Democratic Education In Israel
It was in 2019 when I first met Yaacov Hecht — a pioneer educator from Israel who established the first Democratic School in Israel 35 years back. He was visiting The Riverside School, where I used to work, for a fireside chat with our staff. It was the first time I heard about the concept of Democratic Education(DE). He shared how it is integrated into the public school systems in Israel. He shared in detail what DE means, how it looks in practice, and most importantly Why it is important to have this approach in education.
I joined Riverside in early 2018 in my quest to find the answer to the following question:
How can we preserve a child’s self-worth which they all are born with and which I saw damaged in 99% of the teenagers I met during my work earlier?
I had a fabulous time at Riverside. It is the place where you can witness — the most dedicated teachers, cutting-edge pedagogical practices — experiential learning, design thinking approach, focus on character building, the most relevant curriculum connected to real life and ample opportunities for a learner to explore. They also had multiple practices, Conglom being my favourite, to ensure that children feel loved, free and a sense of belonging at the school. Though Riverside is an IGCSE board school, they didn’t have any exams till Grade 7. In the time I spent there, I witnessed and learned multiple practices designed to nurture a child’s self-confidence.
So Why Democratic Education then?
I was a homeroom teacher for grade 6 and used to teach Science. I had a very friendly relationship with all my students. There weren’t any exams till grade 7, but just to get a sense of our children’s strengths and weaknesses we used to administer one diagnostic test in Languages, Science and Math each year. It was also done so that children have some experience of writing exams, which they have to face from grade 8 onwards.
I had a student who I knew struggled with Science and to help her do well in her upcoming test, I started giving her a little extra attention — checking with her in the class whether she is following, if she needs any extra support etc. And I started to sense that she was trying to avoid me. She wasn’t coming running to me in lunch hours to share about her day like always. I started to think WHY? I kept thinking about it in the back of my mind. One day randomly, it struck me that this is how a well-intentioned adult, unknowingly affects a child’s confidence. By giving her extra attention in class, I was making her conscious and in that process damaging her confidence. My checking on her was putting more eyeballs on her and thus making her conscious. And that’s when I realised, that however great the intentions of a teacher, a principal, or a parent might be; whatever amount of freedom you give a child to explore, and experience, which Riverside was doing a great job at, the moment you put a child through one-fit-all grading systems most of the past efforts goes down the drain. It’s even harder for a child who grew up in the values of freedom to fit in the exam system.
Imagine a funnel, Now I can keep increasing the radius of the funnel — which is all the freedom you give a child to be themselves, but in the end, everyone has to go through the narrow pipe of exams. The talent, abilities, and skills of all children are measured based on their marks in a few subjects. Not only that, they are labelled for their life on that basis. This is the problem, that no amount of intervention, or innovation in education can solve.
By imposing an exam system on a child, calling a few subjects basic and giving them undue importance, and using external evaluation to grade and label children, you create an individual with poor and relative self-worth.
I was wondering how can we get rid of examinations which have such a strong root in our minds. It was around the same time I met Yaacov. He was talking about the Democratic Education system in Israel for 4–18-year-olds where:
- A choice of areas of learning; The students choose what they want to learn and how
- Democratic self-management
- Evaluation focused on the individual without comparison with others and without tests and grades
I was filled with joy hearing his words and found a ray of hope. Fortunately, everyone at the school felt the same and so we decided to create a week-long Democratic Learning experience for our students. It went well, we had loads of learning and discussion. I decided to understand this system more in-depth and to see it in action. I planned a week-long visit to the Democratic School of Hadera, Israel. It was the first democratic school established there.
From the visit to the Democratic School of Hadera
There was something different about the air of the Democratic School in Hadera. It was filled with joy all around. It was nothing like a regular school with classrooms, staff rooms etc. It was more like a retreat centre with spaces such as — a carpentry workshop, a dance studio, a room full of art and sculptures, small and big conference rooms etc. It also had 3 to 4 houses, each of which comprised of sitting spaces, beds, and a kitchen. This served as a space for everyone to be and spend time doing what they’d like to. There was a small canteen, open spaces covered with greenery and children from all age groups — playing, conversing and just simply participating in their lives.
Self-Management and Co-creation:
I observed a few sessions which included — a teenage girls’ circle led by a facilitator, a horticulture field trip, a ballet class, a sculpting session, an advanced biology session etc. I also saw spaces creatively named depending on the function they served. There was a round indoor space which was in the centre of the school called the Centre of Universe.
One thing common about all the sessions I saw was that they were co-created and co-led. The learner and facilitator were informal and respectful to each other. There wasn’t any requirement of classroom management which is such a huge headache for teachers in a conventional school. All learners were focused and self-motivated. The facilitator was required only to support the process of learning and wasn’t burdened to present a tangible learning outcome at any cost.
Judiciary Meeting:
The reason why this school is called a Democratic School is because all decisions starting from hiring and firing of teachers, budget allocation, resource allocation etc. to yearly agendas, programs, travel plans, and schedules are made democratically. This means that every active stakeholder — students, teachers, and parents involved in school, has an equal say in everything that happens in the school. They also carry equal rights and share responsibilities. They can raise issues, make complaints, pitch in solutions and play their role in the working of the school. They have legislative committees, executive committees, judiciary and multiple other working groups. Election takes place each year for all the Executive committees and Judiciary. Each committee would consist of students and teacher representatives, all elected by the entire school community. It’s like a small democratic nation in function.
This not only gives all children a Voice but also helps them understand how democracy holds the scope for correction and iteration. It makes them responsible for their environment and not just receivers of education. More than anything, it prepares them for a responsible citizenry in a democratic nation.
The democratic school was also the only place I saw where each teacher had the freedom to hold their opinion and vote independently. They weren’t bound to side with other teachers or administration on issues. So, what brought people together was their common viewpoint and not the group they belonged to
Operations and Logistic:
Mixed Age Group — All students were divided into three broad groups based on their age — children, preadolescents and adolescents. Each group had an allocated house and a house mother responsible for their well-being. The rest of the school had different resource spaces common to everyone. There was no other grouping based on age or performance. This allows for formation of groups on the basis of interest. This also ensures that children gets to engage with much larger pool of children over the years and not just a handful of children of same age as themselves, the way it happens typically when you classify children into grades on the basis of their age.
Check In- Students could come to school anytime between 8:00- 9:00 am and leave anytime post 2:00 pm. They were supposed to sign in, thus marking their presence and sign out when they left. Rest they were free to spend their time according to their self-customized schedule.
Courses — There were facilitator-led courses offered such as Language, Science, Sculpting and multiple other topics. Students can sign up for the courses at the beginning of the year depending on their interest. Which facilitator-led course will be offered each year is also decided by students together by voting. All students are free to sign up for as many or as few courses as they would like to. They also get to attend some sessions before deciding whether they want to continue with a particular course for its full duration. Once they commit to the course they are expected to be regular and do all the required tasks associated with the course. In case, a student misses two consecutive sessions without a sound reason, he or she is not allowed in further sessions of that course. This is to ensure that there is a sense of responsibility and a follow-through approach for something they signed up for out of choice.
Mentors: Each child has a mentor — an adult in the school community, chosen by the child based on their comfort with that person. The mentor is like a go-to person for the child for all their needs. Apart from scheduled weekly meetings, they can meet their mentor more or less depending on their need. The mentor supports children with planning their year, reflecting on their week, and designing their overall learning journey. The mentor also acts as a wise friend with whom mentee can share their challenges and seek direction. Each child forges a unique bond with their mentor. Children are also free to change their mentors and choose different mentor every year.
This provides an excellent opportunity for them to connect with variety of adults which for one — widens the circle of people they can trust and seek support from and secondly it strengthens their communication skills and social navigation.
Resource Spaces — There are also multiple resource spaces open to all — makerspace, Tech room, Centre of Science etc. where student can learn independently or with their peers.
Workshops — Multiple workshops on different subjects are offered by teachers, students, and parents and are open to anyone who would be interested. This creates a welcoming and open space for everyone to share their wisdom and skills. At the same time, it taps into the community wisdom, rather than just handful of teachers for learning, thus widening the knowledge pool accessible to all learners. This also breaks the bridge which in generally seen between teachers and parents and brings the entire community on one side.
The Constitution — Looking at the chaos which the space looks like at first glance, it feels as if there are no rules for anything. But that is far from the truth. They had rules for everything. The school had its constitution written by students together. There were multiple rules, all made by the students together, and each rule was subject to review and was made in service of the people whom it served.
It isn’t the rules that are a problem, but the indoctrination of rules that is the problem, which is commonly seen everywhere in society.
Visible Learning:
There weren’t any compulsory exams in this school. Though there were sufficient resources and people to help any child, who wants to write state board exams, prepare for them.
The work of children, the initiatives they took, the confidence with which they carried themselves, the kindness with which they would treat a visitor from a foreign country, the questions they asked about India, and the sense of belonging they had for their school are all visible proofs of deep and life-learning happening. Each child I met had a learning spirit and curiosity in them.
There were also opportunities for internships and apprenticeships. Students could also take up entrepreneurial ventures and were supported by the school in every capacity. The school was like a real world where anything can happen. Anything that you can imagine ranging from film-making clubs, visits to forests, night-long celebrations, week-long inquiry circles led by a group who got excited about a particular topic, independent explorations and more.
The way everyone participated in their lives and what they did each day was the proof of learning visible to everyone.
The democratic decision-making process governs the space. It was chaotic but it wasn’t lost. It was exactly how the world is — with multiple opportunities, diversity, and options for everyone.
Images which got Imprinted on my mind:
- Free to play — I saw children playing in sand and with sand intently, unhindered by adults. I saw others sitting alone in a corner, reading by themselves. There was yet another group engaged in building a house, discussing the design of it amongst themselves and with the facilitators.
- Self-Regulation— I joined a group of students on a field trip to a nearby farm. The facilitator was showing how grafting is done. I saw each child listening intently. It was the first time I witnessed a class without any need for classroom management. This is proof of the fact that — when one joins something out of their own will, they don’t create a nuisance. Further, if you don’t pay attention, it’s a loss of opportunity for you. The facilitator is not going crazy trying to hammer knowledge down but just sharing what she knows as an expert. The responsibility of learning is on the child.
- Evolutionary Architecture — The way the entire space was designed reflected the values it holds. It was a place where you could get lost in the abstract and real sense of the word. Tyres were used as stairs. And all the spaces were designed slowly, as the need arose. The place captured utilitarian and aesthetic aspects of space design quite aptly.
- Confidence — All children I met young to adult had their confidence intact. Few young children were shy and reserved. I sat with a group of 13 -15-year-olds who asked me all kinds of questions about my life. What I saw was, there was respect but no feeling of fear or anxiety around adults in children.
- Open to learning- The school staff and students also requested me to do a presentation about The Riverside School. Parents, children and teachers all joined this presentation and were so inspired by the work I shared with them. I was very happy to see the enthusiasm with which they asked questions. There was such curiosity and openness to learn in students and the entire community alike.
Community
I was overwhelmed by the kindness and love I received in this strange country from each and everyone I met.
Idit was the one who supported me in planning this trip. She found the parent family for me to live with. She also planned my entire visit so that I could make the most out of it.
Yaacov took out time to take me to other Democratic schools in the region, clicked pictures of me at all these spaces, and treated me twice with wonderful food. He answered all the questions I had about Democratic education and more than anything, he made sure that I felt at home in his country. He also shared several stories of his students and his experiences of starting the space. He shared with me about his personal life and took me to meet his family. What I saw was not only a pioneer educator dedicated to his vision but a happy joyful human being, trying to spread joy. I was smitten by the simplicity of this man.
I stayed with Ziv and Lilach, a lovely couple with 5 children who took care of me like their own. They had travelled to India extensively in the past and asked all kinds of questions about the country. We cooked together, shared recipes and travelled around the city in the evenings. I kept the last 2 days of my trip to go to the Mediterranean Sea and Jerusalem. Ziv was helping me plan — the trains I should take, where to change, places to go etc. Because it’s a Hebrew-speaking country, he was concerned if I would be able to navigate on my own. And then, he just called Lilach, discussed something with her in Hebrew and they decided that they would come with me for my trip. So four of us, took a day-long trip, visiting the Mediterranean Sea and Jerusalem and everything in between. It was so much more fun than it would have been alone. I was filled with gratitude for the warmth and care they showered on me.
It is not only about the learning space but the community that is involved in that space, that made it so wonderful. The values of freedom and love on which the Democratic School of Hadera is based are imbibed by the entire community and space.
Conclusion:
Democratic School of Hadera is one of the most powerful and in-action learning systems I have witnessed. The school was just a beacon, like a hot spot, the centre of things, but learning was happening all the time and everywhere. What this space did for children was to provide them a space to come together and self-organise. It ensured that they got to have a full childhood experience. It nurtured children and created an environment where a human could fully flower.
Ample opportunities and processes ensured that each child gets a great learning and growing experience. But more than that it made sure that — all its students are equipped with the social skills they need to navigate the world when they grow up; they have ample friends and community to support them for life; and they grow into adults who know how to learn, how to create their happiness and how to live a meaningful life.
