How We Learn
Our curriculum changes constantly. That's the beauty - and the challenge - of a learner-led environment. The first half of the year, we work on building essential practices and skills: the ability to give and receive feedback, manage time and work flow, build community.
To establish these routines and practices, we use some of the design challenges described below vital to our program because they serve also allow us to increase our repertoire of technology skills. Because they're so fundamental to our program, they're recreated year after year. Not only do these experiences lay the groundwork for some seriously powerful creative work, but our learners leave us prepared for the myriad challenges they face in the real world.
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During the second half of the year, our learners move towards more self-directed projects.
Storytelling
The fundamental human drive to create meaning in the form of stories can be a powerful tool for learning. Not only does the act of storytelling allow learners to build vital interpersonal connections, it allows them to hone their audio and video editing skills. Throughout the process, they develop rhetorical and technical skills that are directly transferable to a variety of educational contexts.
Capstone Project
The Capstone is a meaningful way for learners to apply their knowledge and develop practical skills as they plan, research, complete and present a self directed project reflecting a personal interest. By completing a capstone experience, learners develop essential success skills such as project management, creative problem solving, collaboration, and presentational skills.
Maple Syrup
Beginning with tree identification in the autumn and winding up with bottling maple syrup in the late spring, our Maple Syrup Project spans three seasons and multiple grade levels. Our youngest learners identify and tap trees, while our older learners are responsible for teaching the younger children how to identify and tap, and then for collecting, boiling, and bottling the syrup. Learners of all ages contribute to our database, tracking sap output, sugar content, weather, and geographic location.
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Learners in French classes do a deep dive into québécois culture and economics, since Québec is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world. At the end of our season, we submit our syrup and our marketing materials to NY Ag in the Classroom's Schoolyard Sugaring competition.
