Reading (3)

Read the text. Choose the best ending for the sentence.

DRUMDUAN HIGH CONVINCED FAMOUS ACTRESS

The American historian Carter G. Woodson once said that ‘The mere imparting of information is not education.’ One wonders what he would say about the current state of education in which a heavy focus on memorising facts for exams is the preferred approach. One also wonders what he might say if he were to look through the window of Drumduan High school.

Set on a hilltop in the Scottish Highlands overlooking the little town of Forres, and inspired by the thoughts of the 19th century philosopher Rupert Steiner, Drumduan High takes a very different approach to education. Providing schooling for 14-19-year-olds, the central premise is a focus on holistic education, one which aspires toward complete emotional, mental and physical well-being.

Steiner himself was the founder of Anthroposophy, a field of philosophy which puts forward the concept of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world obtainable via personal development. His educational idyll was one which would develop not only a child’s creativity but also their spiritual and moral being.

Drumduan itself claims to have no allegiance to any particular religious or philosophical beliefs, but it does set out to achieve Steiner’s objective of developing free, critically-thinking individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Whilst you will find stalwarts of any common national syllabus such as languages, geography and maths, these are seen as being complementary to more ‘body-based learning’ subjects such as musical composition, boatbuilding, surveying, cooking and traditional arts and crafts. And it is through activities like these, which have a strong focus on concrete outcomes, that students apply their academic knowledge. The emphasis is very firmly on experiential learning: weekly treks off the beaten track, for example, are designed not only to gain a greater awareness of the natural (local) environment but also to test friendship, perseverance and self-discipline in a way that develops a greater appreciation for individuality.

One of the more contentious issues, however, is the absence of tests, grades or exams. Instead, students create detailed portfolios of their work throughout the year. Assessment, it is argued, distracts students from concentrating more naturally on doing their best at all times out of an obligation to both themselves and the other members of their team.

Such an unfamiliar, and (somewhat) some would say radical approach to learning, naturally causes some concern, but like all schools in the UK, Drumduan undergoes inspection by Education authorities.

Head teacher Krzysztof Zajaczkowski, despite an apparent deep distrust of authority, needn’t be concerned. Indeed, inspectors recently left the school convinced not only that the students were happy to actually be in school but they also demonstrated a degree of self-confidence, motivation and respect for others much greater than that found in traditional school environments.

If you dig deeper, however, you can find a few more significant differences between Drumduan and the high schools most of us are familiar with. To begin with the total number of students is 17. With a teaching staff of 12, the amount of individual attention students receive is likely to be considerably more than anything one receives in a common state school. At the cost of £7,500 per year you may argue this is the least that could be expected.

The school recently received a spate of media attention when it was revealed that Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton left a Hollywood event early to help prepare sandwiches for a school trip and sweep the floors of the school. Such practice, it seems, is quite common for parents with children attending the school in order to keep costs down.

Despite having to pull her weight in unorthodox ways, Swinton, also co-founder of Drumduan, became convinced of the approach when she first visited a Steiner school: ‘I was struck not only by the trusting and familial atmosphere for younger children, but mainly by older children, because I had never walked into a school before where teenagers had been so welcoming and self- possessed and kind.’ Her 14-year-old twins were later enrolled in Moray Steiner school conveniently located 9 miles from the family home in nearby Nairn.

Such schools, however, are not as uncommon as one may at first think. There are, in fact, more than 1,000 independent Steiner schools operating across 60 countries worldwide, with a number of high profile former pupils including such familiar faces as Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock.

Drumduan’s main aim is to

Read the text. Choose the best ending for the sentence.

DRUMDUAN HIGH CONVINCED FAMOUS ACTRESS

The American historian Carter G. Woodson once said that ‘The mere imparting of information is not education.’ One wonders what he would say about the current state of education in which a heavy focus on memorising facts for exams is the preferred approach. One also wonders what he might say if he were to look through the window of Drumduan High school.

Set on a hilltop in the Scottish Highlands overlooking the little town of Forres, and inspired by the thoughts of the 19th century philosopher Rupert Steiner, Drumduan High takes a very different approach to education. Providing schooling for 14-19-year-olds, the central premise is a focus on holistic education, one which aspires toward complete emotional, mental and physical well-being.

Steiner himself was the founder of Anthroposophy, a field of philosophy which puts forward the concept of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world obtainable via personal development. His educational idyll was one which would develop not only a child’s creativity but also their spiritual and moral being.

Drumduan itself claims to have no allegiance to any particular religious or philosophical beliefs, but it does set out to achieve Steiner’s objective of developing free, critically-thinking individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Whilst you will find stalwarts of any common national syllabus such as languages, geography and maths, these are seen as being complementary to more ‘body-based learning’ subjects such as musical composition, boatbuilding, surveying, cooking and traditional arts and crafts. And it is through activities like these, which have a strong focus on concrete outcomes, that students apply their academic knowledge. The emphasis is very firmly on experiential learning: weekly treks off the beaten track, for example, are designed not only to gain a greater awareness of the natural (local) environment but also to test friendship, perseverance and self-discipline in a way that develops a greater appreciation for individuality.

One of the more contentious issues, however, is the absence of tests, grades or exams. Instead, students create detailed portfolios of their work throughout the year. Assessment, it is argued, distracts students from concentrating more naturally on doing their best at all times out of an obligation to both themselves and the other members of their team.

Such an unfamiliar, and (somewhat) some would say radical approach to learning, naturally causes some concern, but like all schools in the UK, Drumduan undergoes inspection by Education authorities.

Head teacher Krzysztof Zajaczkowski, despite an apparent deep distrust of authority, needn’t be concerned. Indeed, inspectors recently left the school convinced not only that the students were happy to actually be in school but they also demonstrated a degree of self-confidence, motivation and respect for others much greater than that found in traditional school environments.

If you dig deeper, however, you can find a few more significant differences between Drumduan and the high schools most of us are familiar with. To begin with the total number of students is 17. With a teaching staff of 12, the amount of individual attention students receive is likely to be considerably more than anything one receives in a common state school. At the cost of £7,500 per year you may argue this is the least that could be expected.

The school recently received a spate of media attention when it was revealed that Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton left a Hollywood event early to help prepare sandwiches for a school trip and sweep the floors of the school. Such practice, it seems, is quite common for parents with children attending the school in order to keep costs down.

Despite having to pull her weight in unorthodox ways, Swinton, also co-founder of Drumduan, became convinced of the approach when she first visited a Steiner school: ‘I was struck not only by the trusting and familial atmosphere for younger children, but mainly by older children, because I had never walked into a school before where teenagers had been so welcoming and self- possessed and kind.’ Her 14-year-old twins were later enrolled in Moray Steiner school conveniently located 9 miles from the family home in nearby Nairn.

Such schools, however, are not as uncommon as one may at first think. There are, in fact, more than 1,000 independent Steiner schools operating across 60 countries worldwide, with a number of high profile former pupils including such familiar faces as Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock.

Drumduan’s approach towards assessment is

Read the text. Choose the best ending for the sentence.

DRUMDUAN HIGH CONVINCED FAMOUS ACTRESS

The American historian Carter G. Woodson once said that ‘The mere imparting of information is not education.’ One wonders what he would say about the current state of education in which a heavy focus on memorising facts for exams is the preferred approach. One also wonders what he might say if he were to look through the window of Drumduan High school.

Set on a hilltop in the Scottish Highlands overlooking the little town of Forres, and inspired by the thoughts of the 19th century philosopher Rupert Steiner, Drumduan High takes a very different approach to education. Providing schooling for 14-19-year-olds, the central premise is a focus on holistic education, one which aspires toward complete emotional, mental and physical well-being.

Steiner himself was the founder of Anthroposophy, a field of philosophy which puts forward the concept of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world obtainable via personal development. His educational idyll was one which would develop not only a child’s creativity but also their spiritual and moral being.

Drumduan itself claims to have no allegiance to any particular religious or philosophical beliefs, but it does set out to achieve Steiner’s objective of developing free, critically-thinking individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Whilst you will find stalwarts of any common national syllabus such as languages, geography and maths, these are seen as being complementary to more ‘body-based learning’ subjects such as musical composition, boatbuilding, surveying, cooking and traditional arts and crafts. And it is through activities like these, which have a strong focus on concrete outcomes, that students apply their academic knowledge. The emphasis is very firmly on experiential learning: weekly treks off the beaten track, for example, are designed not only to gain a greater awareness of the natural (local) environment but also to test friendship, perseverance and self-discipline in a way that develops a greater appreciation for individuality.

One of the more contentious issues, however, is the absence of tests, grades or exams. Instead, students create detailed portfolios of their work throughout the year. Assessment, it is argued, distracts students from concentrating more naturally on doing their best at all times out of an obligation to both themselves and the other members of their team.

Such an unfamiliar, and (somewhat) some would say radical approach to learning, naturally causes some concern, but like all schools in the UK, Drumduan undergoes inspection by Education authorities.

Head teacher Krzysztof Zajaczkowski, despite an apparent deep distrust of authority, needn’t be concerned. Indeed, inspectors recently left the school convinced not only that the students were happy to actually be in school but they also demonstrated a degree of self-confidence, motivation and respect for others much greater than that found in traditional school environments.

If you dig deeper, however, you can find a few more significant differences between Drumduan and the high schools most of us are familiar with. To begin with the total number of students is 17. With a teaching staff of 12, the amount of individual attention students receive is likely to be considerably more than anything one receives in a common state school. At the cost of £7,500 per year you may argue this is the least that could be expected.

The school recently received a spate of media attention when it was revealed that Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton left a Hollywood event early to help prepare sandwiches for a school trip and sweep the floors of the school. Such practice, it seems, is quite common for parents with children attending the school in order to keep costs down.

Despite having to pull her weight in unorthodox ways, Swinton, also co-founder of Drumduan, became convinced of the approach when she first visited a Steiner school: ‘I was struck not only by the trusting and familial atmosphere for younger children, but mainly by older children, because I had never walked into a school before where teenagers had been so welcoming and self- possessed and kind.’ Her 14-year-old twins were later enrolled in Moray Steiner school conveniently located 9 miles from the family home in nearby Nairn.

Such schools, however, are not as uncommon as one may at first think. There are, in fact, more than 1,000 independent Steiner schools operating across 60 countries worldwide, with a number of high profile former pupils including such familiar faces as Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock.

The Scottish Education authority reported that