Learning is not a cloistered activity. Beyond our classroom walls and the schoolyard are cultural and scientific institutions with abundant resources for project-based learning, team study, and hands-on activities. At the Phoenix Friends School most instruction and discussion will take place within the school building. However, PFS is designed to operate in the greater community and to take our students into partner institutions for experiences that complement and expand our in-school curriculum.
For example, imagine afternoons in the Horticulture Center at the Desert Botanical Garden learning botanical classifications or a series of classes at the Heard Museum exploring Native American art and culture. Imagine workshops at Childsplay Theatre that reveal the complex technical devices that support onstage actions. Imagine participating in an archaeological dig.
Service learning is another way to engage the larger community. PFS students will have choices of service projects and the opportunity to work as groups with various populations, be they the elderly or refugees, or by helping remove invasive plant species from public parks.
PFS is a small school with a city-wide campus to explore, study and serve.
The PFS curriculum builds foundational skills for success in our school and for choices of high schools in the future. Our teachers employ methods for skills-building that are best suited for each child at his/her/their particular stage of development. Classes are small, and your child will receive immediate, relevant feedback and then additional practice. The ensuing dialogue will ask for more than the correct answer; it will require thoughtfulness and self-knowledge. “I don’t know” will never be an acceptable answer—it will be replaced with “I don’t know yet.”
The beauty of a Phoenix Friends School education:
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Your child is seen and valued as an intentional learner and trained to facilitate their passage as such. Only those who think learn.
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A low student-to-teacher ratio means all students are known to their teachers. PFS teachers tailor their expectations to meet the needs and fit the abilities of each student.
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Aware of the most current brain research and best practices for adolescent learners, our teachers build on the students’ innate curiosity and interests.
What we know now about adolescent learners:
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Variety, choice, and building upon student interest grow curiosity.
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Learning how to learn, learning how to succeed, and learning how to grow their brains empower the learners.
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Respecting differences, valuing differences, and celebrating differences encourage risk-taking in learners.
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The adolescents’ need for collaboration and peer interactions are honored by opportunities for student-initiated group projects.
At PFS, we practice methods of learning individually and collaboratively. Here’s what your child will experience:
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How to work in a group, collaborate, and compromise
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How to lead, follow, and contribute
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How to research, synthesize, and analyze
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How to question
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How to set personal and educational goals
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How to meet goals
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How to use knowledge of brain growth
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How mindsets affect outcomes
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How to shift from “Am I smart” thinking to “How I am smart” thinking
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How to take brain breaks and why
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How to turn negative self-perceptions into growing opportunities
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How to know oneself and feel confident in oneself as a person, a learner and a leader
Additional Practices:
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Daily in-school reading and writing
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Bi-weekly responsibility for current events reporting
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Bi-weekly recitation of poetry and speeches
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Working toward debate with constant questioning, requiring supporting evidence, and investigating both pros and cons on issues
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Creating a toolkit specific to him/her/their self as learner
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Contributing input for formative assessments
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Understanding how their brain functions—how they process and embed knowledge leads to greater achievement; their brain is a tool
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Submitting only products of value
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Problem-finding and problem-solving
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Brain-based lessons
