Middle School Studio
Ages 12 - 14
Joy + Rigor
= Mastery
Middle School is a key time as children navigate between childhood and young adulthood.
Students learn at deeper levels through internships, Socratic discussions and increasingly independent Quests. Quests at Acton involve engagement with the broader community as students explore potential vocations.
“Children are born to be curious, independent, active, self-directed learners, and will remain that way if school doesn’t dampen their natural curiosity about the world”
How is Acton Academy different?
TRADITIONAL APPROACH |
ACTON ACADEMY APPROACH |
Learn to Know Quizzes, Tests, Memorization |
Beyond Textbooks Learn to Learn, Learn to Do, Learn to Be |
Grouped by age |
Mixed-age Studio Growth Mindset environment |
Rows of Desks |
Freedom to move around Movement fosters thought, creativity |
Excessive homework |
No homework Forced homework = loss of joy for learning |
Teacher-Led Lectures |
Socratic Questions Fosters critical thinking |
One-size-fits-all curriculum |
Personalized Education Self-Paced Learning |
Teacher is authority |
Learner-Driven Environment Student contracts, Peer-to-Peer Learning |
Grades, Report Cards |
Mastery-Based Learning Individual SMART Goals, Focus on Mastery |
“Educational success should be measured by how strong your desire is to keep learning.”
HOW TO GET STARTED
"What is essential is to realize that children learn independently, they learn out of interest and curiosity, not to please or appease the adults in power; and that they ought to be in control of their own learning, deciding for themselves what they want to learn and how they want to learn it."
-John Holt (Author of How Children Learn)
CORE SKILLS + QUESTS + SOCRATES
CORE SKILLS
Self-paced core / academic skills challenge equip Heroes to be independent and lifelong critical learners.
PROJECT BASED
Team projects involving real world challenges provide heroes opportunities to build project management skills.
QUESTS
Hands-on Projects in STEM, Entrepreneurship, and Arts prepare our learners for real world challenges.
WRITER’S WORKSHOP
Writing and communicating in multiple genres (e.g., sales pitches, storytelling) are a key part of a Hero’s Journey.
APPRENTICESHIP
Real-world experience is a key component of the process with each learner applying for internships which interest them.
SOCRATIC DISCUSSIONS
During Socratic discussions, learners think critically and pratice communicating their thoughts in a concise manner.
“The joy of learning is as indispensable in study as breathing is in running.”
Real Life Skills for a 21st Century Education
PERSONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
The latest in educational technology for self paced mastery of core skills.
Deep Socratic discussions hone critical thinking skills and the ability to powerfully think, write and speak.
Hands-on Quests and Projects to master the tools and skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
Focus on Executive Functioning skills and the 4 Cs: Communication skills, Collaboration, Critical thinking, and Creativity
“In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply.”
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS
Students create and sign a Contract of Promises describing community norms.
Teams encourage younger / older students to listen, affirm, set goals and hold each other accountable.
Teams use Agile Project Management to break down tasks to complete larger projects
Executive Functioning Skills include time management, teamwork, collaboration, communication, delegation, design, organization, and planning to bring together a project to completion.
“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn”
MASTERY vs. GRADES
Learners work at their own pace to achieve mastery in the core skills of reading, grammar, and math rather than to earn grades or pass tests. This personalized approach to learning allows them to zoom past topics they quickly grasp and to be more deliberate in other topics.
Core skill and character development badges.
Electronic and hard copy portfolios capture rough drafts, photos, video and other creative work.
Public exhibitions at the end of most Quests allow young heroes to present work to experts, customers or the public for a real world test.
“Personalized learning is a progressively student-driven experience where students have a role in co-creating investigations and ideas. ”
INSTAGRAM GALLERY
Interested in Learning More?
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“The primary goal of real education is not to deliver facts but to guide students to the truths that will allow them to take responsibility for their lives.”