Federal Association of Free Alternative Schools

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In the Federal Association of Free Alternative Schools , BFAS for short , the free alternative schools in Germany are organized. Conceptually, they differ from Waldorf and Montessori schools, which are organized in separate associations. 104 alternative schools belong to the association (as of August 2018).

Conceptual basics

The individual free alternative schools work according to individual concepts on the basis of a common educational policy self-image. The cornerstones are the democratic design of the coexistence of all those involved, the extensive self-determination of the children in the learning process and the flexibility of the organizational structures ( self-organization ). The common conceptual foundations of the member schools are formulated in the eight-point “Wuppertal Declaration” from 1986 and the six principles from 2011.

Wuppertal theses from 1986

  1. The social problems of the present and future (ecology, wars, poverty, etc.) can only be solved in a democratic way by people who can live self-reliance and democracy. Alternative schools try to offer children, teachers and parents the opportunity to repeatedly try out self-regulation and democracy in everyday life. This is the main political dimension of alternative schools.
  2. Alternative schools are schools in which childhood is understood as an independent phase of life with the right to self-determination, happiness and satisfaction, not just as a training phase for adulthood.
  3. Alternative schools create a space in which children can develop their needs, such as freedom of movement, spontaneous expressions, their own time management, and making intensive friendships.
  4. Alternative schools do not use coercive means to discipline children. Conflicts both among children and between children and adults create rules and boundaries that can be changed.
  5. The learning content is determined by the experiences of the children and is determined together with the teachers. The selection of the learning objects is a process in which the experiences of children and teachers are repeatedly included. The complexity of learning is taken into account through diverse and flexible forms of learning that include play, everyday school life and the school's social environment.
  6. Alternative schools want to support emancipatory learning processes beyond the acquisition of knowledge, which open up new and unfamiliar paths of knowledge for everyone involved. In this way they help create the conditions for solving current and future social problems.
  7. Alternative schools are self-governing schools. Organizing self-administration is a formative experience for parents, teachers and students in dealing with one another democratically.
  8. For everyone involved, alternative schools are a space in which attitudes and attitudes towards life can be understood as changeable and open. In this way they offer the opportunity to experience adventure, to learn to live.

2011 principles

Free alternative schools are diverse. Every school is different. A position assessment 2011

1. Free alternative schools are places of community that are designed in a cooperative manner and critically scrutinized by all those involved. The knowledge and experience gained in this way encourage and enable them to face social problems, to work out constructive solutions and to try out new forms of society.

2. Free alternative schools are self-organized schools. The design of self-administration is a formative experience in democratic interaction with one another for children, young people, parents and those working in school. They create their own rules and structures that can be changed. This promotes public spirit, non-violent conflict resolution and an understanding of the situation of others.

3. Free alternative schools are inclusive places of learning and living. Children, young people and adults have the same right to self-determination and protection. The needs of all those involved are equally taken into account.

4. Learning needs reliable relationships. At free alternative schools, respectful cooperation and the trust that comes from it are the basis of these relationships.

5. People at Free Alternative Schools see learning as a lifelong process. Playing, social and emotional experiences and the interests of children, adolescents and adults are also part of learning. This creates individual learning paths that can open up emancipatory learning processes.

6. Free alternative schools are learning and living spaces that are characterized by sensitivity and openness to changes and developments. They integrate various educational ideas in their concepts and implement them in a variety of ways.

The BFAS annually organizes the “Federal Meeting of Free Alternative Schools” in cooperation with a host member school.

The BFAS is a signatory of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ We are 100! Retrieved October 8, 2018 (German).
  2. ↑ Nicola Kriesel, Jan Kasiske: Treasures recover - everyday life in free alternative schools . 1st edition. tologo verlag, Leipzig 2014, ISBN 978-3-940596-95-6 , foreword, p. 165 : “By 'Free School' we do not only mean independent schools, but above all schools in the Federal Association of Independent Alternative Schools . V. , where 'Frei' stands for freedom in learning and which are also still in independent sponsorship. "
  3. ↑ a b About us - Our self-image. Retrieved April 11, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Principles of Free Alternative Schools. Retrieved April 24, 2019 .
  5. ↑ added at the federal meeting in 2012 in 3. by "... are inclusive places to learn and live."
  6. ^ Signatory Transparency International Deutschland e. V. Accessed April 11, 2019 .