The Cycle System
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl At The Window is a memoir, by Tetsuyo Kuroyanagi, about a school in Japan, on the brink of World War 2. The classrooms were repurposed train cars, and the students were in charge of their own time and learning. I didn't realize how much the story of Totto Chan and her amazing school had shaped me until I decided to assign it to all my students, grades 8-12.
It gave me my first, and strongest imagination of education that is inspiring, joyful, and above all else, liberating,- an imagination I want them to live. My dream school (and I have a fairly elaborate one) looks a lot like Tomoe Gakuen. The school I was actually teaching in, for all its merits, wasn’t quite there. The system that the school was working in, like most, was nowhere close.
I wanted to create something that would allow me to recreate some of the magic of Tomoe Gakuen, at least in my classroom.
The Cycle System, whose name I did not put enough thought into, forced me to be the most organized I’ve ever been, as a teacher, and allowed me to come up with assignments that were tailored to my students and seamlessly accommodated any interruptions to our routines.
It allowed my students to manage their own time and learn through their own work, and it forced them to constantly self-evaluate and challenge themselves.
It was a lot of work, for me and my students, and I faced more than a bit of resistance. But it remains one of my proudest achievements as an educator.
Key Features
- Maximized active, independent learning time
The teacher only leads the classroom for one hour per cycle (five hours of class time). All other time is open work time for students to work with each other, independently, or get individual support from the teacher. - Minimized focus on grades
Grades are awarded for consistency and effort, more than they are for academic achievement or merit. The learning process (and the student’s investment in it) is prioritized over the product, so that the student can evaluate themselves meaningfully. - Transparent Structure
Each cycle, (five class periods + a weekend) students are given a list of tasks to complete. The task list follows a set structure -
Reading - One short text, and one long text (read over a few weeks)
Grammar - Exercises that develop a language skill over a three week progression
Creative Writing - Focused on personal expression often based on one of the readings.
Analytical Writing - Based on one the readings, expecting critical responses and citations.
Journaling - Done at home, 10 minutes of sustained writing on any topic. - Student autonomy
Students are encouraged to engage with the coursework on their own terms, and take the initiative to offer alternatives for assignments they want changed. If they are unable or unwilling to work in class for whatever reason, they are free to use the time as they please, provided they do not interfere with others. - Flexibility
As long as students are in communication with the teacher, and demonstrating effort, they will not be penalized for late work, as long as it is submitted by the end of the grading period. Students are encouraged, at any time (within the grading period), to develop and re-submit their work from a previous cycle.
