How Self-Directed Education Works

The Spokane Learning Co-op is a member-run, member-centered learning community. Our Co-op is ideal for any student or families interested in cultivating truly happy, confident, self-directed young adults.

We provide diverse, self-directed learning experiences through innovative classes, dedicated mentors, and an autonomous, dynamic community.

The most valuable opportunity we offer members is the time and space to discover who they are. Members have time to be, to think, to talk, to play, to discover what they enjoy and appreciate. This is where the real beauty of self-directed education lies and where the most important learning usually takes place. They get to discover who they are now... instead of needing to go find themselves later.

Staff act as mentors who help provide support and help to solve problems.

Members develop the skills and qualities necessary to become successful adults.

We believe in consent everywhere in life... including education. Blake Boles, author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?, explains it well in his video To Fix Education, Make it Consensual.

We believe in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 12 states that children have a right to have a say on matters which affect them. This includes being able to make informed decisions regarding their education.

Consensual education most appropriately meets the needs of the learner, the community, and society. It does this through developing reflective individuals who are collaborative problem-solvers and creative flexible thinkers.

We believe that this is just what our world of constant political turmoil and emergent technologies needs.

The basis of a consensual, democratic education is in certain rights, which we define as follows (based on the 2005 Resolution of the 13th International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC), Berlin, Germany):

In any educational institution, students have the right

to make their own choices regarding learning and all other areas of everyday life. In particular, they may individually determine what to do, when, where, how and with whom, so long as their decisions do not infringe on the liberty of others to do the same.
to have an equal share in the decision making as to how their organizations – in particular their schools – are run, and which rules and sanctions, if any, are necessary.

Self-directed learning communities like the Spokane Learning Co-op all share the following elements:

Firm foundations in a values culture of equality and shared responsibility. Respect breeds respect. Trust breeds trust. Compassion breeds compassion. Tolerance breeds tolerance. Listening breeds listening.

Collective decision-making where all members of the community, regardless of age or status, have an equal say over significant decisions such as school rules, curricula, projects, and even the hiring of staff.

Self-directed discovery: Learners choose what they learn, when, how and with whom they learn it. Learning can happen inside or outside of the classroom, through play as well as conventional study. The key is that the learning is following the students intrinsic motivation and pursuing their interests.

Autonomy means having the freedom to make decisions.

Young people understand how little say they often have in their lives. When they come to the Co-op and are given more freedom than ever before, it's like a burst of energy that transforms them. Many young people seem to rediscover their enthusiasm for life.

At the Co-op, they're not left to figure out their newfound independence alone. They work with a caring staff mentor who guides them in understanding and using their new freedom wisely.

While it takes more than independence to grow up well, we see it as a crucial factor for young peoples' well-being, including socially, emotionally, and academically

We provide an extensive variety of classes and workshops designed to help our members reach their goals. These classes take place in small groups, allowing for active participation and personalized attention.

We also embrace project-based learning, where members delve into real-world issues, brainstorm solutions, choose a plan, and see it through to the finish. This approach helps them develop critical thinking, creativity, practical know-how, and, of course, problem-solving abilities.

Apart from our classes and activities, we also encourage independent studies and offer one-on-one tutoring whenever it's needed. We strive to support each member's unique learning journey to help them thrive academically and personally.

Just as there are no standard children, there is no standardized list of what all members learn. Their learning is based on them, their interests, their passions, and their choices.

Young people learn at their own pace the things that are relevant and interesting to them. These things are often signs of their own unique inner genius. We give them the time, space, and materials so that they can develop the thing they were born to do.

Members will learn many different things, often without even realizing it. Academic skills are learned as a natural by-product of pursuing their interests.

It would be impossible to come up with a general list for all members. It's based on them, their interest/passion, and their choices. They will learn many different things, often without even realizing it.

Lessons can be specific fields of knowledge or about life in general (e.g. communication skills, respect for human rights and the opinions of others, practice with empathy and conflict resolution because of the Meeting and sociocratic process, and their own agency and ability to affect the world around them).

Young people learn at their own pace the kinds of things that they want to learn.

There really is no typical day at the Spokane Learning Co-op. We do have a general flow. All students participate in our morning "Pop In" where we discuss events for the day or any important news for the entire school community. We have our Meeting once a week.

The rest depends on the individual person. Open discussion, reading, doing art, building, and dancing are some common activities we've observed at similar educational centers. Sometimes members ask adults to teach specific lessons or courses.

For a younger member, their day may look like a lot of exuberant play, social skills development, and time for free exploration with some staff or peer-led classes or activities that have been requested by the members.

Sometimes our middle/high school-aged members like to have a schedule of activities and classes that meet each week (such as Book Club, Mythology, Theater, Dance, Science, etc), but often they enjoy the flexibility to pursue their own interests. However, the schedule is always flexible and always changing. If a class is a flop, we take it off the schedule and try something different. If members think another project or activity is more important at that moment than a particular class, they will work on that instead.

There is no requirement that a member attend all or any of the activities provided, so members may spend days working on an art project, practicing for a recital, or reading a really good book. We also take frequent field trips or to local parks, so those days look different as well.

Children seek information when they are ready to learn it. When they come across situations where they need higher math skills they will acquire them.

Basic math skills are learned in everyday life, at school and at home. Things like using money, playing games, creating art, and reading the time, are all examples of using basic math daily. If "being taught" is the path to learning the student chooses, staff are capable and prepared to teach many different subjects at a student's request.

Check out this TED Talk from a conventional math teacher.

Don't the children play all day if they don't have to go to class?

Conventional schooling has given all of us a misunderstanding of the value of play in childhood by relegating it to a place of non-importance in the child's school day.

Nothing could be further from the truth or more harmful to child development.

At the Spokane Learning Co-op, we consider play to be an essential form of learning. Through play, children learn to express creativity, cope in social situations, learn about their interests and develop their sense of right and wrong, among many other skills. Here is a blog post on "Mind/Shift" about the importance of play.

Further, creativity demands play. We play with ideas; managers play with new processes; scientists play with hypotheses and experiments; inventors play with new toys, vehicles, products; marketing professionals play with new slogans; and pioneers in all fields play with finding new ways.

Children learn all sorts of things from each other during play. Listen to a group of any age: they learn that there is more than one way to do something; they discuss politics from their family's perspective and hear how other families think; they dream about the future and share their dreams; they take charge one day and follow the next; they are honest with each other about their feelings; they examine the workings of machines; they hear about a friend witnessing her baby sister being born; they hatch a plan to protect their inventions; they help younger children with a project; they find a way no matter how long it takes... the list and the learning is endless.

Children also learn about society through their interaction with others in play. They learn the importance of rules and boundaries, the importance of working it out, the value of all members of the group. They develop skills in leadership, initiative, cooperation, responsibility, collaboration, fair play, compassion and justice.

Most importantly, they learn all of these things in the process. They learn in an experiential way because it is part of their play. That is very different than the focus of traditional schooling which believes that it is their job to teach these things, usually through manipulated activities or to 'please' the teacher. Children 'own' what they learn on their own and most children discard the majority of what is taught to them when they did not ask to be taught. (Teenagers, probably more so.)

Won't they just play video games all day?

We are thankful to Dr. Victoria Dunckley, author of Reset Your Child's Brain, for her guidance in this matter.

Dr. Dunckley was recently a guest on the podcast 1000 Hours Outside, where she described the damage screen time causes. Not only does screen time have deleterious effects on our eyes, mood, behavior, mental health, but they also contribute to misdiagnoses.

Because we prioritize children's mental health, we have made the decision to be screen-free and device-free.

We encourage you to listen to the full episode here: When Face-to-Screen Replaces Face-to-Face: Understanding the Impact of Screens on Kid's Health.

But what if my child isn't self-motivated?

All kids are motivated. All children have a passion for learning and discovery. If your child doesn't exhibit motivation for learning, why might this be the case? What has his or her experience in "learning environments" been like? Has your child become accustomed to being led, directed, and bossed around by adults?

Unfortunately, most "learning environments" designed for kids these days are really just overly structured, adult-led activities during which the kids are expected to be more-or-less passive subjects. They are not allowed the freedom and trust required to truly develop their own passions and pursue their own curiosity.

At the Spokane Learning Co-op, kids have the freedom to pursue their own learning in whatever form appeals to them. For some kids, this freedom is an immediate call to action. For others, it takes more time. Boredom (in the absence of coercion) is the best way to cultivate self-reflection, followed by self-motivation.

We challenge all parents who hold this belief about their child(ren) to reconsider. Reflecting inward about your own experience as a child will help. As always, communicating openly with your child and asking about his or her experience may yield the best results.

We recognize that most of us did not grow up learning in-depth relational skills centered around peace and collaboration. To that end, we intentionally and regularly participate in courses, workshops, and circles designed to help us get better and better at having mutually healthy relationships with other people.

We offer three classes for all members: Non-Violent Communication, Alternatives to Violence, and Sociocratic Decision Making.

We require that parents also take these classes to help them understand and uphold our goal of creating a peaceful culture that respects each person.

Members are given a great deal of responsibility for running the co-op as well as over their individual pursuits. They act as officers responsible for running center meetings, creating and executing co-op rules, dealing with issues that arise, and more. Staff act as mentors or advisers who help provide support and help to solve problems.

Unlike our government, with its representative democracy, and unlike a direct democracy, which typically means a competitive us vs. them mentality where one group "wins" and the other is unhappy, sociocracy seeks to find a third way -- neither "our way" or "their way," but a nuanced decision that everyone can agree to live with and uphold.

In our Co-op, sociocracy is both a matter of principle and a source of endless learning opportunities. Sociocratic values are integrated with the foundation of the center in order to promote understanding of justice, mutual respect, trust, responsibility, and self-determination within a community of equals.

Watch this documentary on sociocratic schools in the Netherlands called School Circles.

We truly value learning that comes from within and is driven by our members' own motivation. At the Co-op, we strongly believe that everyone, including our staff and students, is continually learning and sharing knowledge. We often switch roles between being a mentor, learner, and even a teacher.

We love when students express interest in leading activities, classes, or bigger programs for their peers. This opportunity for our members to take the lead holds enormous potential for fostering strong connections among peers. It's not just about the activities themselves; it's a chance for personal growth and enhancement while engaging with others in a positive way.

Members at the Spokane Learning Co-op are in charge of their own education, which means balancing freedom and responsibility. Students are expected to sign in and out every day, do chores, participate in the weekly school meeting, be able to follow Co-op rules, and exist peaceably with the other members of the Co-op.

Many adults are surprised at how well most children, in this environment, rise to meet these expectations. We expect a transition period when a young person transfers to the Spokane Learning Co-op, and maintain open communication with families during this time, so that any issues with transitioning can be addressed.

However, as with any school, sometimes the Spokane Learning Co-op is not a good fit for a particular young person. Learn more about which children do best at similar learning environments.

What type of behavior plan do you use?

A huge part of our learning center is community building. We form authentic, mutually respectful relationships with each other. We recognize all behavior is communication.

Rules are created at the Meeting and are executed by the entire student body. If a member is breaking a rule or intentionally harming/harassing another member, a staff or member will write a complaint. The complaint is taken to the Meeting where students and staff members will listen carefully, determine if a rule was broken, and decide what the consequence would be. We try to stick to consequences that relate to the behavior. For example: A student who leaves out trash might have to do an extra chore for the day.

All members must be able to function safely in our school environment and communicate well enough to understand and follow school rules.

Neurodiverse students (ADHD, autistic, learning differences) have been proven to thrive in such environments. However, we are not a therapeutic school, and do not have staff trained specifically in special needs. However, that does not mean those people are unwelcome.

You will not see the standard protocol of a conventional compulsory school; i.e. behavior plans, ARDS, IEP meetings, 504 meetings, OT, PT, etc. We accept students who have an IEP, but if they are not successful, with reasonable accommodations, they would not be able to stay in the program. We also do not have staff dedicated as aids for specific students.

If your child needs specific services or counseling, they will have to receive those services outside of our current staff. However, we have found that most students are capable of finding happiness and success within this type of environment.

We do not believe that young people are ever 'behind' or 'not succeeding' because how can anyone be behind in their own life? Each child is an individual, with individual gifts, talents, and weaknesses. We aim to foster an environment that encourages students to embrace themselves, just as they are, and build a life that makes them happy. With that pressure gone, students are given the freedom to find their own way, and do.

If you have questions about your child’s special needs, please contact us and we'd be happy to discuss whether our school would be a good fit for your family.

A parent's main job at the Spokane Learning Co-op is to be a resource for the students and to make sure the center is running appropriately, properly, and legally. Parents must pass criminal background checks and be Child-CPR and First-Aid certified.

Parents perform a diverse set of roles from teaching classes, leading activities, supervising play, listening to students, guiding inquiry, cleaning bathrooms, mediating interpersonal issues, and otherwise serving in any way the kids need. They also work independently to improve the co-op.

What type of behavior plan do you use?

Will my child be safe?

What about discipline? Can the children just run wild all day?

What type of behavior plan do you use?

Will my child be safe?

What about discipline? Can the children just run wild all day?