Prescott College. Education

This thesis examines the role of crafts and handwork in children's development. The research presents a model for imparting crafts skills across a wide spectrum of applications. Results show that participation in crafts can positively influence children's perception of themselves. Practicing handwork can also lead to an increased ability to focus, persevere through difficulties, and critically analyze and solve practical problems. Handwork curricula...

Patterns from nature and bioculture lead us to become more ethical teachers and learners and can guide wise school design. The research asked if intrapersonal empathy, collaborative nature creativity, and wisdom education are the same phenomenon at different scales that might accurately be called regeneration. This dissertation reviewed the interconnected landscapes of sustainability education, regenerative design, permaculture, emergence, innovation,...

It is important in a democratic society to teach both practical and theoretical lessons, and to develop both the functional abilities of the populace, and the visionary problem-solving capacities of the nation's future leadership. This thesis posits that the realm of craft education has potentials for strengthening of both these facets. It includes resources regarding the potential for crafts, in a variety of educational settings, for teaching literacy,...

Trends throughout my graduate research in education include educational transformation, critical pedagogy and cross-cultural, globally oriented competencies for educators. These threads have woven their way into my lens on the world, prompting questions about educational and curricular policy and reform, particularly challenging the ubiquitous Euro-centric platform from which most schools in the United States operate. In June and July of 2012, sponsored...

The council leadership curriculum presented here combines the principles of experiential and democratic education to empower youth to study, build, and test out important leadership skills in their communities. This curriculum, geared toward youth in treatment programs or alternative settings, is founded on the belief that the youth will thrive when offered a hand in decision making and an opportunity to make a difference to help themselves and their...

Without question, school counselors face increasingly complex and formidable challenges in their work with school-age children and their families, including an increased incidence and severity of mental health issues among school children (Auger, 2011; Merikangas, et al., 2011). Given this reality, as well as the privileged and pivotal position that school counselors hold as potential deliverers of front-line mental health services for school-age...

This thesis describes a case study research project in a first grade classroom where the author implements, documents, and reflects on teaching strategies recommended to support students from non-dominant backgrounds in developing literacy. The strategies utilized during the course of the study serve to address two goals: to validate cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom, and/or to support students in heightening linguistic awareness...

This master's thesis represents the development of an Equine-Facilitated Life Coaching for Youth Leadership model. The model is a combination of the key components of Equine-Assisted Learning, Life Coaching, and Youth Leadership. The research method utilized in this project is participatory action research (PAR), which incorporates the elements of problem solving, reflective analysis, and researcher and researched participation via collaborative inquiry...

In the past or society has focused on punitive consequences when dealing with sexually abusive youth. It is our job as educators to help swing the pendulum back from a punitive approach to a more holistic one. We have done an injustice to these youth by labeling them and creating a life of instability and uncertainty when we know now that they can change their abusive patterns. It has been commonplace for educators to have little if any knowledge...

Alternative education has its beginnings from the foundation of education in America. However, during the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's is when the biggest push for alternatives arose. Traditionally, alternative education programs have existed primarily to house those students who were causing problems in their mainstream settings. This is still true today but some students are opting to attend these alternative schools to have access...