NAU is a school based on an active, democratic, participative, flexible methodology... an approach that applies the official curriculum in an experientia way that encourages research, learning from the students’ own mistakes by creating cognitive conflicts to reach learning.

In this type of procedure, the role of the teacher is that of a professional critic, active, able to promote alternative discourses, identify individual and group interests and accompany and stimulate the children in their meanings construction. A teacher who establishes bonds is basic for building up the confidence and the security which children need in order to make progress in their learning.

 

Autonomous activity in prepared learning spaces:
These are the spaces where teaching resources are organized, designed and arranged in a way that stimulates meaningful learning experiences. They offer activities and dynamics where the child is the protagonist and builder of his/her own learning. Therefore, these spaces foster autonomy, responsibility, and interaction with peers, with whom they can create shared learnings.

In the autonomous activity it is the child who decides what to dedicate his time to and what material to interact with. In these times teachers observe the activity of the children and they can intervene by presenting new materials, offering old ones and showing other possible manipulations and combinations.

These learning spaces are constantly reviewed and evaluated, so that they are living and dynamic spaces, which change and evolve the same way as boys and girls do, following their interests and their needs.

Proposals:
The proposals are an open and non-adult-led activity that invites children to manipulate and experiment with the suggested materials.

Workshops:
The workshops are more directive proposals where the adult prepares the activity with a fixed purpose and duration. The adult may be re-driving the workshop while he/she oversees the reaction of the children.

The contents of these workshops are decided for 3 reasons: the adult detects an interest or need of the children, the adult thinks that they may be interested or the children propose it directly.

Research:
This is  a system of work to acquire research skills (problematizing, interrogating, planning, searching for information, organizing and interpreting this information, critically analyzing it, synthesizing, applying and communicating).

The child addresses the object of research not from a single subject and in a segmented manner, but in an interdisciplinary way. This gives you a globalized vision where different knowledge is linked and connections are made with their previous experiences and knowledge, just as it happens in real life. Research is done from third grade on.