Exploring the Outer World
Students gain a robust understanding of their surroundings through history lessons, language studies, scientific inquiries, excursions, or real-world engagement. This focus builds a strong foundation of knowledge about the world at large.
Discovering the Inner World
Simultaneously, students engage in personal exploration, reflecting on emotions, values, and growth. This introspective approach fosters emotional and social development.
Balanced Development
By combining external knowledge with internal awareness, the curriculum ensures students develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially. This dual focus prepares students for the complexities of modern life, equipping them with both the knowledge and self-awareness needed to navigate future challenges.
Student-Centered Learning
Each student’s middle school experience is unique, reflecting their individual growth and interests. This philosophy comes to life through Culmination evenings and Student-Led Conferences, where students connect their work to their personal and academic development.
Culmination Projects
These projects showcase students’ diverse talents and interests. Examples include ceramic masks depicting personas, mathematical explorations of real-world issues, proposals for new historical monuments, robotics competitions, and personal essay readings. Personalized projects are designed to be relevant, engaging, and approachable from multiple perspectives, energizing students to pursue learning with purpose.
Student-Led Conferences
Twice yearly, students present their work to their Forum advisor and families. They make connections between classwork, projects, and skills, discussing their strengths and areas for improvement.
Self-Constructed Learning
Our educational approach encourages students to:
- Set their own learning objectives
- Self-evaluate their progress
- Demonstrate mastery to experts
Invite students to set their own learning objectives, and they’ll aim for what aligns best with their strengths. Ask them to self-evaluate, and they’ll consider their progress with integrity. Give them opportunities to demonstrate mastery to experts, and they’ll approach their projects with the utmost seriousness. This method fosters agency and intrinsic motivation, challenging students to explore a broad range of subjects and aspects of themselves.
Developing Agency & Intrinsic Motivation
Agency is the capacity to take purposeful initiative, while intrinsic motivation drives behavior through internal rewards. The goal is for students to take authentic responsibility for their own learning and personal development, not for external validation but for its own sake.
Holistic Assessment
Assessment should reflect the full spectrum of a student’s learning journey. While traditional tests and quizzes play a role, they are just one piece of the puzzle. A holistic approach to assessment goes beyond measuring academic knowledge to capture the growth of the whole student.
DIVERSE ASSESSMENT METHODS
The assessment process includes a wide range of ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. For example, students might engage in:
- Traditional quizzes and tests
- Classroom conversations
- Written explanations
- Debates
- Simulations
- Elaborate culmination projects
- Creative arts projects
This variety ensures that every student has the opportunity to showcase their strengths and progress in multiple ways.
Capturing Whole Student Growth
By incorporating diverse assessment methods, our approach aims to:
- Provide a comprehensive view of student development
- Recognize different learning styles and strengths
- Encourage students to express their understanding in various formats
Balancing Traditional & Innovative Assessments
While maintaining some traditional assessment methods, our approach integrates innovative techniques that allow for a more nuanced evaluation of student progress. This balance helps prepare students for more traditional assessments while also fostering creativity and critical thinking skills.
Through this multifaceted assessment strategy, students receive a more accurate reflection of their overall growth and abilities, promoting a well-rounded educational experience.