Based on our belief that everyone is intelligent and that learning is a two-way street, we subscribe to a shift of focus to active learning on the part of both student and teacher. We believe in avoiding externally imposed motivation through behavioral modification techniques, reward and punishment, or the grading system. Students should be encouraged to develop their own intrinsic capacities to succeed. We advocate a ban on corporal punishment throughout the United States. Students should be free to make mistakes so that they can learn through personal experience feed-back what works and what does not.
Fear of failure inhibits a person's ability to learn.
We advocate the promotion of peer counseling and teaching. We also support encouraging older children to work with younger ones for mutual academic and emotional benefit. Goal-setting and evaluation of the learning process should include the input of the student along with that of the teacher and should be based on progress, enjoyment, and creative ability to come up with a new response in each situation rather than the ability to meet standards and to conform. Excessive regimentation of the classroom in terms of both spatial design and the temporal division of the day must be avoided. These experiences, which could include public service projects, field experiences, and work experiences, should be valued as highly as academic learning.