Educational Approach
The Portland Village School educational approach does not otherwise exist within the Portland Public School System: a holistic, arts-integrated, K-8 school which synthesizes Waldorf methods with other best practices from around the world. Its unique pedagogy, academic program and emphasis on community incorporates current research on brain development, best teaching practices and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (1983). At its core, The Portland Village School strives to become a learning community committed to the learning process and development of every child’s greatest potential.
The Portland Village School bases its program on three specific principles of education: (1) Subject Integration, (2) Teaching to the Whole Child, and (3) Children as Broad Capability Learners.
Subject Integration
Our educational approach is multidisciplinary, centered around a 3-4 week subject unit called the Main Lesson Block. At Portland Village School, academic studies are integrated across disciplines such as art, science, math, and history. For example, students in a seventh grade main lesson history block on the Renaissance Period may be studying the lives and times of Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rafael, while at the same time creating their own "text-books," complete with their own writings (in calligraphy) and drawings. Earlier in the day they might practice 3-part recorder music and recite poetry from the Renaissance, and later the same day, study the laws of perspective in Math class. The next day they would apply those laws in their own drawings or paintings.
Teaching to the Whole Child
Waldorf methods emphasize understanding the 3-fold nature of the human being as a seminal idea in teaching. These ideas are now being supported by the most contemporary research in the learning sciences. An education which addresses the head (cognitive), heart (affective), and hands (behavioral) is essential. The cognitive approach, so often emphasized in schools today, simply falls short in meeting the broader needs of diverse groups of students. Not all children can be successful learners with a cognitive approach, and—more importantly—such an approach ignores other aspects of the child. By acknowledging and directly teaching to these other aspects, we support the growth and development of the whole child. By nurturing the affective and behavioral development of the child we are actually harnessing, complementing, and enhancing the child's cognitive growth.
Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory (1983) proposed seven, (more recently nine), distinctive categories or "intelligences" which can be useful in mapping and guiding development of the broad range of abilities which humans possess. Both models support what most teachers and observers of human nature already know: people are gifted and challenged in diverse ways. Acknowledging this multi-faceted aspect of children, and using lesson plans which meet these diverse learning styles, is currently drawing strong interest from educators around the country. There is also increasing acceptance of the idea that children learn through their bodies as well as through their brains. Math skills, for instance, can be taught through rhythmical and coordinated group movement exercises, and counting practiced through cooking and knitting, while children's natural energy can be funneled into fun, challenging physical activities during Morning Movement, in preparation for a focused academic activity period. This integration of movement, music and drama is central to The Portland Village School’s holistic approach and places it at the forefront of current educational research and methodology.
Children as Broad Capability Learners
Children at a very young age can learn to speak a foreign language with a perfect accent by being exposed to a native speaker on a regular basis. The National Association of Language teachers recognizes that children who learn second languages before the age of eleven do so with a specific and more productive part of their brain. All language learning will carry on in this area of the brain if second language study continues, which makes it that much easier for students to learn. We have a strong Spanish language program that begins in kindergarten. Similarly, children’s capacities as artists, musicians, authors, and poets are much greater than generally believed. Regular practice of those activities produces abilities which are quite remarkable and impressive. In addition to drawing on children’s natural creativity, Portland Village School emphasizes practical learning. Through the grades, children are taught genuine life skills such as cooking, gardening, bread making, carpentry, knitting, sewing, and wood-working. This emphasis on doing real life work gives children a strong confidence in dealing with the world around them.
Proven Curriculum and Pedagogy
The curriculum and pedagogy of The Portland Village School is based on the Waldorf model as adapted by the Village School in Eugene, Oregon. The (Eugene) Village School is a public charter school which opened its doors in the fall of 2000 and has recently been re-chartered by Eugene’s 4J School District for another five years. Despite being a Title I school, The Village School outperformed both District and State averages as measured by mandated standardized testing. In last year’s 8th grade assessments, they held a remarkable 34 percentage-point lead in both reading and math over Oregon state averages. Compared to their local District averages, they held a 21 percentage-point lead in reading and a 23 percentage-point lead in math. The Village School also helped to support the development of The Lighthouse Charter School (2002) in North Bend, which uses its methods successfully. The Portland Village School benefits from the experience gained in the Village School’s successful five-year track record.
Our founding group is convinced there is a valuable potential synergy between Waldorf methods and the modern mainstream public education tradition. The public school approach to standards-based education will complement and strengthen the Waldorf pedagogical tradition. The cultural, socio-economic, and racial diversity of the public school system will broaden and enrich the predominantly private-school-based history of Waldorf education in the United States.
