APPROACH & PRACTICES

WHAT WE DO

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

"Personalized learning is student-centered, grounded in each learner’s profile, and characterized by competency-based learning progressions, customized learning pathways, and flexible learning environments. Students take greater ownership of their learning, while also developing meaningful relationships with each other, teachers, and members of the local and global communities."

- Chip Kimball

We design and collaborate in facilitating personalized learning experiences for students. These experiences, which include performance tasks, require students to apply knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines to find solutions to authentic, real-world challenges, and answer meaningful questions through inquiry and the use of competencies.

INQUIRY

In transdisciplinary learning, learners ask questions, investigate, create and reflect during a real world challenge.

DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking is the methodology our department utilizes, models, and teaches to develop students' capacity in inquiry and creative problem-solving. It is a combination of a scaffolded, empathy-focused process and a set of mindsets that create a safe, optimistic learning environment, as well as a culture of innovation and creativity. Students use the design thinking method to solve meaningful problems or improve real world experiences to complete performance tasks.

"Design thinking is a combination of human-centered, inquiry-based scaffolding and innovation-friendly mindsets where students apply trans- disciplinary knowledge/skills with creative practices to collaboratively discover empathetic insights, generate and explore radical ideas, and create, test, and improve tangible outcomes; it is having courage and attempting to bring meaningful change to people’s (or their own) lives, improve real- world experiences, or develop solutions to complex problems."

- Design Thinking in the Classroom (pg. 28)

PERFORMANE TASKS

PERFORMANCE TASK

SAS DEFINITION OF A PERFORMANCE TASK

A demonstration of application of knowledge and skills to problem found in the “real world,” tailored to a specific audience and assessed with clear standards. - reDesign

We additionally believe that the purpose of an Performance task is to provide rigorous learning scenarios that…

Simulate the successful learning that goes on beyond their education life to prepare them for their future
Empower thinkers to have the courage to take action in bringing positive change to the people and communities; inspiring bigger possibilities
Develop resilience and the tools to navigating through obstacles and challenges when tackling relevant and meaningful problems

SAS DEFINITION OF A EMBEDDED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS

A series of assessment tasks (both formative & summative) that make up a unit
Leads towards the successful application and transfer of knowledge and skills
Applied to an authentic situation
Tailored to a specific audience
Evaluated by clear standards/outcomes for success

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MULTIPLE SUBJECTS

Majority of real world projects and tasks involve the skills and knowledge of multiple subject areas. Traditional schools have created artificial barriers between subject areas that are taught in isolation, but actually overlap naturally. Transdisciplinary learning breaks down these barriers and provides real-world context through real world enterprises that require students to take on the role of professionals.