Bundesverband der Freien
Alternativschulen in der BRD e. V.
 

National Association of Free Alternative Schools

We believe that the function of school in today's society should not be to convey as much abstract knowledge as possible to its pupils but to provide a setting in which children and young people can learn how to learn.

By learning how to function in a team and developing self-reliance and a sense of initiative, our pupils work independently to acquire the knowledge and skills that are important for them.

The National Association of Free Alternative Schools (BFAS) was founded following a court case presented to the German Federal Constitutional Court in 1988 asking for recognition of a free alternative school. Four years later a decision was made in favour of the school. Nevertheless the efforts of free alternative schools to establish democratic and child-oriented educational settings are often rejected by state authorities. Therefore the BFAS is frequently dealing with court cases and procedures of recognition. During the last years, further decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Administrative Tribunal have created a climate more favourable to free and alternative schools. Since then, many new schools have been founded - at present (April 2007) 84 schools and 14 initiatives are members of the BFAS, accounting for a total of 5,000 pupils.

Since 1978 the members of the BFAS have been gathering for national meetings once or twice a year in order to discuss matters of common interest and exchange experiences. At the 16th meeting, which took place in Wuppertal in 1986, the members’ assembly agreed to the following 8 theses as a documentation of the common educational principles shared by all BFAS member schools:

  1. The present and future problems of society (environmental problems, wars, poverty, etc.) can only be solved democratically by individuals who are able to live according to the principles of personal responsibility and democracy. Alternative schools seek to offer children, teachers and parents the opportunity to practice self-regulation and democracy again and again in everyday life. This is the most important political dimension of alternative schools.
  2. Alternative schools are schools in which childhood is understood as an equally respected phase of life with the rights of self-determination, happiness and contentment, rather than simply a training period for adulthood.
  3. Alternative schools create a space in which children can satisfy their own needs, such as the needs for freedom of movement, spontaneous self-expression, independent time management and intimate friendships.
  4. Alternative schools renounce the use of coercion for disciplining children. Rules and restrictions are created through group processes of conflict resolution, addressing both conflicts between children and conflicts between adults and children. These rules, however, can be changed by the group at any time.
  5. Educational subject matter is discovered naturally through the child’s own experiences and determined in cooperation with the teachers. The selection of subject matter is a continuous process that involves the experiential background of children and teachers. The complexity of learning is taken into account through varied and flexible forms of learning that involve play as well as the everyday life and social environment of the school.
  6. Alternative schools do more than simply impart knowledge to their pupils. They support emancipatory learning processes that open new and unusual paths of insight for everyone involved. In this way, such schools can help to lay the groundwork for the solution of present and future problems of society.
  7. Alternative schools are self-governed. The design of the self-government is a meaningful experience in democratic collaboration for parents, teachers and pupils.
  8. Alternative schools are places in which every individual’s attitudes and opinions can be recognised as open and changeable. In this way, they offer the chance to experience adventure and learn about life.

Free alternative schools do not want, nor are they able, to exist as ideological islands within society. But to a certain extent and for many people they represent realised utopias of a life and learning culture that is forward-looking in its holistic and democratic character and its spirit of solidarity.

For 35 years now free alternative schools have been experimenting with new ways of relating to one another as adults and children as well as alternative approaches to learning and new forms of schooling. They strive to rethink the concept of school in response to the ever-changing challenges of society.

As models for a school of the future, alternative schools also play a significant role in the development of the state school system. Numerous publications, scientific studies and radio and television reports have drawn attention to their remarkable potential for innovation. Free alternative schools have developed into an educational movement with a profile all its own.

Our educational philosophies, our methods

Our concepts are often connected with time-tested elements of other progressive schools, such as Montessori or Freinet schools, while at the same time oriented toward educational insights of the present day. In our 35 years of experience as schools, the following common principles have proven fundamental to our work:

  • far-reaching rights of co-determination for pupils, as well as more responsibility, such as cleaning duties or during project periods
  • courses that take into account various styles and tempos of learning
  • mixed-age classes and/or groups
  • a variety of teaching methods and forms of learning (courses, project weeks, weekly curriculum plans, self-determined activities, free play, pupil-run companies, internships, etc.)
  • systemic learning through interdisciplinary projects
  • flexible forms of time management in the classroom

What we offer our pupils

  • an atmosphere of freedom in which every child can find his personal pathway to learning and express his needs and interests
  • consideration of group processes – a lot of space for social as well as environmental learning
  • a sense of security in a small, peaceful and relaxed school climate
  • small classes and/or learning groups with reasonable pupil-teacher ratios that give teachers time for each child; school grounds that offer many opportunities for play and adventure
  • committed teachers who are familiar with alternative methods of teaching
  • support of individual development instead of learning in “march tempo”
  • Free alternative schools are self-organised. Therefore, a lot of their individual character comes from the parents, children and educators who founded and developed them. Every free alternative school has its own priorities, it own rules and its own traditions. One school may focus on environmental education and another on the integration of handicapped children or learning through manual projects and crafts.