In education, traditional gifted students are sometimes identified as “low maintenance.” The thinking is that they are “so smart” they don’t need much help. These students can get their work done and done well on their own, so teachers can concentrate on the students with larger academic needs. At LEADPrep, we know that each student… Read More »
Category: Innovation
Teaching Multi-Age English in Micro-Schools
Our guest blogger this month is Jacob Janin, who is in his second year teaching English at LEADPrep. He received a BA in philosophy from Whitman college, and loves audiobooks, cooking, and sports. At LEADPrep, we believe that our primary responsibility in English class is to foster within our students a lasting love of reading… Read More »
Stepping out of Time for Intensive Active Learning
Most schools today, in the 21st century, employ the same type of schedules for education that were used way back in the 19th century! Micro-schools have the benefit of being able to use time as a tool – and to create ways for students to delve deeply into non-traditional subjects. “Intensives” are a unique opportunity… Read More »
Outdoor Education – Changing the Way Kids Learn
Desks, chairs, tests, homework, and classrooms are the traditional components all firmly labeled in our minds as the most obvious and mandatory aspects associated with education. Obvious, yes, but not mandatory. Recently, you might have seen the news that Washington is the first state in the nation to license outdoor preschools. This model is nothing… Read More »
The Joy of a Small Class
Common sense tells us that smaller class size is good for students. Large public schools are often partly judged by their average class size. As a micro-school, LEADPrep has the benefit of small class sizes. But how is that really a benefit? Project Based Learning Small schools can specialize in hands-on and project-based learning that… Read More »
Benefits of a Micro-School
LEADPrep is a micro-school. We know what a micro-school is, but what are the benefits? Here are just a few: Personalized curriculum A micro-school is able to personalize the curriculum to the needs and abilities of individual students. There is less reliance on external data like standardized testing and more on learning about the student… Read More »
Exploring the Benefit Mindset
In our classrooms at LEADPrep it’s important for all students to feel like they are part of a community, and that they have choices about how they learn. Being part of a community and part of a collaboration makes learning more meaningful is at the heart of a concept called benefit mindset. Having a benefit… Read More »
Meaningful Learning Happens Outside of the Classroom
School is boring. Do you think that is true? What about “meaningful learning happens outside of the classroom?” Kevin Bushweller is the Executive Editor of EdWeek Market Brief and he took on that issue as part of a Special Report for Education Week. He does not mean to imply that great learning is NOT happening… Read More »
The Student-Centered Classroom
We use a lot of educational buzz words when we talk about how kids learn at LEADPrep. You hear terms like STEM, project-based learning, design thinking, place-based, flipped learning, and many others. The most important thing you need to know about LEADPrep is, that at the center of all the jargon, our model is focused… Read More »
What is a Micro-School?
LEADPrep is a progressive “micro-school.” What exactly is a “micro-school” and what does that mean for our students? Arianna Prothero, a staff writer for Education Week has thought about that question a lot. It’s a relatively new phenomenon, but there seems to be a consensus forming around a few core traits: Micro-schools have no more… Read More »