Our concept
Ananda
“Ananda” comes from Sanskrit and means “unconditional joy that exists by itself.” It is the joy we experience when we are in harmony.
Community
Nonviolent communication, NVC, according to Dr. Marshall Rosenberg - A concrete communication technique and attitude when dealing with other people and ourselves. The aim is to connect with your compassionate nature and from there to build a connection with your fellow human beings with your heart. The theory of nonviolent communication states that all our actions aim to fulfill our needs. Our feelings show us whether our needs are fulfilled or not. NVC is first and foremost a tool that expands and refines our communication and interaction skills: becoming clear about your underlying needs and expressing them clearly in an empathetic way. Listening to and meeting others honestly, clearly and sensitively is what you train with NVC. The attitude of NVC is lived at Ananda. The methods and steps of NVC are learned and deepened by all members of Ananda. This creates an empathetic and appreciative atmosphere in everyday school life, the I power grows and takes root. A WE power can emerge.
Adults and children meet at eye level at Ananda. The democratic approach is that, on the one hand, the learner can organize his or her own learning process individually. On the other hand, the learners have a say in the weekly school assembly. The school assembly takes place once a week. It is voluntary and offers the learner the chance to have a democratic say in the day-to-day learning process. Learning companions and learners have equal voting rights. Furthermore, the learners can be elected to school committees and have full rights to participate in decisions. The only thing that cannot be changed at Ananda are the basic pillars.
Systemic consensus building involves determining which proposal triggers the least resistance in each individual in the group from self-developed solution proposals. The goal is to achieve the greatest possible consensus so that the decision can be supported by as many people as possible.
Once a month, a plenary session is held regularly, in which the entire Ananda community participates. The plenary session enables the children, alone or in a group, to present artistic or theoretical work and then reflect on it.
At Ananda, celebrations are an integral part of creating a positive culture of life and experiencing cultural diversity.
Connectedness
At Ananda, the deep connection and love for nature and its creatures can be experienced and lived in the rhythm of the seasons. Awareness and empathy are created for all living things around us in order to live in harmony with one another. We draw from what nature provides us, which means that the current generation shapes its life in a mindful way so that future generations are not restricted in their ability to satisfy their needs. This is deeply connected with consideration, mindfulness, foresight and taking responsibility for current actions. In order to anchor these goals and to achieve them, we need courageous and creative people who experience their self-efficacy and, through their connection to nature and all living creatures, can freely perceive their intuition and spirituality and thus become creative.
Place of learning
Learning concept
The original form of learning. Here children can give free rein to their creativity; the form of the game and whether or which materials are used is decided by the child themselves. They intuitively create spaces for experience in which they can try out and consolidate or acquire new skills.
At Ananda, every learner can design their own individual learning path. The learner finds their learning path by following their own impulses and by striving for a goal they have chosen themselves. In the portfolio, the learner primarily collects everything in order to then sort it into the annual portfolio. In this way, the learner maps out their school year in the annual portfolio. In the learning diary, the learner can formulate goals, reflect on them and discuss them with the learning companion.
In study rooms, the learner finds a subject-specific, prepared learning environment. These study rooms are always accompanied by a study room companion who can provide support and encouragement as needed. In this way, the learner's learning needs are taken into account and can be accompanied in a sensitive manner. The learner chooses a study room every day. This is where free learning is particularly lived.
Interdisciplinary projects offer an ideal framework for networked and interdisciplinary learning. Here, topics are worked on together from different perspectives by the project participants and, if necessary, presented to the school community. The learner is a binding part of the project group for the duration of the project.
By alternating between learning rooms and projects, learners can experience both individual freedom and commitment to a specific topic.
People with high self-efficacy believe in their own ability to act, see themselves as active designers of their lives and see questions, problems and crises as positive challenges. They are convinced that they can make a difference themselves. While small children still have a very high level of self-efficacy and effortlessly master the most difficult tasks, many children lose this confidence very quickly during their school years. In order to maintain or rediscover this belief in themselves, children need experiences of success and careful support in dealing with their own expectations, fear and stress.
At Ananda, we want to create an environment for the children in which they can gain exactly these experiences, can experience themselves again and again as self-effective personalities and are able to successfully realize their goals, dreams and visions in the long term - effectively from within themselves.
Ananda is a place without year groups. Learning takes place in mixed-age groups. This means that learners meet children of all ages and can engage in self-selected exchanges, be inspired, support one another and enrich one another.
Because we treat each other without judgment, we don't use grades at Ananda. Grades create a space of competition and pressure. We want to create an environment of acceptance, trust and mutual enrichment, in which grades are a hindrance. There are more and more reports and research that confirm this (e.g. Brügelmann and Backhaus, 2006).
At Ananda, students do not receive any homework, as is now common practice at many public and independent schools.
Trips into nature and to social places are always welcome. Students can take part in excursions as part of projects, as well as internships, at any time.
The learning coach is a central companion and bonding person for the children. As the main person responsible, he keeps an eye on the individual learning and development processes of the learners through careful observation and the feedback of other learning companions. The learning coach also accompanies a starter group over a long period of time (a starter group is a group of a maximum of 12 children who start and end the day together). The learning coach can also be a learning room companion or project manager. The learning room companion accompanies a learning room that corresponds to his field of expertise. His job is to support the learner in his field of expertise to devote himself increasingly independently to increasingly complex topics and questions. After careful observation, he provides this support if necessary, e.g. by providing additional materials. Project managers are internal or external specialists who offer a time-limited project.
degrees
The Ananda degree is a final portfolio. State qualifications from the secondary school certificate to the general university entrance qualification are taken at Ananda as external school examinations at state schools if the learner so wishes.
Learning environment
In the learning environment, we ensure that the basic principle of relationships rather than education is fully implemented.
The learning coach, as well as the learning room supervisors and project managers, support the learners in a non-judgmental manner. This allows the children and young people to experience benevolent relationships in which they feel safe and supported on their way to knowledge and themselves.
He meets children and young people at eye level and without judgment. He sees himself as a learner.
The learning rooms are rooms in which the learners find didactic material arranged thematically in the sense of a preparatory learning environment for self-study. The didactic material is wide-ranging and consists of, for example, Montessori materials, computer learning programs, textbooks, worksheets, posters and is constantly supplemented and updated. Wired internet is also available to learners with the appropriate prerequisites. The learning rooms are designed to be fun and lively with colors, pictures or similar. Learning rooms include all relevant subjects, as well as art, music and movement.
Here, Ananda wants to create a space in which children can experience a deep connection and love for animals and nature in the rhythm of the seasons. Awareness and empathy are promoted for all living things in the world around us. The produce from the garden goes to the school kitchen and is processed there into our daily lunch.
In order to create a space at Ananda that is as free of radiation as possible and thus promotes health, relaxation and concentration, there is only wired internet and telephone. Cell phones are switched off or in flight mode.
In order to be able to truly connect with each person at Ananda on a personal level, we have decided to limit the number of students to 120.
Daily structure
The day at Ananda begins in the respective starting group: time for a flexible and relaxed arrival in a fixed group.
Afterwards, the entire school community comes together to meditate and sing together, to connect and prepare for the day.
The children and young people go to their study rooms, where they have free learning time within a subject (mathematics, art, etc.).
The project time follows the study room time, which creates a change between individual and shared learning time.
After the project period, the children and young people come together again in their respective starting groups, reflect on the experiences of the day and conclude the learning day with a joint ritual.
Lunch and a free afternoon activity follow and conclude the day at Ananda.
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