Some things are central to what ALCs are about, while other elements are flexible and may vary between communities. We use a metaphor of a tree to illustrate this aspect of the ALC model more clearly.
The soil we grow from is trust: in children, in each other, in you.
The four assumptions—roots—which ground us are as follows:
- Learning: Learning is natural. It’s happening all the time.
- Self-Direction: People learn best by making their own decisions. Children are people.
- Experience: People learn more from their culture and environment than from the content they are taught. The medium is the message.
- Growth: Self-knowledge is catalyzed through cycles of intention, creation, reflection and sharing.