SLOW-MOVING TRIBE OF NOMAD FAMILIES WITH TRAVEL SCHOOL
HOW WE LEARN
Every child is curious.
Let education boost that superpower.
Rethink education
Mainstream educational systems around the world are based on the principles of mass production and organized like a factory of the late 19th century - they are top down, standardized, teacher-controlled. A system where obedience and conformity are considered success, designed to stifle creativity and independent judgment.
Teaching in traditional schools implies presenting established facts or portraying an established path to knowledge, often in a manipulative, opinionated way.
We at Nomadville believe that a redesign of education must happen - now!
We need a new approach to education – one that is student-centered, based on a 21st century mindset and prepares children to thrive in a dynamic and increasingly interconnected world. Our mission is to help children grow into confident world citizens well equipped with the cognitive and social-emotional skills they will need tomorrow.
We aim to deliver a change-making curriculum based on meaningful learning experiences to unfold curiosity and unlock the potential of every learner.
Flexible classrooms
The whole world is our classroom. We use flexible learning environments - indoors and outdoors. These include diverse seating options such as chairs and tables, sofas, bean bags, stools, cushions, carpets, grass, or sand. We learn at the
Nomadville hub, but just as well in a museum, a local market or in the forest. Flexible seating allows to adapt to the needs and objectives of each learning session. It promotes free movement and comfort, physical health, supports collaboration, adaptability and meets the students' sensory needs. We believe, feeling comfortable is an important prerequisite for efficient learning and overall well-being.
Our teachers
Our teachers are the heart of our education concept. They are internationally-minded, passionate partners in acquiring skills, reaching goals and discovering interests and talents. They support every learners starting points and progress and value every child as a whole personality. Teachers at Nomadville are required to have an academic degree in Education with a valid teaching certificate/ license and classroom teaching experience. But most importantly they must pursue an innovation and growth mindset, be committed to our values and keen to apply transformational practices in an engaging way, creating fun learning experiences every day.
Small groups
The teacher-student-ratio at Nomadville is at maximum 1:6. Working in small group sizes allows us to flexibly allocate time and attention where it is needed, empower students through self-belief and encourage participation. It gives us the opportunity to monitor the progress of each learner individually and help kids develop at their own pace. The intimate environment of a small learning group is also great for building teamwork skills. A small, tight knit team working towards a problem or project allows students to be active, bringing both educational and social progress forward at the same time.
Learning units
Learning units are flexible in length in order to ideally meet the needs and objectives of each unique learning experience. When in a productive mode or creative flow, we intend to not interrupt children. At the same time we take breaks as we need them to stay focused and concentrated. Our orientation is a duration of 30 minutes per session. Between units we take outdoor breaks, move freely, refresh our minds and bodies, have a healthy snack, choose a new seating arrangement
and make sure we are ready to continue before moving on. Acquiring resilience can best happen within a child-friendly setting, allowing kids to grow beyond their limits every day.
Worldschooling
Worldschooling is a fundamental part of our education concept: Learning through experiencing and interacting with the world is our lifestyle! We do it all day, every day; it is our state-of-mind.
Worldschooling means seeing education more inclusively. Understanding that learning happens everywhere and every time. It is opening children up to the world and teaching them through experiences by doing, being, touching, smelling, and feeling. The more we travel, the greater variety of cultures, climates, histories and societies we explore, the more this lifestyle can unfold.
However, in order to fully understand the world and process the information that ecosystems have to offer, it is required to develop mastery of fundamental concepts such as literacy, mathematics. and science. We believe the best education a child can receive is one that actively incorporates worldschooling into a forward-thinking, innovative curriculum.
Interdisciplinary Learning
Making sense of learning experiences and linking them to the real world
Nomadville sets strong focus on achieving interconnectedness between subjects. This is how we create learning experiences with value and meaning for kids and how their knowledge is linked to the real world. We use the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) to define the themes under which our interdisciplinary learning experiences are organized:
WHO WE ARE
An exploration of the nature of the self, of our beliefs and values, of personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health, of our families
HOW THE
WORLD WORKS
An exploration of the physical and material world; of natural and human-made phenomena, of the world of science and technology
HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES
An exploration of the way which we discover and express our nature, ideas, feelings, beliefs and values through language and the arts
HOW WE ORGANIZE
OURSELVES
An exploration of human systems and communities; the structure and functions of organizations; societal decision making; economic activities and their impact
WHERE WE
ARE IN PLACE
AND TIME
An exploration of our orientation in place and time; of our personal histories, the discoveries, explorations and migrations in humankind
SHARING THE PLANET
An exploration of rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people; access to equal opportunities, peace and conflict resolution
Kids as Co-creators
At Nomadville students are active co-decision makers and have voice, choice and ownership in their educational process. Teachers and children shape the learning process together, which boosts a child’s belief in his or her own capabilities.
Why is it so important?
We live in times of information overflow. What our kids need most is to have the ability to make sense of, discern, judge and combine information so that they can grasp the world around them. Our aim is to shape critical thinkers and confident decision makers that are in a position to represent their opinion.
What does co-creation look like?
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We arrange the learning environment along with the children
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We make decisions together
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We provide them with options
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We give them the chance to select between topics/ activities
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We give them the chance to take part in the planning
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We encourage them to learn from each other
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We support their initiatives and ideas
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We develop their self-management skills
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We support them to explore their interests, skills and talents
Inquiry-based learning
Asking questions instead of presenting facts
"How were the Maya pyramids built? Where does electricity come from? How do plants grow? Why does an airplane fly? How is data transferred from one end of the world to the other?” Children have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and boundless curiosity.
At Nomadville we use inquiry-based learning (IBL), a student-centric method of learning that emphasizes this curiosity and exploration. It encourages kids to ask questions, explore the subject and use evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking skills to find the answers.
Trying things out for themselves means that knowledge is actively acquired while kids take a high level of ownership over their education. As part of our curriculum we develop locally adapted project themes that kids work on end-to-end, through research, experiments, interviews, activities, field trips etc.
Social-emotional learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a process through which children learn to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy and compassion for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
We integrate social-emotional learning throughout our curriculum to ensure our student’s emotional well-being becomes as much a priority as our multi-faceted academic curriculum. Every day at school at Nomadville starts with 'Connection' time, a session of SEL and mindfulness.
In addition, our students are supported by a professional
coach to strengthen awareness and skills in the social-emotional context.
Progress evaluation
We believe standardized grades are not an adequate form of feedback as they do not explain what students have learned, what they were struggling with, or what they excelled at. Grades create a risk-averse behavior, constrict collaboration and seed a fear to fail. We at Nomadville advocate for an educational model that’s a safe haven for failure, taking risks and continuous self-improvement. Thus, we refrain from applying a traditional standardized grading system.
Instead we value every learner as an individual, monitor and document the personal learning journey from a holistic point of view, communicate detailed and constructive feedback about achievements, strengths and areas for development. As partners in learning we celebrate success together, and close gaps together with respect and appreciation. Through our digital platform and regular feedback rounds parents stay informed about their children's progress at any time.
What we expect...
... from parents
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Parents are the support pillars for their kids and needed for their success
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They are committed to supporting and affirming their kids and be their everyday cheerleaders
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They are interested and involved in their
child's education and following up with their progress -
They are involved in the learning journey by supporting the school community