There are frequent concerns about whether COLF’s educational program provides sufficient structure for the children at different stages in their development. This is understandable given the non-traditional approaches which characterize the school program that most parents have not experienced in their own school life.

There are many ways in which structure is provided for. The basic guiding principle is that the forms and strategies that structure takes depend largely on the developmental needs and characteristics of children and corresponding expectations at specific stages. Structure is important for any education program to succeed. But it is not always externally visible nor rigidly imposed.

The younger the children are, the more they need adult supervision and guidance. The choice of materials and activities must however match their greater need for active involvement and the use of all their senses in the teaching-learning process.

The older children and the adolescents are ready or more formal approaches to teaching and learning as they can deal with more abstract levels of thinking, and are expected to be able to concentrate for longer periods. However, their transition to adolescence and the inherent confusion and conflicts of the stage still require close guidance carefully balanced with space for self-expression.

What are the ways in which COLF provides structure within the educational program?

1) The Curriculum
The activities and learning experiences are designed to communicate expectations about work, study and play. Each activity has several objectives and the children and adults need to cooperate in order to accomplish these objectives. Task and activity completion are non-negotiable.

There may be room for additional support to help individual students focus on the task at hand, accommodate special needs or circumstances, but they must clearly complete the activity. If they are unable to, the teacher exerts all efforts to guide the child and to understand the problem.

The clarity of the purpose and procedure – even as the principle of planning together with children and emphasis on group processes are practiced – provides an inherent structure.

2) Organizing Time and Space
Every class works within a daily, weekly and monthly schedule covering daily classroom-based learning experiences and regular or special section and school activities, e.g. Assemblies, Community Day, Assessment. The schedule provides a structure and helps students internalize time management – whether independently or as a member of a group. They are given assistance by the teachers and their peers. Reasonable expectations are set.

Class schedules are designed in terms of blocks of time devoted to simultaneous small-group activities (activity period in the Lower School, subject periods in the Middle, Upper and High School) or whole-group activities (meetings, meals in the Lower School; group discussions/whole-group lessons in the Middle, Upper and High School). Within each block of time (an hour to an hour and forty minutes), children must work on the task at hand. Some activities are designed for one period (a day), some are designed to be completed over several periods (spread out over two to three days or more).

Over the years we have noted that the children who have started with COLF’s program in the early childhood years are generally more independent and move about confidently through the work periods compared to children from traditional schools who often wait to be told what to do and how to do things.

The rules regarding use of space in the classroom –especially in the Lower School where there are decentralized classrooms – provides structure. There are specific ways in which children can use the space and materials in it. They learn the rules during the first weeks and are constantly reminded throughout the year.

There are also rules regarding shared spaces in the school that children are taught and constantly reminded about. They are not always required to move about in whole groups (in which case they form lines), e.g., they may go to the library, a resource center or another classroom in pairs or small groups or they may doing assigned jobs outside the classroom. As a rule, the teachers should always know where students are and other adults they encounter generally check with the students to ask them where they are headed or expected to be.

There are some instances when children with special needs or problems leave the classroom without permission. As soon as the adults and classmates notice this or another staff member encounters the child, he or she is escorted bask to the room.

3) Self-management
One of the basic principles underlying an activity-based curriculum, from the early childhood years all throughout the elementary and secondary school program, is that of helping children learn to manage their day-today lives in school by internalizing the rules and fully understanding the reasons for being in school, i.e. to learn!

Teaching children about the rules by: (1) constantly reminding them, (2) explaining the reasons, (3) clarifying expectations related to academic tasks and their attitudes towards people and work/study, (4) making sure they assume the consequences of their inappropriate actions, behaviors and attitudes.

Most children need a lot of help and guidance in order to learn to move about independently and to manage themselves from day to day. This is the role of the teachers, teacher-aides and school administrators – to make sure that they receive the necessary supervision and guidance so that they learn to be responsible for themselves and others.

COLF’s educational philosophy values the development of autonomy or independence within the context of cooperative or collaborative learning.

Thus, children are helped to learn to be responsible for self-care needs, for independent work and activities while also participating fully in many opportunities to work within groups – assuming both leading and supporting roles depending upon the situation.

Thus children are taught to monitor their completion of individual tasks and activities for each subject, writer’s workshop requirements, classroom jobs through close supervision from their teachers. At the same time, they help one another learn to be responsible to the group- to one another.

It is not realistic to expect children to learn to be independent and to manage their schoolwork without the support and guidance of parents or guardians at home. A common misconception is that COLF’s non-traditional approach to education does not require parental supervision for homework, preparation of materials for school projects, review of lessons during the week or for assessment periods.


COLF’s approach has always emphasized the importance of parent involvement and participation, first of all, in a child’s educational experiences in school and, if possible, in school activities that help to build a stronger community of learners.

Over the years, we have noted that more parents tend to be more fully involved in the child’s educational experiences during the early childhood years and primary grades. This is evident also in parent participation during class or school activities as well as parent workshops organized several times a year. Towards the end of the Middle School and in the Upper School and High School years, there is an apparent decrease in parental supervision for homework and other school requirements as well as participation in parent workshops and class activities. This is unfortunate because a child’s optimum development throughout childhood and adolescence requires continuing parental involvement especially in school experiences. (See also section on Parent Involvement)

Children will learn and keep positive, constructive attitudes and work habits if both home and school invest in supporting them all throughout their school life. If they receive clear and consistent messages about support and realistic expectations, they are likely to flourish and maximize their individual potentials.


Know more about COLF’s curriculum: