Since the Dalton Plan was introduced in 1922 by Head of School Miss Margaret Bailey, it has sat at the heart of Ascham’s approach to teaching and learning.
The four pillars of the Plan – Independence, Responsibility, Collaboration and Reflection – are the solid foundation upon which Ascham students become independent learners.
Each week, the three key elements of Assignment, Lesson and Study provide a unique framework for students to organise their own learning—seeking direct feedback when required and following up on areas that require consolidation.
Through this self-directed yet highly supportive learning structure, in partnership with their teachers, Ascham students develop an extraordinary skill set that enables them to become confident and self-reliant throughout their lives.
The Dalton Plan was first developed by Helen Parkhurst in the town of Dalton, Massachusetts, before she established the first Dalton School in New York in 1919. One of the tenets of her philosophy was to establish a ‘culture achieved through individual development and through collective cooperation. It is no longer school. It is life.’
One hundred years of Ascham girls can attest to this. The Dalton Plan has not only formed the basis for their School studies but has underpinned the way generations of Ascham students have approached their careers and their lives.
I look forward to celebrating this very special year marking 100 Years of the Dalton Plan at Ascham School.
Andrew Powell | Head of School
Congratulations to everyone involved in the 100th Anniversary of the Dalton Plan at Ascham School! Your excellent management and team of teachers are continuously protecting the core values of the Dalton Plan and at the same time implementing the innovations in a modern Dalton education.
The Dalton Plan at Ascham stimulates the intellectual partnership between girls and teachers. Certainly, at the base of all educational activities lies mutual trust and respect, which is also the basis of Dalton Education worldwide. A Dalton school is also about taking care of the students’ wellbeing. Students shape the attitude of openness, they stimulate their own growth by creating a healthy, strong Dalton community. At Ascham the girls themselves express their appreciation of how the Dalton Plan is important for them in their social, professional and private life. The students are intrinsically motivated to achieve their own goals, be persistent, flexible and creative.
The Dalton way of school life in Ascham teaches the girls how to become independent, self-aware, responsible and cooperative citizens of the 21st century; a continuously transforming reality. Congratulations Ascham on your 100th Anniversary as a Dalton school.
Roel Röhner
President Dalton International
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The year 2010 saw me leave Ascham’s English Department, the place setting of my working life. My first Ascham teachers were Rowena Danziger, who gave me my job, and Beverley McGaw, who taught me the lore of the Dalton classroom. Firstly and always, I shall......
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Independence, Responsibility, Collaboration and Reflection, the four main pillars of the Dalton Plan, are cleverly, almost subliminally, woven into everything that happens in the Junior School. From lessons, to co-curricular activities, to the playground, the principles of the Dalton Plan aren’...
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Allegra Carlton and Mimi Perkin are keenly aware of how important it is to manage their wellbeing, just as much as their HSC workload, during their final year at School. Fortunately for these two students, and indeed their peers, the Dalton Plan has taught them......
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There has been a lot to celebrate lately at Ascham—this year marks 100 years since the unique educational framework, the Dalton Plan, was introduced to our School. Since 1922, thousands of Ascham students have graduated with a toolkit of skills built on the Dalton pillars......
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There is a fortunate group of students who attended Ascham over a period of 26 years, from 1988 to 2013, who had the pleasure of learning Maths and mastering the skills of Dalton under the calm and caring teaching of Mrs Ilana Dubb. Her classroom......
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Congratulations to everyone involved in the 100th anniversary of the Dalton Plan at Ascham School! The Dalton Plan is a system of educational reorganisation founded by Helen Parkhurst early in the 20th century. It was the result of many years of practical experience as Director......
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As a current Year 12 student and Head of the Dalton Committee, Freya Regan is an expert on studying under the Dalton Plan. ‘Dalton sets you up for success,’ says Freya. ‘It challenges each student to develop intellectual independence, creativity, curiosity, and a sense of......
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Our students take responsibility for their personal, social and intellectual decisions, giving them self-efficacy and active involvement in the activities that shape them.
Our students learn respectful relationships and teamwork, working collectively for the success of the group. When the group is thriving, we are all thriving.
Reflecting on feedback gives our students the confidence to consider what they know and where to next. They are taught to ask questions and commit to a continuous cycle of development.
Our students develop the independence to make decisions for themselves and the motivation to complete tasks autonomously. Such independence means our students are prepared for lifelong learning and developing vital skills and knowledge beyond school.
Girls have access to the whole unit of study for every subject ahead of time. Deadlines for assignment tasks are set out in advance and are due on Tuesdays. The benefits of the Assignment include excellent understanding of the goals of the topic and the ability for girls to work at their own pace in conjunction with the Lesson and Study. Assignments have options and differentiated tasks so girls are working at their level while being challenged by the curriculum.
Lessons are stimulating experiences for girls, delivered by teachers who are passionate about their subject area. Girls have about two thirds of the number of lessons that are taught in a conventional school. Teachers will cover the elements required to complete the Assignment and continue with additional curriculum requirements.
This is the core of the Dalton Plan. Each girl has classes in her timetable where lessons are not scheduled. In these Studies, girls go to a teacher to continue their Assignment. The teacher’s timetable also has many slots where Studies are scheduled over Lessons.
It is crucial that each girl timetables her own Studies for each subject—she chooses the time, she sets the agenda. As a result, the amount of one-on-one time that an Ascham girl has with each of her teachers, each week, is exceptional. It is the Study which teaches each girl how to be responsible for her own learning: how to organise her time to choose the best Study to see a teacher; how to plan an agenda for that Study; how to ask questions in the language of that subject; how to debate and test ideas; eventually how to develop her own language of learning and understanding.
Long after their final school roll call, an Ascham old girl continues to reap the benefits of the Dalton Plan. The sense of organisation of time and of taking responsibility for each task is a secure foundation for university and for a professional life. Ascham girls enjoy a reputation for being organised, for showing initiative, and as skilled negotiators. That process of taking responsibility, learned in the classroom every day while at Ascham, becomes a mark of each girl’s personal and professional maturity.
The foundation of an Ascham education (part one)
Ascham students and Old Girls (part two)
