Who would have thought that when we went off for winter break, it would be spring before we’d be back together again? While we all would have preferred to be together in school, the school community made the best of our time apart. We realise it’s hard to know what we’ve been up to with …
Author: wicklowsudburyschool
Wicklow Sudbury School is Ireland's first democratically run school of self-directed learning.
The Godzilla vs Kong of Education? Direct Instruction or Constructivism, And The Winner Is…
A few years ago, myself and other members of the school community were invited onto an episode of David McWilliams’ TV3 series titled “David McWilliams’ Ireland: Could school be making you stupid?”. About midway through the discussion, a young man working in tech declared with evangelical certainty that Direct Instruction was the best teaching method. …
Learning in a Time of Coronavirus
Renewing a Sense of Ownership So here we are, after the decision to go with another three weeks of school closures, at least. It’s a sensible option - why take unnecessary chances now that we have the light of a vaccine at the end of the tunnel? This week, I've seen feelings of extreme relief …
Move Yourself to Dance
In a democratic school such as ours, where students direct their own learning, students are exposed to a highly social environment. Students are constantly learning how to navigate this environment in ways that work for their own unique self. This includes navigating relationships with lots of other human beings - beings of different ages and …
Screens, Structure and Self-directed Learning
A couple of years ago, (it feels like about a decade more than that!) a number of students were complaining of boredom, too many people being on screens, and feeling a lack of direction. The flexibility that comes with being a democratic school allowed us to be flexible and look for underlying causes rather than …
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Our Lockdown Story
The school day began much like any other on 12th March 2020. Students and staff arrived ready for whatever projects or courses they were working on. Some studied in the library, some worked on a puzzle in the kitchen, some played basketball. We were all well aware of the growing concern over Covid-19 in Ireland, …
STEMocratic Schools: Why Google Should Embrace the Sudbury Model
What do the best teams at the world's biggest corporations have in common with democratic schools? Many people wonder what kind of future career path Sudbury students will be able to take. But in a world where creativity and critical thinking are too often buzz words with no substance, the Sudbury model can show how …
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Leaving the Leaving Cert Behind
While the rest of us are enjoying spring as it gets into its full flow, some 59,000 students around the country will be expected to have their heads buried in books as they cram in every last little fact they can before their doomsday June exams. With its emphasis on rote learning, the disproportionate value …
Creating a Culture of Consent
According to the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, 1 in 5 women in Ireland have experience of sexual assault but only 1 in 4 report it. There is a 5% conviction rate for those that are reported. An excellent article by Donal O'Keefe on the Avondhu website discussing rape culture in Ireland cites the definition of …
Restorative Practice and the Sudbury Model
Most people are familiar with the methods of punishment used in mainstream schools. Rules are made and enforced from the top down, and students have little or no power to influence these structures. Students face consequences for stepping out of line even in very minimal ways, like forgetting a homework assignment or running late for …
