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No matter what else is learned, all students, regardless of intelligence, learning style, circumstance, economic, social, or biological inheritance, must master how to read, write, listen, speak, organize information, study and do math. Developmental students must experience the success they need to master these skills and catch up to their peers. All must experience the success that will allow them to perform at the top of their ability, continue their education, and hold jobs with a future.

Rory Donaldson's philosophy of education is rooted in thirty years of teaching thousands of students and hundreds of teachers, grades K through the corporate boardroom, public school through post-graduate university. The values on which his philosophy is built focus on answering three questions:

1. What is the most effective way to insure that all students master how to read, write, listen, speak, organize information, study and do math?
2. What can we do with students who aren't mastering these skills?
3. How can teachers be best prepared to answer questions one and two?

There are well-researched, field-tested answers to these questions, many of which may be found at Mr. Donaldson website Brainsarefun.

The philosophy behind the program is basically simple. We say in effect, “Kid, it doesn’t matter how miserably your environment has failed to teach you the basic concepts that the average five-year-old has long since mastered. We’re not going to fail you. We’re not going to discriminate against you, or give up on you, regardless of how unready you may be according to traditional standards. We are not going to label you with a handle, such as dyslexic or brain-damaged, and feel that we have now exonerated ourselves from the responsibility of teaching you. We’re not going to punish you by requiring you to do things you can’t do. We’re not going to talk about your difficulties to learn. Rather, we will take you where you are, and we’ll teach you. And the extent to which you fail is our failure, not yours. We will not cop out by saying, “He can’t learn.” Rather, we will say, “I failed to teach him. So I better take a good look at what I did and try to figure out a better way.”  Zig  Engelmann, founder of Direct Instruction

A QUICK SUMMARY

As described in Contracts that Put Your Children and Students in Charge of Winning, "Cooperation before instruction" is the basic requirement of all sound teaching and learning.

As described in The Brainsarefun Reading Solution, virtually all students can be taught how to read and continue their educations.

There are effective teaching skills that, when learned, remediate and accelerate virtually all students.

It occurs to me that the best way to sum up my educational philosophy is to list some of the informal mottoes at the core of my teaching:

• Cooperation before instruction.
• Reading is the essential competency.
• Catch students doing the right thing, reward immediately, postpone criticism.
• Allow time for self-correction.
• Break tasks into their component parts, teach each part to mastery.
• Don't ask trick questions.
• Do not waste student time.
• Provide answers before questions.
• If the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught.
• When one knows the rules, the game can be played.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Restate, restate, restate. Retell, retell, retell.
• Security, not harshness.
• Share a commitment to the best possible education with your students.
• Make sure it's a good test. Then, teach to the test.
• Turn "I can't" attitudes into "I can!" behavior.
• Write furiously.
• Take notes.
• Read aloud.
• Never, ever, ever give up.
• Above all, Love!

The solutions at Brainsarefun provide the detail about how to implement these mottoes: in the home, in the classroom, in the workplace. Mr. Donaldson's article Effective Teaching Skills outlines the critical skills and behaviors he believes all teachers, no matter what level or subject being taught, must master if they are to qualify as "master teachers." He is a Master Teacher.

Since the brains of our society are at stake, nothing less than mastering the basic academic skills and behaviors is acceptable. The problems facing our world will not be solved by people who can't read, write, listen, speak, organize information, study, or do math.

All students can be taught the three basic behaviors of success: How to start on time, stay on task, complete assignments.

Never, ever, ever give up. And, above all, Love!

Rory Donaldson, Save the Brains!
roryd@brainsarefun.com.
www.brainsarefun.com

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: RORY DONALDSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION © December 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Rory Donaldson. All rights reserved. In order to help reverse the tide of academic failure and optimize success, individuals may copy brainsarefun solutions for non-commercial use at no charge. Contents may not be sold or repackaged in any manner without the written permission of Rory Donaldson. Since all material is copyrighted, please ensure that this entire copyright notice and contact information continues to be attached to each article you download. Mr. Donaldson appreciates the feedback. Additional solutions may be viewed and downloaded at no charge by logging on to brainsarefun.com. Titles are being updated, edited and added regularly. To view most recently added titles you may click here.

Suggestions and comments encouraged, email: roryd@brainsarefun.com.

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