I recently met a surgeon and struck up a conversation with him about his practice. At one point during the conversation he started telling me about the interns and residents who work for him, commenting that they are among the most successful, highest performing students that our educational system produces. He described one such young physician as …
What Acton Learners Know That Surgical Residents Don’t Read More »
I often wonder if people first encountering our language about a hero’s journey dismiss it as cute rhetoric aimed at children. It is an admittedly easy thing to do. The word conjures images of comic book characters in capes, superpowers, and plotlines distant from the realities of daily life. In fact, when I was first talking with …
Last year, I wrote to you with some reflections about the release of Chat-GPT and how text-generating AI platforms pose an existential threat to traditional educational paradigms — that because of AI’s superiority in sheer accumulation of knowledge, solely “learning to know” is all but obsolete, and a child’s education must instead equip him with the skills …
At Acton Academy Northwest Indianapolis we often refer to our learners as heroes. Why are we so intentional about this and why is it such a point of emphasis? It’s an important question, and the answer cuts to the heart of all that happens here at Acton. Our children are not empty vessels waiting …
I recently met up with a friend for coffee. After growing up in a low-income household, he is now a decorated neurologist, who, in addition to his full time practice, travels to elite universities across the country where he lectures on the intersection of neuroscience and the Christian faith. As he was catching me up …
Things in the studio have been humming along lately, and we seem to be settling into a healthy rhythm. As I’ve been observing this, I’ve found myself reflecting on an important principle that I think is worth exploring at this point in the year. In short, an orderly studio is NOT the goal. Coming to …
Many of you may be aware that a potentially revolutionary new technology called ChatGPT was recently released to the public. For those of you who haven’t seen this platform, it is a remarkable text generation tool that can perform a broad range of language-based tasks. I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the platform …
How do you teach science in the 21st century? If you want to inspire young heroes to change the world through discoveries, inventions and innovations, our belief is that you don’t “teach” science at all. Why not? Because when you study the lives of world changing scientists, you realize that these heroes weren’t “taught” science …
Often the learning design at Acton Academy seems confusing; especially with each Arrow pursuing independent learning plans. Below are four principles that form the foundation for our learning design. Holding firmly to these makes sure the basics are covered, so everything else is lagniappe. 1. First, make it fun. Job number one is to make …
Heroes at Acton Academy look to the horizon, set specific and meaningful goals and strive to reach them. Early on in the Discovery Studio, a Hero might set two to three goals each day. Later on, the goal setting horizon expands to a week and then a few weeks and even sessions. By late middle …
