By Colin McGregor
A traditional school, with its rows of desks and its rigid discipline, isn’t for everyone. Some students learn better in a freer, less structured environment. By giving students more space and the freedom to learn, an alternative school helps students develop better study habits, all the while giving them a place to grow.
Fully 48 alternative schools are assembled under the banner of the Réseau des écoles publiques alternatives du Québec (REPAQ). The vast majority of these are primary schools. But what is an “alternative school”? Is it a hippie sort of place where students can do whatever they want?
“The term alternative, when it’s married with school, has as its goal the creation of a community,” says Pierre Chenier, spokesman for REPAQ. “Teachers and parents are accompaniers. The most important thing is to develop the student’s autonomy and their appetite for learning… The paradigm isn’t the transmission of knowledge, it’s learning at the student’s own pace. We go on voyages together, through projects.”
On top of that these schools don’t filter out potential students the way that sports schools and art schools do.
Evaluation is multi-party, continuous and rigorous, aimed at supporting learning. It involves the student, their peers, teachers, parents and other participants in the alternative school.
Create Your Own School
How can you establish an alternative school in your neighborhood? The parents have to start off, by making a request to their school board or school service centre. On average it takes about two years for such a campaign to bear fruit. There are currently about 20 such projects underway in Quebec. “Build where there is a need” is the guiding principle, says Chenier.
And alternative schools have an influence on more traditional schools, according to Chenier. He recalls that education minister Pauline Marois, responsible for the “Marois Reform” in 1997 said that her reforms were “largely inspired by you,” referring to alternative schools.
An alternative school provides students with the tools to guide them towards greater autonomy, responsibility and commitment to their scholastic and social success. Each student is guided to achieve the education ministry’s goals, by approaching them in their own way.
The educational approach differs from one alternative school to the next. Each has its own personality. But they all foster what is often termed open education, which fosters the student’s taking on responsibility in their own learning. Moreover, the parents participate in the school’s reflections, actions and decisions.
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