How Learning Happens
Here at Alpine Valley, learning starts with:
- Curiosity (What’s that?), which generates…
- Excitement (That looks interesting.), which in turn leads to…
- Passion (This is cool!).
Students learn at their own pace and in their own way. We recognize that learning happens all the time and mostly from doing. A good deal of learning at AVS occurs outside of formal classroom situations, through independent study, intense conversations and open-ended play. Our school bustles with a myriad of activities.
Academically, all subjects are available and can be pursued in a number of ways. Sometimes several students form a learning group. Often students look to a staff member or recruit a resource from the community who can help with a chosen subject. Students can create classes with a very low teacher-student ratio, arrange field trips and associate with students and adults of all ages. Students can investigate a subject on their own using the Internet, books, or other learning aids.
You are not alone if you’re thinking that this all sounds intriguing, but students have to live in the real world and learn real things. How do they learn the necessities for success in the world? The best answer is that by enabling kids to work in their own rhythms and areas of interest, they learn easily and enthusiastically what’s required for success in the adult world.
“The model at Alpine Valley is, if she wants something, she has to figure out how to get it. And she has."
— AVS Parent
“Everyone wants to master his or her environment. As a parent, it’s one thing to agree with that in theory and another to implement it in practice. I absolutely believe in the philosophy, but it can be a stretch: We’re really going to let her just do whatever she wants? But these schools have been going for 40 years now and it works!"
— AVS Parent
"You don’t just learn; you also learn HOW to learn. Really, you can take or create anything you want here."
— AVS Student