ARCHITECTURE OF LEARNING

HOW IS OUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE STRUCTURED?

INDENPENDENCE LEVELS

Instead of grouping students by a fixed trait such as age, we would like to group our students by level of independence. Students will be given as much structure and support as they need to be successful in their academic and character growth. This grouping system can put students in control of their progression from level to level

STUDENT AGENCY

Students take ownership of their education .

• We believe in creating a platform for students to develop their ability to take action, assume responsibility for their behavior in a safe learning environment, and apply all this in unfamiliar situations.
• To support the development of student agency, students learn how to set meaningful goals and hold themselves accountable for their learning and personal development.
• Students will own their learning and have a voice in their school experience.

EXTENDED DAY

We aim to provide a substantive learning environment for an extended year & day schedule

• We aim to coordinate immersive learning opportunities at TLS during school breaks.
• Students may find it necessary to work on their goals outside of the school day or space, but we do not assign mandatory daily homework.
• We believe students do need time for family, rest, and interests outside of school.

MIXED AGE / PEER LEARNING

Students must learn from each other and teach one another

• Older students will learn how to be teachers to our younger students through regularly scheduled interactions, in which they will both give and receive feedback.
• The mixed age setting will be intended to foster collaboration and impactful relationships rather than competition.

COMMUNITY LEARNING

• Students will receive mentorship from community members, which will prepare them for apprenticeships and internships.
• Students will also learn from the community through guest speakers, field studies, and community service.
• Students will exhibit their work to a public audience multiple times throughout the year both to give back to the community and learn from their feedback and expertise.

LEARNING SPACE

• The physical design of TLS supports the tenets of our Learning Design