Grupo de Aprendizagem Livre

Grupo de Aprendizagem Livre teaches teenagers aged 12 to 16 who are enrolled in homeschooling. Based at Quinta das Patas, in Colares, Sintra, it covers the academic content of the 7th, 8th and 9th grades using Waldorf pedagogy. The emphasis is on artistic activities, direct experience with nature and learning that engages the whole person. Main lessons run from 9am to 11am. Each subject is taught in an immersive block of three to five weeks, so students can work on it in depth from intellectual, emotional and practical angles. Ana Estêvão, a biologist and Waldorf teacher, founded the group in 2021. Parents had asked her for a safe and healthy place for their children to learn during the pandemic. In 2022 she invited Amarílis Anchieta and Filipa Rosado to join as teachers, and they brought backgrounds in translation, literature and environmental education. The group puts a strong emphasis on building a supportive community with parents. It holds regular meetings with them to set goals and to plan trips, camps, study visits and fundraising activities. The teaching is built around a question each young person explores: “Who am I?” The group respects each student's individuality while encouraging responsibility, consciousness and active participation in transforming the world. It's grounded in respect for each stage of adolescent development, and offers an emotionally safe alternative to conventional schooling that gives equal weight to thinking, feeling and willing.