The Fall 2015 Intersession officially came to a close this morning at PFFS-Downtown and PFFS-University as Intersession groups met together for the last time to reflect on their experiences, write thank you notes, and prepare their ‘presentations of learning’ for the larger community (see below for schedule of presentations).
Paulo Freire Freedom School. Twice a year at the end of the First and Third Quarters there is this week of special programming where students participate in four days of intense learning with a small group of students around one particular theme/topic. On the fifth day, the groups meet to reflect on their learning and then with the entire community to celebrate together.
Our primary rationale for creating learning experiences outside the classroom walls (whether they be Intersessions, Expeditions, or any of the other field experiences away from the building) is two-fold: (1) Research shows that building background knowledge significantly improves students’ performance in their academic classes, and (2) Helping students make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and experiences in the larger world motivates students to want to learn.
Fall and Spring (at the end of the First and Third Quarters) gives the school community a much needed energy boost. Intersession is something both staff and students look forward to twice a year.
The photos on this page are from each of the twelve PFFS Intersession groups. There are more photographs posted at each schools’ Intersession webpages (PFFS-Downtown and PFFS-University). We will also be posting a larger volume of photos from each Intersession at both schools’ Facebook Group (PFFS-Downtown FB Group and PFFS-University Facebook Group). The latter are ‘closed’ groups – members only.
There will be ‘Presentations of Learning’ from each Intersession group at both schools. Parents are invited to attend.
At PFFS-Downtown these presentations are scheduled as follows:
Friday (10/9) 2:30-3:30 ‘Light! Camera! Action!’ & ‘Forensics: CSI Detectives’
Monday (10/19) 8:30-9:00 ‘Birding and Drawing’
Tuesday (10/20) 8:30-9:00 ‘Fire!’
Wednesday (10/21) 8:30-9:00 ‘Green Tucson’
Thursday (10/22) 8:30-9:00 ‘Natural Building and Sustainable Living in the Sonoran Desert’
At PFFS-University these presentations are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday (10/20) 8:30-9:00 ‘Autumn Harvest’
Wednesday (10/21) 8:30-9:00 ‘Get Yo’ Game On’
Friday (10/23) 8:30-9:00 ‘What Is Fashion?’
Tuesday (10/27) 8:30-9:00 ‘Film and Media Production’
Wednesday (10/28) 8:30-9:00 ‘A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words’
Thursday (10/29) 8:30-9:00 ‘UA Science Blitz’