Mr Arn, when is school fun?
Mr Arn, do your pupils enjoy going to school?
Yes, and that's exactly why they show great commitment and great performance. Performance and enjoyment are not contradictory, they help each other.
Your class is a special learning community. For example, you work without teaching aids. Why is that?
Every child's life and learning is unique. It always takes place in the here and now and therefore cannot be repeated. We want to explore new paths with the children and not the beaten track. This is more exciting and sustainable. Each child documents these paths in their - initially empty - research booklet. Over the course of three school years, more than 20 very individual notebooks are created. A real treasure that the children are very proud of! In this way, we not only promote arithmetic, writing, reading, etc., but also independent thinking.
What do you dislike about standard teaching materials?
In my opinion, the teaching materials, worksheets, workshop posts etc. are not sufficiently orientated towards the children's questions and world of experience. Nor can they, because the children, their backgrounds and their possibilities are far too different. In addition, teaching materials also lead to a work-through and fulfilment mentality.
There are children with special needs in your class. Everyone is always fully involved.
It's not just normal to be different, it's really great! It's these different abilities and backgrounds that make learning from and with each other in our class so exciting. To capitalise on this, we usually all work on the same topic or task. Of course at different levels and with different approaches, but still together! We all realise how nice it is to help others, but also to be able to accept help. For me, that's inclusion in action.
With you, all the children help each other as a matter of course. As a teacher, you relinquish responsibility.
Exactly. But this is only possible if you internalise the basic attitude of cooperation. The children are jointly responsible with me for the learning of every child in our class. However, this means that they are also allowed to help shape the lessons. This attitude is particularly challenging for children who learn very quickly. Thanks to their help, I then have enough time for their new learning steps.
«For me, strength means recognising your own limits and mistakes.»
Achim Arn, remedial teacher
«Weaker children» is an expression that you deliberately avoid.
Weakness sounds like a devaluation of a child's performance. This normative statement does not do justice to anyone who does their best and is a hindrance to learning. Nevertheless, it is important that every child learns to deal confidently with their own limitations. It's about being able to accept your own limitations and coming to terms with your own fallibility. In turn, I see that as a strength.
There are no exams in your class. Why is that? And how is that possible?
Examinations and grades are based on an age norm and not on the individual child. This has negative consequences for many children and their learning biography. That is why we do not use examinations in lessons. However, as a class in a public school, we are forced to hand in half-yearly reports. The grades they contain are based on the performance in the children's research booklets and on observations in class. However, we are also critical of these grades and discuss this with the children and parents.
How does integrative and mixed-age learning affect your pupils' later careers?
I don't have any figures or statistics on this - where do I get them from? And I have no interest in making generalised statements about it, because neither integration nor age mixing guarantee good teaching and success at school. The only thing that counts for the children is what their teachers and the environment they live and learn in. What I can say personally about the question is that former pupils visit me and our class time and again. I am always amazed at the path these young people have taken and are taking. The fact that some of them have achieved things that many would never have believed them capable of makes me all the happier.
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Would you like to find out more about Achim Arn and his work? We visited him and his current school class. You can read the results of the class visit in our September 2017 issue. Order the whole issue here!