Our unique approach to education is defined by the following elements:

 

Place-based, Experiential Learning    

Place-based, experiential learning means learning from the world around us. We use our local community and environment as the context for hands-on learning, which makes learning meaningful to students and leads to greater engagement and deeper understanding. Place-based learning also helps us teach sustainability, developing in students an in-depth understanding of and concern for their place, their community and their environment.

 

Looping Teachers

Our students are grouped into mixed-age classrooms. Grades 1, 2 and 3 are grouped in Level 1; grades 4, 5 and 6 in Level 2; and grades 7 and 8 in Level 3. Teachers "loop" with the students, staying with them for as many years as the student is at the teacher’s level. This allows classmates and teachers to form long-term relationships, developing security and belonging. Parents benefit, too, in strengthened parent-teacher relationships and better communication between home and school.

 

 

Mixed-Age Classrooms

In mixed-age classrooms students learn at a pace determined by readiness rather than age. Personal learning plans allow us to teach to the child rather than the grade level. This helps students see themselves as learners with unique sets of skills and de-emphasizes comparisons between students. An added benefit is the relationships that develop between younger and older students in which the elders serve as role models.

 

Personal Learning Plans

A student’s Personal Learning Plan (PLP) includes academic, personal and social goals. While all students work toward the same general academic goals, in part defined by Oregon state standards, how a student advances is spelled out in their own PLP. The student, the teacher and family members develop the PLP together, based upon the student’s strengths and needs.

 

Integrated, Project-Based Learning

Our students cover math, language arts, science and other content areas during class time. They also have the added opportunity to connect the various things they are learning as they work on projects that focus on answering a question or solving a problem relevant to students. These authentic, in-depth learning activities interest and motivate students because they matter and often make a difference.

Projects are designed to teach skills as well as content, including communication and presentation skills, organization and time-management skills, research and inquiry skills, self assessment and reflection skills, group participation and leadership skills. Projects are generally done by groups of students working together.

 

Narrative Evaluations

Students at FGCS receive written evaluations of their progress and achievement instead of letter grades. We make this extra effort because compelling research shows that when working for rewards such as letter grades, people tend to choose easier tasks, are less creative, and are answer oriented. They may work hard, but the work is lower quality, contains more errors and is more superficial. A grade-based evaluation system is counterproductive to our goals because we want students who are capable of careful thought and self-directed learning.