How We Learn

The first step in our model will be about building the base skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in each loop. Collaborators (teachers) will carefully craft and plan lessons that will help develop the skills and knowledge necessary without letting direct instruction become the only method of learning throughout the loop. In the early bands, students will have more traditional instruction in basic reading and math, as this is proven by research to be the most effective method for learning these skills. As they progress in the program, they will take more ownership of building background. Information will not just be front loaded, but it will be entwined throughout the loop.

Inspiration can come in many forms. First, students will dive into teacher directed hands-on experiences, get stuck, and try to find solutions. Our model will allow students to explore a theme from many different avenues in order to find inspiration. Our community will be the initial source for this inspiration, as looking locally will help students understand that they are able impact their environment, that they have legitimate agency, and that their voices and ideas matter. These beliefs are essential to motivating students to move from thought to action.

Students will understand that being a problem-solver begins with being a problem-finder. Once collaborators have guided students in the process, students will search for local problems that interest them (local can be school, businesses, community). Students will work with their problem-solving-community (PSC) and collaborators to begin working through solutions. It is here that we expect students to work through failure and begin to develop grit. Students will delve more deeply into research, engage in ideation, develop prototypes, and test their prototypes. At early years grade bands, this part of the process will be highly scaffolded.

Students will demonstrate learning by doing, creating, and presenting. In the innovation phase, students will show their learning and know how to talk about it. Three-four times a year students will present projects to the community (school or local) to demonstrate learning from each loop. Prior to and during the innovation phase, students will meet with a problem-solving-leader (PSL) to discuss which standards their project is helping them develop, learn, and master so that students begin to control and design their own learning using standards and competency as their guide.