Frequently asked questions
How learning works
How do they learn if you don’t teach them?
We do teach them, but they would learn even if we didn’t. Learning is natural and happening all the time. Babies learn to crawl, walk, and talk without being explicitly taught these things. They look at who and what exists in the world around them, copy and experiment with what they see, practice and learn the skills they need to grow in independence and connectivity to others. In learning communities that value authenticity and collaboration, it’s inevitable that we’ll teach each other. Sometimes this happens through classes and workshops, sometimes through conversations and modeling. But it’s always happening.
How will my kids learn the “basics”?
If something is actually basic knowledge that you need in order to live successfully in this world, you can’t help but learn it. The “basics” will be captured in kids’ natural learning, which happens through living. We don’t need to force or trick them into learning something basic. Basic knowledge and skills are defined by our current world. Whereas once it may have been basic to know how to saddle a horse, today it is basic to know how to open a web browser. The rich world environment in which we operate sets us up to prioritize knowledge and skills reliably and naturally based on our experiences.
Are there certain levels of math and reading that you try to achieve?
At Mosaic, in the play yard, two of our longtime facilitators run regular math and reading offerings: math through creative exploration of numbers and math games, and reading through many different forms and approaches to literacy. In the schoolhouse, other facilitators offer middle and more advanced math for kids who are interested, and writing offerings shaped around the specific goals kids tell us about.
Children are naturally curious and capable. In a rich and stimulating environment, we don’t have to try to teach them everything: they teach themselves or ask (of each other and facilitators) to be taught. When they need math to play a video game, track sport statistics, bake muffins, budget for a trip, or otherwise navigate the world, they will learn it. When they need to read and write to create stories with their friends, write a Student Finance proposal, read the offerings board on their own, find out what happens in the next Harry Potter book, decipher notes from friends, research dinosaurs, or otherwise navigate the world, they will learn it. Especially in an environment where facilitators model passionate learning and the community supports–rather than shames–students who learn at different paces, kids stay curious and eager to keep learning.
Do you prioritize certain subjects?
We don’t sort knowledge into traditional subject areas, as doing so discourages learners from interdisciplinary thinking and exploring innovative applications they may invent. Learning isn’t about amassing data; it’s about making connections, deepening understanding, solving problems, creating, and sharing. Facilitators support students in exploring the relatedness and convergence of learning domains, both in school and in the world around us. Sorting or prioritizing traditional subjects is rarely useful from this perspective. That said, we recognize that we don’t live in a bubble and there are students who ask for classes specifically related to one subject area. We also support students to prepare for whatever path they desire after their time at Mosaic, whether it’s an unconventional or conventional path.
How do students prioritize their interests and goals?
In lots of ways. Kids set their own goals, on their own or in conversation with a facilitator, and reflect on how they’re spending their time. Their interests shape the school in a few places:
- Morning circle. Each group hears the day’s offerings, and kids can ask for new offerings or trips.
- Connection Circle. Each group’s weekly circle, where kids give feedback and raise what they want.
- Any time in the day. Kids can tell a facilitator what they want to try, and offerings get planned from what kids ask for.
- Student Finance. Any student can propose spending school money on resources for something they want to do. Proposals come to morning circle, where kids give feedback; they get refined if needed, and are often accepted in some form.
If you don’t make them take a variety of classes, how will they get exposed to new fields?
We prioritize building meaningful connections and relationships with the young people here. We find that getting to know the students through authentic and close relationships leads to the most engaged inquiry into projects and ideas. Our experience over the past decade is that relationships between children with other children or children with adults leads to the most exposure of new ideas, interests, activities, and explorations.
It’s also worth noting that children today are swimming in a flood of information. They get exposed to a greater diversity of ideas, issues, cultures, facts, problems and opportunities in a month than most people got in their lifetimes just 50 years ago.
So the real question is how a kid learns to filter all of it: to tell what matters from what doesn’t, to find what they care about and go deep on it, and to tell good information from bad. Those are the skills we’re here to help them practice.
How do they learn to operate in the real world?
By engaging with it…consistently. Our students recognize that the whole world is their classroom. They grocery shop for cooking project ingredients, spend time in local parks, call restaurants to ask about hours and shops to ask about inventory; they organize field trips around their interests, attend conferences and meet-ups, create entrepreneurial opportunities, and participate in community activities. They can do all these things and more on any given school day. In fact, they’re encouraged to.
Freedom and boundaries
You let kids do whatever they want?
Yes and no. Our communities have very clear expectations and boundaries that the children agree to in order to participate at an ALC. The Director and facilitators do create a container based on what they are able to hold for in this specific ALC, which could look different than a different ALC. At Mosaic, we ask that parents share explicitly with children before agreeing to join our specific guidelines in our space:
- Attend morning circles if they are planning to spend time in the schoolhouse for offerings that day (note that a child can choose to stay outside all day if they desire!)
- During the morning offering blocks (10:00 to 11:35) either choose to attend an offering, clearly state a personal interest pursuit, or stay outside. The school house is reserved for intentional offerings every morning.
- Keep our space free from personal devices unless specifically being used for an offering.
- Plan communal video game time ahead: intentional, pre-planned group gaming in the schoolhouse is supported.
- Follow agreements we make as a group around treating each other, the space, and the materials with care.
We strive to create offerings and experiences with the input of students, and also hold space for anyone to say no and choose their own interest to pursue, including free play outside. We happily support students who attend offerings and those who do not and desire to play outside all day.
Ultimately, we collaborate to build positive cultural norms rather than lists of rules.
A maxim we reference when creating new structures is “maximum support with minimum interference.” Our students have a lot of freedom as they get clear about what they truly want to create for and of themselves. With clear boundaries and agreements, they also have the support they need to feel safe using that freedom to question, experiment, explore, and grow.
Are there boundaries?
ALCs set boundaries to create safe, legal, and respectful environments. Students commit to uphold certain agreements to participate in an ALC; kids give feedback on how the school runs in morning circle, in Connection Circle and throughout the day, and can change how it operates to the degree they’re willing to take responsibility for the change they want to see; parents may put limits on their students’ off-site travel permissions. To the extent that this question asks whether rules and limits on individual freedom exist, the answer is ‘yes.’
But what if we define “boundaries” more broadly than just as “rules”? Then this question becomes an interesting one about priorities and opportunities to practice 21st century skills that students will need to grow into empowered individuals. In environments where students don’t get a say in their work loads, levels of physical activity, or collaboration styles, they don’t have as many opportunities to practice recognizing, setting, or holding personal boundaries. We recognize that these are vital life skills; as such, ALFs are intentional in both modeling boundary management and supporting students doing the same.
How do you deal with bullying?
Each group has agreements about how we treat each other, and kids help shape them. When something goes wrong, facilitators help the kids involved talk it through directly. For the younger kids the agreement is simple: say stop or no, and if that isn’t respected, walk away and get a facilitator. Physical aggression means a call home to be picked up early, and sometimes a day at home, depending on the harm done.
In general, behavior that looks like bullying is less likely to happen in a space where everyone is respected and given autonomy over their lives. Still, young people bring various emotional needs and stresses into the space and understanding what their underlying needs are is often the solution to dissolving actions that oppress others.
What if my kid just wants to play outside all day?
What if? They might develop relationships with other children of various ages and spend hours deep in conversation. They might learn to navigate conflict in a way that honors their own boundaries while understanding the needs of others. They might learn to imagine, invent, and create. They might exercise and develop coordination and physical agility. They might learn how to organize a group of people towards a common goal. With all that time and space, they might learn who they really are – what makes them tick, what their natural gifts are, what brings them joy, what they need to feel healthy, etc. etc.
Where is this question actually coming from? For those of us who grew up with schooling, we have learned to associate schooling (forced activity based around academic learning) with learning. We learned that we can’t be trusted to decide for ourselves where our bodies should be and what our minds should be focused on. We learned that, above all else, obeying orders is the most important path to success. Eventually, we exited institutional education and began our lives as independent adults and had to begin the process of unlearning all of these things that schooling taught us. What if your kid *just* wants to play outside all day?
Facilitators and mixed ages
What do Agile Learning Facilitators (ALFs) do?
Facilitators witness.
Facilitators model.
Facilitators reflect.
Facilitators facilitate.
Facilitators hold the space.
Facilitators support students in clarifying their intentions, getting connected to the resources they need, reflecting on their decisions, engaging with the community, and sharing their learning. They work to keep the space safe, legal, and respectful. They collaborate with students to develop a powerfully positive culture. Facilitators model clear communication, collaboration, and authenticity. They embody our Agile Roots, and they are grounded in trust.
Why are kids of all ages together?
Segregating people into age cohorts, a practice that really only happens at school, limits their exposure to accessible role models and their opportunities to teach skills they’ve acquired. In an age-mixed environment, older students learn patience and compassion while supporting the younger students. Younger students watch and emulate older students. Everyone gets practice both teaching and learning from people with varying skill levels, learning styles, and attention spans. The results tend to be awe-inspiring.
Before and after Mosaic
How did kids adjust coming from traditional schooling or returning to it?
Kids, especially older ones, coming from traditional schooling usually have a “detox” period where they test their limits to be sure that they really aren’t going to be forced to do things or graded on their “performance.” When it turns out that there isn’t much to rebel against, boredom and positive peer pressure usually motivate them to start trying new things and engaging with the community.
Learning is always occurring. As a result, students coming from traditional schooling arrive having learned communication styles, value judgements, and assumptions about power dynamics (and their own capacities) that they then un-learn at ALC. Our students who choose to return to traditional schooling have experience communicating clearly, managing their time, and finding information/resources they need to achieve goals. They take these skills with them–along with the knowledge that they’re choosing to go for a reason. As a result, they usually transition smoothly.
How do you assess kids without tests?
Our assessment is that each student is a capable and powerful human with value to add to the world.
How do we track growth? By knowing each kid well, supporting their self-reflection, bearing witness to their journey, and writing it down. Facilitators and families document moments in each kid’s portfolio as they happen, using Prism, so learning that would otherwise go unseen becomes visible, and adds up to a trustworthy record of each kid’s own path.
It’s documentation, not grading. And learning happens everywhere, not just at Mosaic, so families don’t only follow along: they document with us, from home, on trips, wherever it happens, and each kid’s portfolio reflects all of it. Kids can look back at how far they’ve come, and when a kid needs a transcript or an evaluator wants to see progress, the record is already there.
Will my kid be able to go to college?
If that’s the direction a student chooses, yes. Colleges have been accepting students from homeschooling families and non-traditionalschools for as long as colleges have existed.
When a self-directed learner decides they want to go to college, they know why they want to go. Many students unquestioningly spend thousands of dollars and several years of their lives going through college because that’s what they think they’re “supposed” to do. Intentionally entering a learning environment to accomplish a specific purpose is more likely to bring about positive outcomes.
We don’t yet have longitudinal data on ALCs, but we do have it on self-directed learning. Most of the kids who want to get into college do. Having alternative forms of record keeping and evaluation has not been an impediment for kids who want to go to college. In fact, there’s a proven advantage for people whose college applications can’t be tidily ranked by GPA and academic track: a human has to actually look at their portfolio. Mosaic students have years of documented learning in their portfolios to draw on, which makes a rich application easier to put together.
For one parent and former teacher’s perspective on her daughter’s journey from self-directed learning to the college admissions process — check out Karen Hollis sharing her experience in Life Learning Magazine.
What happens if they want to go to a college that requires traditional credentials like test scores, transcripts, or a GPA?
The support is there if a teen wants it and it makes sense for them. In Acorns, our teen group, a student aiming for a college like that can build their time around it: test prep, writing workshops for personal essays, more advanced math, and a facilitator who helps them plan the steps and stick to them.
The record is there too. Years of documented learning in their Prism portfolio give them real material for an application, and Prism can turn that record into a transcript that maps what they’ve learned onto the subject areas colleges expect.
And because they aren’t sitting in classes all day, they usually have more time than other high schoolers for the parts that matter most: the essays, the interviews, and the recommendation letters.
Special needs
How do you support students with special needs?
We aren’t organized around supporting special needs, but over the years our environment has turned out to be a naturally supportive place for many young people who have them. We look at every situation case by case: Who is this young person? What are their needs and abilities? Is our environment a fit? What support can the family provide that we may not be able to?
Staff are always open to working with parents, learning new tools, and talking with the therapists families work with, in the interest of supporting a student.
For one example, read an article some of our kids with dyslexia wrote with a facilitator about learning to read in a school where no one is forced to.
At ALCs, students are encouraged to pay attention to their patterns and work styles, and they’re supported in making choices accordingly. As a result, they learn to adapt, to maximize chances to play up their strengths, rather than feeling shamed for and fixating on their limitations. The result is that they keep their confidence and grow their capacities, often even undoing patterns of disempowering self-talk and antagonism of writing/math/speaking that they built up in other settings.
ALC and other schools
How does ALC compare to other models of alternative education?
Montessori: Montessori schools and ALCs both practice age-mixing and supporting students in self-directing their learning. Montessori age-mixing involves grouping students who would typically be in three different “grades” into a cohort; ALC age-mixing is much broader. At Mosaic, kids belong to one of four loose groups, and much of the day mixes ages across them: offerings, play and trips. Montessori students self-direct through a prescribed menu of subjects and concepts that changes based on the age range of the students; ALC students self-direct based on their interests, passions, and the opportunities they see in the world around them.
Reggio: The basic assumptions informing Reggio education are highly complementary to those informing the ALC model. Reggio was created based on the belief that humans are born with many forms of expression–languages–available to them. Most forms of schooling only develop literacy in three of these languages: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Reggio seeks to provide acknowledgement of and opportunities to develop as many of these languages as possible through themed “explorations,” The Reggio model recognizes the environment as a powerful teacher; thus, Reggio schools are carefully designed with goals of sparking inspiration, encouraging curiosity, and facilitating interpersonal activities. ALC philosophy shares a view of the child as powerful, competent, and full of potential. We also share the recognition of the environment as a teacher and the emphasis on the importance of social relationships. We’re different in our emphasis on intentional culture creation, our documentation practices, and our structures for supporting student self-direction.
Steiner/Waldorf: One similarity between ALCs and Steiner/Waldorf schools is that both approach education holistically. Though in many ways Steiner/Waldorf schools advocate a single developmental trajectory for all children, it is also true that Steiner/Waldorf schools and families honor children’s individual timetables for learning. Particularly with literacy, you will find stories of Waldorf students who learn to read in the traditional sense at a wide variety of ages from 5 to 12 years old. ALCs see “development” as even more complex and expect students to have different learning journeys, and our staff aspire to support students in creating their own adventures.
Democratic Free School: ALCs are similar to Democratic Free Schools in that our students contribute to decision making at the school, direct their own learning, and participate in meetings. Many of the differences between ALC and Free Schools developed in response to challenges Free Schools commonly face. For example, in some Free Schools decision making is consensus-based and adults strive to influence students’ learning journeys as minimally as possible. ALC decision-making more closely resembles the Quaker “sense of the meeting” than consensus, and our staff comfortably make suggestions the way they would to friends they were trying to support. The former change leads to faster, more action-focused meetings; the latter gives students opportunities to practice the valuable life skill of navigating attempts to influence them. The main differences between ALCs and Free schools are that our students focus on creating culture rather than running the school, use structures to support intention-setting and reflection on their learning journeys, and explicitly aim to keep 90%+ of each day meeting free so students can focus on their learning.
Unschool: Unschooling always looks different, so it’s difficult to compare a “typical” unschooling experience to an ALC experience. Both Unschooling and Agile Learning relationships with learning come from trusting that the individual—adult or child—knows best how to design their education and should be supported in doing so. The difference is that unschoolers focus on their individual paths, while ALC students engage in active culture creation in a consistent community. The social component is foundational to ALCs: students learn from, inspire, negotiate, and collaborate with each other on a daily basis, enriching each other’s learning and challenging each other to constantly improve their social skills.
Homeschool: Homeschooling looks different in every family, and many of our families call themselves homeschoolers. What Mosaic adds is a daily community: kids of every age to learn alongside, facilitators who get to know each kid, and a campus with offerings, trips and room to play. Parents stay their kids’ primary educators; Mosaic is where the social, collaborative part of learning happens every day.