Free-Movement Schools
What is a Free-Movement School?
A free-movement school melds aspects of open education classrooms and open space schools in order to position students as collaborators in their own education. With fewer walls and fewer boundaries, children access both physical and intellectual space to engage curiosity, awareness, and critical thinking. Highly stimulating learning environments encourage learners to interact with their surroundings, challenge them to question their understanding of the world, and emphasize collaboration. Facilitators and learners collaborate to develop curriculum and initialize authentic and locally-focused activities that engage the surrounding community.
Learners and facilitators conduct curricula panels to assess subject-area interests and develop project-based learning models. Educators and students across age and ability-levels freely select projects in which to engage and develop objectives and tasks within cohort groups. Recent projects have included local housing for homeless individuals in the local community (headed by Facilitator Spicer and Learner Donahue); "Abroad Within," our connected classrooms program (headed by Facilitator Rechter and Learner Vickers); and "Pen in Hand," our local effort to pair collaborative narrative creation with learners and community senior citizens.
Free-movement schools emphasize creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Learners approach education with the freedom to guide their own educational journey, and facilitators ensure that students have support, guidance, and encouragement during their authentic learning experiences. Free-movement schools advocate the 21st century student needs.
A free-movement school melds aspects of open education classrooms and open space schools in order to position students as collaborators in their own education. With fewer walls and fewer boundaries, children access both physical and intellectual space to engage curiosity, awareness, and critical thinking. Highly stimulating learning environments encourage learners to interact with their surroundings, challenge them to question their understanding of the world, and emphasize collaboration. Facilitators and learners collaborate to develop curriculum and initialize authentic and locally-focused activities that engage the surrounding community.
Learners and facilitators conduct curricula panels to assess subject-area interests and develop project-based learning models. Educators and students across age and ability-levels freely select projects in which to engage and develop objectives and tasks within cohort groups. Recent projects have included local housing for homeless individuals in the local community (headed by Facilitator Spicer and Learner Donahue); "Abroad Within," our connected classrooms program (headed by Facilitator Rechter and Learner Vickers); and "Pen in Hand," our local effort to pair collaborative narrative creation with learners and community senior citizens.
Free-movement schools emphasize creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Learners approach education with the freedom to guide their own educational journey, and facilitators ensure that students have support, guidance, and encouragement during their authentic learning experiences. Free-movement schools advocate the 21st century student needs.