Mollet Learning Academy (MLA) exists for the benefit of teachers, parents and educators who wish to bring about the best possible education for our children.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) changed the USA educational system. It was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002.
Our President, Dr. David Mollet believed the application of NCLB was harmful to students’ development. He established a non-profit, the Teachers Education Institute (TEI) in an attempt to counter the harm that the application of NCLB would result in. TEI’s main purpose was to provided reports, based on international comparisons, on what worked and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t work as far as optimising childrens’ wellbeing and learning. The research reports are available as itemised below.
He is greatly saddened by what he sees as the politicisation of education in the UK and USA and the danger of that occurring in New Zealand. The consequences of this politicisation are disastrous for a society and is probably the main reason for the present rapid decline of those societies.
There are two main objectives of the TEI.
The first is to give teachers, administrators and educators based on the latest research of comparisons of different country’s education systems, free research reports describing what works and what doesn’t work in education.
The second is to describe the education administrative structures which now exist in other countries whose students outperform USA students.
Please use this form to request whatever report or item you require. Sorry but if you require more than one item you will need to fill in the form separately for each item; only the first item will be sent – thanks.
Our research reports cover the following areas (in alphabetical order).
1) Articles/Reports.
2) Courses.
3) Lessons.
4) Overviews.
5) Presentations.
1) Articles and Reports
MLA/TEI makes extensive use of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reports.
1) Articles/Reports
MLA/TEI makes extensive use of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reports. PISA is a system that evaluates school-leavers’ ability to apply knowledge to problems. PISA is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an organization of industrialized countries. It covers students’ abilities in the areas of reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. The first evaluations occurred in 2000, and is administered every 3 years (2000 – Reading, 2003 – Mathematics, 2006 – Science, 2009 – Reading). Each PISA evaluation covers all three subjects of reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy, but assesses one of the subjects in depth.
1A PISA 2009 Report
1B Previous PISA
1C “Is America’s Industrial Leadership at Risk?”
1D Student achievement amongst countries in the developed world
1E “Improving California Education”
1F Education in New Zealand
1G “To Test or not to Test”
1H Education in Scotland
1I Education in Finland
1J Finland and Music
1K Venezuela and Music
1L The importance of music education
1M Views of teachers in England on testing
1N Stressed out 4-6 year olds in the UK
1O Latest News from the UK
1P More, but not unexpected, bad news from UK and USA
1Q How could the UK system possibly get worse?
1P Correspondence to Gordon Brown and Minister of Children, Schools and Families (UK)
1Q UK (21st – last) in UNICEF Report on children’s wellbeing in rich countries
1R “The interview that will not be published.”
2) Courses
2A Synopsis of Pedagogy Course Outlines
2B Synopsis of Course “Theory of Child Development”
2C Synopsis of Course “Structuring the Day”
2D Synopsis of Course “The Temperaments”
2E Synopsis of Course “Learning to Write and Read”
2F Synopsis of Course “The Curriculum”
2G Synopsis of Course “Form Drawing”
2H Synopsis of Course “Storytelling”
2I Synopsis of Course on “The Ancient Civilisation of Kush”
3) Lessons
3A Ancient China (Lessons 4/5 of Module 2) Mathematics, Counting Rods and Chinese Abacus
3B Ancient Egypt (Lesson 3 of Module 3) Papyrus – how it is made, activities etc.
3C Ancient Greece (Lesson 1 of Module 2) Story “Parrhasius and Helena”, Guided Reading, The Court of Law, Simulate an Athenian Court of Law.
3D Ancient India (Lesson 3 of Module 2) “Asoka and the Mauryan Empire,” “India’s National Emblem,” Assessment Rubric for India’s National Emblem
3E Ancient Kush (Lesson 2 of Module 2) Story “Expedition to Jebel Barkal,” “Jebel Barkal: A Poem,” Guided Reading, Review Exercises
3F Ancient Israelites (Lesson 2 of Module 1) Story “Abraham,” Father of a Nation, Guided Reading
3G Ancient Rome (Lesson 3 of Module 2) “The people of Rome speak out,” Story “Julius Caesar,” Crossing the Rubicon, Guided Reading
3H Mesopotamia (Lesson 4 of Module 3) Story “Gilgamesh,” “The Death of Enkidu.”
3I Prehistory/Early Humankind (Lesson 2 of Module 2) The Crô-Magnons including story “The Lascaux Caves”, Guided Reading and “The Cave Paintings at Altmira.”
3J Fractions SubUnit 3.4 Drama: A Tale of Fractions A free lesson/drama involving students in a drama about the Pied Piper of Hamelin
3K Multiplication Tables SubUnit 3.7 Ten Times Table: Mr. Pickles A free lesson, activities, story, game/, patterns, cooperative learning activities about the ten times table
3L History of California Lesson 5.6 The Gold Rush: Part 1 – A free lesson describing the background of the gold rush and life in the gold fields
4) Overviews
Child Development
Child Development 0-3
Child Development 3-7
Child Development 7-10
Child Development 10-14
Child Development Adolescent
Overview Child Development
Overview Content Areas
Overview Discipline Punishment
Overview Introduction
Overview Main Lesson
Overview Methodology of Teaching
Overview Monitoring Assessment
Overview Rhythms Structure
Overview Main Lesson
Subject Arithmetic
Subject Colour
Subject Drama
Subject English Literature
Subject English Mother Tongue
Subject Environmental Studies
Subject Form Drawing
Subject Fractions
Subject Geometry
Subject History Social Science
Subject Multiplication Tables
Subject Music
Subject Reading
Subject Science
Subject Storytelling
Subject Visual Media Folk Arts
Subject Working with Colour
Teachers Temperament
Teaching Choleric
Teaching Melancholic
Teaching Phlegmatic
Teaching Sanguine
Temperament Choleric
Temperament Expectations
Temperament Melancholic
Temperament Phlegmatic
Temperament Sanguine
Temperaments Main
Temperaments Overview
5) Presentations
4A Storytelling
4B Ancient Kush
Synopsis of Commentary for dvds (dvds available PAL and NTSC) – for details please contact Dr. David Mollet at davidmetis@gmail.com
1 Theory of Child Development:
Video Synopsis 1 Introduction
2 Structuring the Day:
Video Synopsis 2 Structuring
3 The Temperaments:
Video Synopsis 3 Temperaments
4 Learning to Write and Read:
Video Synopsis 4 Reading
5 The Curriculum:
Video Synopsis 5 Curruculum
Other areas will be made available as time and resources allow.
Conclusion
Arnold Toynbee, a famous historian, said, “Civilizations decline, not so much because of invasions or other external forces, but because of an internal hardening of idea.” and “Civilizations in decline are consistently characterized by a tendency towards standardization and uniformity.” Those existing in state education in California, the majority of the rest of the USA and the UK are based on inflexible and rigid ideas.
Regarding California and the USA the public at large realize that there is a crisis. In a recent survey taken by pollster Mark Mellman 40% of likely California voters named elementary and secondary education as the biggest problem facing the state. That is more than the total for the next four issues – crime and drugs, health care, immigration and taxes. Evidence on the preceding pages indicate a real problem and the people who are really hurting are our children. Tragically it need not be happening. One answer is to provide teachers with the lessons. Please view the following – a lesson on Symmetry. It is just one lesson made free to teachers over the internet (go to Links for other free lessons). Here you will find other lessons that we have made free to teachers over the internet. A study of these lessons will indicate that we are writing and producing lessons that are in many ways unique.
Administrators need to realize that in order to optimize elementary childrens’ learning, teachers should formulate lessons plans that include the following elements:
a) content and methodology that reflects latest research findings
b) their knowledge of the students they teach. Parents know their children best but who next possesses the best knowledge of the way each child should learn. Yes, it is their teacher and they should be given freedom to use that knowledge.
We find that in countries where latest research findings and where teachers are given freedom (for example Finland, previously New Zealand until the present government), students outperform those of the USA and the UK; their economies also outperform those of the USA and UK. The following provides details of overviews, subject and other areas regarding our approach.
Note: Re access to pdfs – it will depend on where you are and your bandwidth. For example, if outside USA or on dial-up you will need to be patient while the pdf loads and opens – bigger the file, longer it takes.
Other Sites
Assessment, Monitoring, Testing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3209245.stm (UK Teachers denounce national tests)
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1049503,00.html (Scotland to scrap league tables)
California
http://www.cde.ca.gov/board/ (California State Board of Education)
http://www.ose.ca.gov/bios/riordan.html (Office of the Secretary of Education for California)
http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_homepage.jsp (Office of the Governor of California)
Child Development
http://childstudy.net/ages-and-stages.html (Classic Theories of Child Development: Ages and Stages)
http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html (Constructivist Theory of J. Bruner)
http://oldsci.eiu.edu/psychology/Spencer/Jung.html (Carl Jung)
http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=child_development&OFFID=se (Child Development, Questia, the world’s largest online library of over 48,000 books and 390,000 journal, magazine and newspaper articles)
Children’s Publishers
http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqweb/pubr/child.html (Children’s Literature Publishers)
http://childrenswriters.signaleader.com/howtopages/supportchildrenspublishers.html (Support Children’s Publishers Online)
Miscellaneous
https://molletacademy.com/testimonials/ (Teachers’ comments in San Diego City Schools)
https://molletacademy.com/waldorf/ (Teaching Packs based on the Waldorf approach to education)
https://molletacademy.com/widehorizon-2/ (WideHorizon Education Resources Teaching Packs)
http://www.qeddata.com/ (Quality Education Data)
http://www.socialstudies.com (Social Studies School Service)
http://www.eduref.org/ (Educator’s Reference Desk)
http://www.edweek.org/ (Education Week)
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/ (Sites for Teachers)
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/ (Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers)
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource (PBS Teacher Source)
http://www.tes.co.uk/ (Times Education Supplement)
http://www.exploratorium.edu/iron_science/index.html (Iron Science Teacher)
http://www.dest.gov.au (Australian Department of Education, Science and Training)
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/ (Ministry of Education, New Zealand)
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.htm (Department of Education and Skills, UK)
http://www.educationevolving.org/ (Education Evolving)
http://c-library.um.ac.ir/Education.asp (Information and Central Library, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Organizations
http://www.ascd.org/ (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development – ASCD)
http://www.ccss.org/ (California Council for Social Studies)
http://www.clms.net/ (California League of Middle Schools)
http://www.naesp.org/ (National Association of Elementary School Principals)
http://www.ncss.org/ (National Council for Social Studies)
You can negotiate to information on student achievement amongst countries in the developed world from this page (see OECD study: Knowledge and Skills for Life PISA – Programme for International Student Assessment). The information is made available in different formats. For example, in a Special Report (detailed information); in a Newsletter that contains a lesson; in an article (for publication in newspapers and magazines etc.); and in a letter that can be sent to interested parties.
What do we believe in?
1. The MLA approach to education believes in developing the creative and imaginative side of the student in harmony with the intellectual and cognitive. To achieve this, MLA Teaching Packs make stories and drama an integral part of the lessons and involve students through storytelling, art, simulations, drama, craft, discussion and creation of a personal record.
2. There are MLA Teaching Packs for teaching
a) Ancient Civilizations/World History
b) History of California and
c) Mathematics (Fractions and Multiplication Tables)
3. In a MLA Teaching Pack you will find teacher guidelines, stories providing an in-depth experience, information sheets presented in an interesting and stimulating format, activity sheets, suggestions for further research, maps with related activities, questions for discussion and assessment, dramas for class/school performance, guidance for the student’s personal record or portfolio, a variety of review exercises and contents designed and structured for authentic assessment
4. For an explanation of the philosophy behind the writing of these packs click here (David Mollet’s Homepage)
5. If you are interested in how your students can work with top quality papyrus (imported from Egypt) click here.
6. We have also customized our material for USA public schools. This material includes monitoring and assessment procedures for students some of which are not based on the MLA approach.
7. Information on workshops/presentations for introducing the MLA approach into public schools available at: click here (WideHorizon) and here (Waldorf).
8. Click here to read what teachers think about our lessons/newsletters.
“These resource packs contain unbound, ready-to-use reproducible masters, that are varied, simple, and appealing to students. The interactive strategies suggested are suitable for independent, small-group, and whole-class assignments.”
(Grade 6 Course Models – California State Department of Education)
9. Click App_2 My Steiner Experience to go to author’s experiences in the Waldorf world.
10. Click here for details of on-line courses accredited by San Diego State University.
Dr. David Mollet davidmetis@gmail.com
NZ: h 09-555-2021 m 022-101-1741, 41 Hilling St, Titirangi, Auckland 0604
USA: 619-463-1270, 6656 Reservoir Lane, San Diego, CA 92115 (Skype waldorfedu)
1) The material was initially written for New Zealand teachers but on request from USA teachers, monitoring and assessment procedures were added. To view this material please visit https://molletacademy.com/
WideHorizon Education Resources (WER) https://molletacademy.com/widehorizon-2/ Waldorf Education Resources (WER) https://molletacademy.com/waldorf/
2) MLA is also involved in researching on an international basis, what works and what doesn’t work. Most of the research results can be seen at https://molletacademy.com/research-reports/ while a draft of a book The Task for New Zealand Education is at https://molletacademy.com/the-task-for-nz-education/
3) Blogs at http://www.molletlearningacademy.blogspot.co.nz/
4) Business Plan at http://molletlearningacademy.com/corporate/MLABusinessPlan.pdf
5) Papyrus https://molletacademy.com/papyrus/
If you wish to subscribe to MLA Newsletter please do so at https://molletacademy.com/
Thanks and take care, David
You can negotiate to information on student achievement amongst countries in the developed world from this page (see OECD study: Knowledge and Skills for Life PISA – Programme for International Student Assessment). The information is made available in different formats. For example, in a Special Report (detailed information); in a Newsletter that contains a lesson; in an article (for publication in newspapers and magazines etc.); and in a letter that can be sent to interested parties.
Click here for MLA article “Improving California Education”
Click here regarding the application of latest research indicators to different subject areas
Click here for “Is America’s Industrial Leadership at Risk?”
Click here for latest OECD report on student achievement amongst countries in the developed world
Click here for Special Report 1: Vol 1 No 1, on student achievement amongst countries in the developed world
Click here for Newsletter 1
Click here for article “To Test or not to Test” For pdf click here
Click here for draft letter
Click here for education in New Zealand
Click here for education in Scotland
Click here for education in Finland
Click here for Finland and Music
Click here for research on the importance of music education
Click here to find out views of teachers in England on testing
Click here to read about stressed out 4-6 year olds in the UK
Mission Statement
The Mollet Learning Academy (MLA) exists for the benefit of teachers, parents and educators who wish to bring about the best possible education for our children. There are two main objectives of the MLA.
The first is to give teachers, based on the latest research, free detailed lesson plans so that they can devote their time in customizing content and methodology so that it relates in the most efficient way to the students’ progress and wellbeing. As well as providing free lessons MLA will produce a Quarterly Newsletter (Click here for latest copy). Part of the contents of the Newsletter will be information on countries that have different administrative educational systems and whose students out-perform those of the USA. Click here to go to the page providing the links to this information or click on any Links button.
In the latest issue of the Newsletter we examine a OECD study: Knowledge and Skills for Life PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) published on Tuesday 6 April 2004. We find two countries whose students out-perform those of the USA possess quite different education administrative structures to those of the USA. In fact, we find that nationally and state-wide the USA has been moving for some considerable time in the opposite direction to those of Finland and New Zealand.
The second is to bring change to the education administrative structure.
The objective of MLA is to give students, based on the latest research:
1. content and lessons in different subject areas;
2. methodology that is relevant to any given age at elementary level;
3. a sensitive but thorough monitoring of progress;
4. education that relates to their experience of life;
5. the enhancement and the development of all different skills;
6. an environment in which they enjoy learning.
Provide teachers with necessary resources and material, based on the latest research, to enable students to:
1. develop literacy through different content areas;
2. reach their unique potential;
3. remember their schooling with affection;
4. desire the same type of schooling for their children.
Why you should fund this project.
1. Because children and their minds are our most precious possessions.
2. Any parent or teacher will tell you that their child/children has unique faculties and attributes that they bring to this world.
3. Education helps or hinders each child’s “destiny”. This project, based on research and experience, will create lessons and classroom structure to accentuate and develop each child’s unique potential.
4. Research validates the lesson structures used for this project.
5. Education should consist of two elements. Firstly, the drawing out from the child’s experience. The USA educational system largely ignores this dynamic. Secondly, the teaching of our accumulated knowledge that relates to the mindset of children. The system only relates to this mindset in a haphazard and fragmented way.
6. Therefore what should education be based on? Proven research indicates that education can be divided into three.
a) How children develop. Teachers need a theory of child development to practice their craft efficiently – “Why is it taught?” State education provides a simplistic answer to this question and the human mind is not simple.
b) Content or curriculum – “What is taught?” Mainstream education obsession with testing children results in teaching that revolves around the content that is going to be in the tests; this is particularly harmful to young children.
c) Interaction between teachers and children or Methodology of Teaching – “How is it taught?” Mainstream education does not examine this area. To examine a model for teaching click here.
7. Information and lessons can be made available to teachers on a worldwide basis by way of the internet. They will be free and relate to existing frameworks. Appropriate acknowledgment to sponsors will be included.
8. Teachers will want these lessons. In a pilot program of ten e-newsletters with lessons, 2,100 teachers subscribed within six weeks and without any advertising. Demand was too great to satisfy.
9. Demand can be satisfied on an ongoing basis by finding appropriate donors. Initial task to provide around 300 free e-lessons that can be downloaded together with video clips showing rational behind and supporting content.
10. Please see business plan at http://molletlearningacademy.com/corporate/MLABusinessPlan.pdf for outline of various stages of development.
11. Commitment by Dr. David L Mollet to this unique project will be full-time. His children are adults and “gone” and he wishes to make a further contribution to education however challenging this may be. He would prefer appropriate remuneration but he is willing to administer the project gratis if necessary. His main difficulty has been to find support, monetary and social, for his analysis of what needs improving or changing in education particularly in the countries that he has lived and worked in, namely UK, USA and New Zealand. The people he has met in the last 23 years, and who agree with him, have usually left education. Those who are still in education say it is impossible to bring about the necessary changes. However, he still believes it is possible to bring about these changes even if it takes many years and the bottom line, he believes, is that we are selling our children short if we do not make every effort to do so.
Click here to see details of required funding.
Conclusion
Arnold Toynbee, a famous historian, said, “Civilizations decline, not so much because of invasions or other external forces, but because of an internal hardening of ideas.” Those existing in state education in California and the majority of the rest of the USA are based on inflexible and rigid ideas. What can only be termed the socialization of educational ideas is occurring nationwide.Click here to view what is happening in other countries. See the model for New Zealand which was working effectively until the present government followed the UK and USA and politicised their education system.
A few years ago in a survey taken by pollster Mark Mellman 40% of likely California voters named elementary and secondary education as the biggest problem facing the state. That is more than the total for the next four issues – crime and drugs, health care, immigration and taxes. Evidence on the preceding pages indicate a real problem and the people who are really hurting are our children. Tragically it need not be happening but the consequences of politicising education are disastrous. It is obvious that one of the main determinants, if not the main one, is the extent to which the workforce has been educated.
The UK and USA are now both in steep decline and it isn’t rocket science to work out why! We shall not succeed in our task in our lifetimes but we do seek to sow the seeds for future generations. Initially, we aim to make available gratis to teachers hundreds of e-lessons. A study of these lessons will indicate that they are in many ways unique.
What do we believe in?
1. The MLA approach to education believes in developing the creative and imaginative side of the student in harmony with the intellectual and cognitive. To achieve this, MLA Teaching Packs make stories and drama an integral part of the lessons and involve students through storytelling, art, simulations, drama, craft, discussion and creation of a personal record.
There are MLA Teaching Packs for teaching a) Ancient Civilizations/World History, b) History of California and c) Mathematics (Fractions and Multiplication Tables)
2. Click on any of these links China, Egypt, Greece, India, Israelites, Kush, Mesopotamia, Prehistory or Rome to take you to the appropriate WER Unit.
3. Click here if you wish to access free lesson on papyrus (enter Papyrus in Subject line – any information you supply is treated in complete confidence).
4. Click here for Mollet Learning Academy (MLA) Teaching Packs.
5. Click here to find out about Kush. Kush is Africa’s oldest interior civilization. Do your students, particularly African-American, have the opportunity to study this part of their cultural heritage?
6. Click here for articles and research reports.
7. Click here to check out evaluations of pilots carried out in schools in San Diego and to read what teachers think about our lessons/newsletters.
“These resource packs contain unbound, ready-to-use reproducible masters, that are varied, simple, and appealing to students. The interactive strategies suggested are suitable for independent, small-group, and whole-class assignments.”
(Grade 6 Course Models – California State Department of Education)
8. Click here to check out evaluation of WER Unit Kush by USA leading authority.
9. Information on workshops/presentations for introducing the MLA approach into public schools available at https://molletacademy.com/mla-workshops/
10. For an explanation of the philosophy behind the writing of these packs click https://molletacademy.com/mla-pedagogy/
11. Click https://molletacademy.com/sdsu-courses/ for details of on-line courses accredited by San Diego State University.
Dr. David Mollet davidmetis@gmail.com
NZ: h 09-555-2021 m 022-101-1741, 41 Hilling St, Titirangi, Auckland 0604
USA: 619-463-1270, 6656 Reservoir Lane, San Diego, CA 92115 (Skype waldorfedu)
1) The material was initially written for New Zealand teachers but on request from USA teachers, monitoring and assessment procedures were added. To view this material please visit https://molletacademy.com/
WideHorizon Education Resources (WER) https://molletacademy.com/widehorizon-2/ Waldorf Education Resources (WER) https://molletacademy.com/waldorf/
2) MLA is also involved in researching on an international basis, what works and what doesn’t work. Most of the research results can be seen at https://molletacademy.com/research-reports/ while a draft of a book The Task for New Zealand Education is at https://molletacademy.com/the-task-for-nz-education/
3) Blogs at http://www.molletlearningacademy.blogspot.co.nz/
4) Business Plan at http://molletlearningacademy.com/corporate/MLABusinessPlan.pdf
5) Papyrus https://molletacademy.com/papyrus/
If you wish to subscribe to MLA Newsletter please do so at https://molletacademy.com/ Thanks and take care, David
Mollet Learning Academy (MLA) 