The World School

An Alternative School Idea

When the idea of The World School was conceived, there were a few conditions the founders were adamant to include.

First, it had to respect the children as individuals and take their interests into account. It was imperative that the children had a voice in their learning, a way to express themselves in a safe and welcoming community. Out of this grew some principles drawn from the democratic school model. 

Second, the kids had to have time to explore in nature, without pressure or instructions from a teacher. The belief is that the environment provides all the resources children need to learn, and by allowing the students the freedom to interact with the components in nature around them, they are able to pick up on elements and themes that touch on the traditional subjects taught in a classroom, just in a more holistic and natural way. This led to a forest school philosophy, one that uses the environment as the primary teacher, while allowing for discoveries that can be guided by the human teachers through questioning and encouraging curiosities. 

Finally, and this is the point that makes this school stand out from the other forest and democratic schools, The World School is to be location independent. Mobile. Nomadic. 

This premise appeals to families who are regular long-term or full-time travellers. The parents might have a job that doesn’t require a fixed address. Instead these families choose to live in ever-changing locations. Most kids have been previously homeschooled in some form, outside of the traditional school system. The World School gives these families a base from which they can continue their alternative methods of education, in a community of like-minded individuals in changing locations around the world. 

The Rise of Worldschooling

The school started its inaugural term in January 2020 in Cabrera, Dominican Republic with 20 students enrolled, which is at full capacity. The program will stay in each country for three months, a common term for visitor visas in many countries. As they move to Spain for May to July 2020 enrolment is already full with a waitlist. The plan is then to complete their third term this year in Bali, Indonesia from September to November. 

Some families are following the school around to each location, while others are planning to just do one three-month term and then continue their travels to a different location, possibly meeting up again at some point in the future. 

During my time with The World School it was apparent how happy the kids were. There was plenty of space, each child was engaged in something that interested them and rarely were there conflicts because they had the freedom to choose where to go and what to do. Relieving the constant pressures that normally come from a school environment, giving the kids the chance to explore, helps to develop their social skills, empathy and sharing a passion with a classmate. 

A Forest School… on a Beach?

Each day started with approximately three hours exploring on the beach, building sand castles, climbing trees, smashing open almonds or starting fires with flint and magnifying glasses. Traditional forest schools emphasize time outside in nature as a large component of their program, usually in a wooded area. Due to the proximity to the beach and with the climate in the Dominican Republic generally being tropical year round, it was natural to take advantage of this landscape and use the beach as the outdoor learning space. 

This presents a few challenges, mainly for the teachers who had to learn about the unique features of the environment so that they could properly guide the students on different learning paths depending on what was uncovered. Because, a major tenet of forest school learning is that is be student led, and it’s up to the teachers to ask questions, inspire curiosities and guide the students into learning themes from the activities that they are drawn to.

One example of this involved the almond trees that were common along the beach. Naturally, the students found some rocks and wanted to find a way to get through the hard outer shell into the inner seed. Their discovery was that the almonds inside were smaller than the ones they usually buy at the grocery store. A discussion ensued on why that could be. Could it be a different variety of tree or maybe because the almonds that are grown for consumption are genetically modified to be larger and tastier? By connecting the children’s play of smashing open the shells to the science topic of genetically modified organisms, it opens up a whole new direction and level of thinking for the students to explore more about farming, genetics, trees, reproduction and climate. It could have ended with simply eating the almonds, but with the trained guidance of the teachers it becomes a much more engaging and educative experience. 

When you stop to think about all the other possibilities for expanding learning, just through simple play that kids are engaged in, it’s easy to see how other activities such as building sand castles, playing in the waves, constructing shelters, starting fires and discovering hermit crabs can be turned into learning moments that connect to all the subjects found in a traditional school curriculum. However, instead of the curriculum being assigned to the kids from a pre-determined program, it is decided by the students to follow their interests and creativity. The students are free from reaching for assigned targets or generating outputs to measure their level of ability. The belief is that by developing their curiosity, they will learn the same skills that you would in a traditional school system, while also building creativity, enhanced social skills, and developing a greater connection to the natural world.

Taking Risks in Play

Not only do students connect more to their environment, they learn more about themselves. Another key part of nature schools is to allow students to take risks that might normally not be allowed in a regular school. Risky play can include playing at a height (in a tree, for example), at speed, near something dangerous, with tools that could cause injury, roughhousing, or with the potential to get lost. In reality, kids will engage in most of these types of play on their own. The difference, however, is that through the forest school model, they will learn how to assess the risks and make decisions that are within the boundaries of their abilities. 

“Allowing students the freedom to make choices, speak their mind and share their ideas, are all foundations of a democratic society.”

Through these types of risky activities, the children can learn about their bodies, build coordination and balance, gain confidence and independence, and improve their communication skills. The teachers are always there to supervise and ensure the students are putting themselves in situations that they can handle, but otherwise, the children are free to climb trees, swing from branches, build fires on the beach and smash open shells with heavy rocks. As long as they are making conscious decisions that aren’t putting themselves or others around them in unnecessary danger, the students learn how to manage themselves safely so that they learn their own boundaries. 

It’s an interesting principle that can really pay dividends as they get older and are faced with new types of risky situations in adolescence. The theory is that if young people are never given the agency and skills to assess risks when they are younger because they rely on adults to tell them what is unsafe, they never fully develop the ability to make their own decisions based on what feels right. When presented with new situations as young adults, we want our kids to have the knowledge of their limits, and the confidence and conviction to stand up when they recognize something that crosses the line. 

Introducing Democratic Principles

Giving the students a voice in their learning also comes down to allowing them to have discussions and make decisions that respects their individuality, while accepting when their suggestions aren’t in the majority. The democratic school model encourages input from students to share their ideas with the rest of the group. Sometimes, when decisions or rules need to be made, the students can debate the pros and cons of each before taking a vote. It takes into account the viewpoints from all students, but in the end, it also means accepting that your opinions might be in the minority. 

Allowing students the freedom to make choices, speak their mind and share their ideas, are all foundations of a democratic society. It relies on the power of each individual child to develop personal responsibility, self-control and respects their individuality and natural learning process, free from the pressures of testing, assessment and benchmarks. 

Appealing to All Ages

Traditional forest schools tend to appeal mostly to elementary aged students, but The World School wanted to include opportunities for all ages to learn from nature. Older students generally need more resources than can be fully offered in an outdoor nature setting. They need the ability to take their outdoor experiences and delve more deeply into the content. For this reason, it was decided that the program at The World School would also include the afternoon at a learning facility. 

Here, students have the option to take their ideas from their morning outdoors and possibly do more in depth research with additional resources like books, encyclopedias and technology. They can really follow their interests in a direction that flows naturally from their curiosities. The possibilities are limitless. They are not constrained by a program that is chosen for them, but instead take responsibility for their own learning and follow their passions. 

Learning Through Travel

After spending a week at the World School, it’s clear that the school is taking education in a new direction. Maybe each individual component is not unique, but the combination of all elements into a school that meets the needs of travelling families who appreciate alternative learning environments, while providing learning opportunities for all ages of students, in frequently changing landscapes, gives the students at this school ample ways to approach education in ways that work for them. 

Being able to see and experience new parts of the world in a learning experience in itself. The culture, language, food and customs of each country requires adjustment and learning on the part of the students and parents alike. Figuring out the exchange rate for food prices, asking for directions from somebody who doesn’t speak your language, or navigating new cultural norms all takes some time to adjust, but in the end, provides a type of learning that would be difficult to replicate in a local neighbourhood school back home. 

Much like allowing risky play by climbing trees on the beach, there is an element of risk for the  parents by stepping outside of a traditional model of education and travelling the world. But through these calculated risks, an assessment of what works best for their families, there is a chance to develop new and exciting skills that never would have been thought possible without taking these first steps. The World School is giving the opportunity for these families to socialize and develop a community in what could be an otherwise isolating adventure. 

The early results so far are clear, though. This type of new global education is in demand. As long as technology allows us to connect to others around the world, our physical location becomes less restricted and the possibilities are only limited by our willingness to step outside our comfort zone into a new definition of family, education and community. 

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