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- Who was Grace H Pilon and what lead her to create The WORKSHOP WAY® system of education for human growth?
Grace Pilon was a genius who became more than an educator but an inventor who changed the paradigm of education. She taught from 1927 to 1933 in the Detroit Public Schools and questioned why children received such poor grades when they were so intelligent? Why couldn’t school be a place where they could experience happiness in learning? This became a backdrop for her to change schooling in some way so that children could keep the “shine” on education.
In 1949 while working with children in Pawhuska, Oklahoma she started creating the beginnings of the Workshop Schedule of Tasks. She continued this development while teaching in Cleveland, New York, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New Iberia, Pawhuska and Chicago. Through common sense, intuition, observation and reflection of her experiences, she gradually developed a very specific design, The WORKSHOP WAY, a System of Human Growth for Education. Trying new ways to bring feelings of success to her students, Pilon used both intuition and trial and error to reach more students. Enough success came to energize her as, in today’s terminology; she tried not to “leave any child behind”.
Grace Pilon was a member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament out of Philadelphia, her order supported her with finances to develop a staff who helped oversee and publish, in-house, basic books and manuals, and manage the printing of material.. This office was located at Xavier University in New Orleans, LA. The work expanded from 1967 through 1991, when Grace retired and later died in 1995.
Grace has mentioned in conversation and private notes how she was influenced by Kurt Lewin’s idea that “every action has a reaction”. This correlated well to what she was coming to believe: that what a teacher does and says to students in the classroom and how they do this matters a great deal to students. This focus became a radical part of what has become the unique teacher-student-content interaction in WORKSHOP WAY.
Today, her work continues throughout all of the United States and her consultants continue to develop and to keep updated materials and workshops reaching educational needs in our changing world.
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- What is WORKSHOP WAY®?
WORKSHOP WAY® is a system of education for human growth. It is an approach to learning which provides equal opportunities for all students to learn how to learn, how to think, and how to manage their lives. As a system of education, WORKSHOP WAY® is structured, first, on what is alike in all human beings, our human nature and the inherent possibilities for growth and development that reside in each person. This focus is the paradigm of Individuation (Subjectivity) and recognizes both the uniqueness and value of each person’s way to learn, grow, and develop. Secondly, as a system, WORKSHOP WAY® derives its energy and coherence from its functioning as a unified system that cultivates growth in all persons as part of a larger context. This focus is the principle of Interdependence (Unity) and promotes living and working within the community. Finally, WORKSHOP WAY’S ® system of human growth for education recognizes that successful schools and classrooms create a physical, social, and mental environment that develops self-actualized persons (Frankl, 1959; Maslow, 1968; Pilon, 1987).The principle of Differentiation (Diversity) is the focus of this principle. Each person is different and respect for self and others, in a self-actualized environment, is fostered when all are involved in their own process of growing and learning.
It is important to note that WORKSHOP WAY® is not a method or procedure for teaching and learning since its primary goal is to enhance the human nature of each person and promote human growth. Its purpose, therefore, is to create a classroom milieu where all human beings are willingly involved in the learning process. To facilitate this end, WORKSHOP WAY® articulates its system of human growth in education for 100% of its student population through its
- philosophy and psychology,
- four major human growth goals,
- thirty-four life skills,
- six elements
- five essential learning conditions
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- What is a WORKSHOP SCHEDULE™?
THE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE™ is a series of tasks which students do in sequential order each day (or on selected days in a departmental classroom) and independently of adult help. The schedule is the student’s management system. It is a new way for students to live when not in teaching sessions. It is the heart of the Workshop Way’s physical environment. It provides equal opportunities for all students to discover their intelligence, importance, and power to manage their lives. It accomplishes this by allowing students to live by doing tasks without teacher help or directions. Whole person growth is primary and students learn how to work and learn to love being involved in working. Also important is the ability of students to form positive interpersonal relationships while learning so that they experience joy in living together as equals in intelligence. The “living” that accompanies the doing of the tasks enables students to feel their own human dignity and that of others while being involved in the learning process.
THE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE™ is a clear cut plan of learning activities and is a thing. Human beings can take orders from a thing without fear of humiliation or of ridicule. Once the tasks are taught at the beginning of the school year, the task signs remain the same and the assignments are alternated or changed daily or as needed.
It was discovered that when the types of tasks were left to a teacher to decide, too often, the four areas of human growth goals espoused by the system, were left to chance. The Workshop needs a variety of experiences for students. The tasks need a human growth emphasis which allows all students (100% of them) to discover their power to learn, to think, and to manage. If a teacher creates a Workshop for class that is composed of just a series of ditto sheets, students will only have success if they know the kinds of knowledge skills required on the sheets.
THE WORKSHOP WAY SCHEDULE™ is designed to grow human skills such as: initiative, independence in work habits, responsibility, courage and foundational creativity, ease in risking, honesty, and self-confidence.
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- What does the PHYSICAL Environment in a Pilon WORKSHOP WAY classroom consist?
The physical environment is the daily work-life climate. This classroom climate provides students with the experiences human beings need to reach WORKSHOP WAY® goals. THE WORKSHOP WAY SCHEDULE ™ is the heart of the work-life climate. It is the management system for students and consists of a series of tasks that students complete each day. Students depend on themselves or peers to do the tasks daily. For whole person growth, it is important that all students learn how to work and learn to love being involved in working. Also important is the ability of students to form positive interpersonal relationships while learning so that they experience joy in living together as equals in intelligence. The “living” that accompanies the doing of the tasks enables students to feel their own human dignity and that of others while being involved in the learning process.
Structure is added to the physical environment with finished boxes, and file folders for students to keep records of previous work checked off. Nothing is left to chance.
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- Why does the WORKSHOP WAY® System of Education allows freedoms and classify this as creating a social environment?
The following five freedoms help create the climate for teachers and students to partner in learning, with both parties feeling intelligent and equal in worth. This combination of teacher-student-content relationship forms the heart of the social environment, just as THE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE™ forms the heart of the physical environment. Both work together in leading students to drop their fears and take on social interests in their environment.
The Five Freedoms are:
Freedom from Fear means that students are taught that they can make a mistake and still be intelligent. Students also learn not to be afraid when they experience human feelings and emotions. This freedom is further achieved by posting six signs in the classroom.
The signs state:
- We respect the rights of others.
- It is intelligent to ask for help.
- It takes courage to be willing to risk.
- We are free to make mistakes while learning.
- Everyone has a right to time to think.
- We don’t have to know everything today.
Freedom of movement with a purpose means that teachers believe students have the ability to move with a purpose. It makes sense for students to move around the room to get materials, ask for help, or when working together. It frees teachers to teach when they do not have to monitor the movement of students.
Freedom of position and location for work means that students are free to seek comfortable positions and places for working as long as they respect the rights of others.
Freedom of conversation while working allows students to talk about work and to ask for help. It is to be expected that there will be talk which is not related to work. Any talk, in itself, can be viewed as nourishment for human growth. However, there is no freedom of conversation during teacher-learning sessions.
Freedom of choice frequently throughout the day allows students to make decisions frequently and to handle the consequences of their choices. This freedom also implies that students can choose how they do whatever they do. They decide how to begin, proceed, and complete the task. This freedom provides students with equal opportunities to make decisions in creative living, even in creating their own structures for individual tasks.
There are two basic attitudes necessary for the handling of the five basic freedoms by teachers.
First, teachers accept that students are not born perfect and are willing to wait for growth.
Second, teachers believe that 100% of students can learn academically regardless of environmental factors.
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- What is the purpose of WORKSHOP WAY® Homework and why is it called SELF-CONCEPT VOCABULARY PROJECT?
The overall purpose of the WORKSHOP WAY Homework Lessons is to provide equal opportunity to 100% of the students to:
• Discover and experience learning, thinking, and managing their lives.
• Handle grade level sight words.
• Promote inner order.
• Sense order and dignity.
• Be involved willingly in work by creative management leading to positive self-concept.It permits teachers to assess the diagnostic, therapeutic, or dynamic needs of students.
The Self-Concept Vocabulary Project is homework that can make a difference. When used consistently, it can be a source of dynamic nourishment for all students to live creatively through the homework process. When used appropriately, students make all the decisions for how they will handle the homework; how they wish to study the homework lesson; how much they will actually study; and how fast they will read. All of this is done while they are “deadsure” they will meet with the teacher daily. These experiences assure the students that they have the person power to manage learning at the risk of the positive or negative outcomes as a result of their decisions.
For all of the students, success is in their willingness to handle the lessons daily and in their way for learning the words. Students feel their intelligence and importance while managing the knowledge to be learned. The Self-Concept Vocabulary Project provides all students with cognitive and affective success in some way the first thing in their school day.
It is call Self- Concept Vocabulary Project because it’s purpose is building a positive self-concept in every student. FAST READING is the process which can get the students to feel important, intelligent, and the power to manage how they study.
These positive feelings are rich nourishment for self-esteem:
• Willingness to make decisions and manage their life without adult intervention.
• Willingness to manage their learning at the risk of positive or negative outcomes.
• Feelings of intelligence and importance managing knowledge to be learned willingness to share that knowledge.
• Responsibility and accountability—all students are answerable for the Homework Vocabulary paper; all students must present themselves at the homework table.
• Self-management and conscious awareness.
• Go-Stop Power which promotes conscious living through an activity.
• Communication with the teacher.
• Initiative.
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- Does WORKSHOP WAY® HOMEWORK support the contemporary criteria for literacy standards?
According to research, expectations for literacy achievement include:
• phonemic awareness
• phonics,
• word recognition,
• Fluency
• acquisition of vocabulary, and communication
• discovery by students that they are capable to learn, think, and manage their lives
• experience of handling independently (making decisions) grade level content-specific vocabulary.
WORKSHOP WAY® HOMEWORK VOCABULARY achieves the above research goals.
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Workshop Way®, Inc.
116 Elmira Ave. | New Orleans, LA 70114
Phone: 1-504-376-7617 | Fax: 1-281-360-8827 | Educational Info 1-504-376-7614
Email: info@workshopway.org |
Orders: orders@workshopway.org
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