Speakout Pre-Intermediate1. The alternative school
The Alternative School, in Lancashire, UK, offers a different type of schooling for young people who are having problems in mainstream education. The school offers an innovative and interesting educational programme, which is designed specifically for the individual. Students can decide when they come to school, and which subjects they want to study. They don't have to come to school every day. They can choose to start with just a few hours a week. The school uses an 'open door' policy where students are allowed to leave lessons if they are bored or unhappy.
2. The flipped classroom
Many classrooms around the world are adopting a flipped classroom approach. This learning model switches classroom learning and homework. In a traditional classroom, the teacher explains the lesson to the students in the classroom, and the students study homework outside class, where hey have to work on their own, and can't ask anyone for help. So, in a flipped classroom, children can watch a video of their teacher giving a lecture on the subject at home.
They don't have to do any written work. When they come back to the classroom, they have to do the more traditional exercises, but they can ask the teacher or their classmates for help if they don't understand.
3. Starting young
A child learning music with the Suzuki method has to start as young as possible. Even two-year-old children can learn to play difficult pieces of classical music, often on the violin. They do this by watching and listening. They learn by copying, just like they learn their mother tongue. The child has to join in, but doesn't have to get it right. "They soon learn that they mustn't stop every time they make a mistake. They just carry on,' said one Suzuki trainer, The children have to practise for hours every day and they give performances once a week, so they learn quickly. The parents must be involved too,' said the trainer, 'or it just doesn't work.'