsibility www.esrnational.org and the National Peace Foundation www.nationalpeace.org

For more information about the curriculum, please email: curriculum@oceancharterschool.org