Acton academy

Acton Academy: Inspiring Heroes to Change the World

Acton Academy is a unique educational institution that aims to inspire children to become heroes and change the world. Founded in 2009 by Jeff and Laura Sandefer, Acton Academy has grown into a global network of schools that offer a learner-driven, project-based education model.

At Acton Academy, students are not just passive recipients of knowledge but active participants in their own learning journey. They are encouraged to explore their interests, pursue their passions, and take ownership of their education. The curriculum is designed around real-world challenges and projects that require critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills.

The Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey is at the heart of Acton Academy's philosophy. It is based on Joseph Campbell's theory that all great stories follow a similar pattern of transformation and growth. At Acton Academy, each child is seen as a hero on his or her own journey towards self-discovery and purpose.

The Hero's Journey consists of three phases: preparation, adventure, and return. In the preparation phase, students identify their strengths and weaknesses through self-assessment tools such as Gallup StrengthsFinder or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). They also set goals for themselves based on their interests and aspirations.

In the adventure phase, students work on real-world projects that challenge them to apply what they have learned in meaningful ways. These projects can range from building robots or launching businesses to designing sustainable communities or solving social problems.

In the return phase, students reflect on their experiences and share what they have learned with others through presentations or exhibitions. They also receive feedback from peers and mentors who help them improve their skills further.

Learner-Driven Education

At Acton Academy, learners are in charge of their own education. They set goals for themselves based on what they want to achieve rather than what others expect from them. They also have access to resources such as online courses or books that allow them to learn at their own pace.

Teachers at Acton Academy act as guides rather than lecturers. They provide support when needed but do not dictate what students should learn or how they should learn it. This approach fosters independence, creativity,and critical thinking skills among learners.

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL) is an essential component of Acton Academy's curriculum design.PBL involves working collaboratively with peers on real-world challenges that require problem-solving skills,critical thinking,and creativity.Projects can be interdisciplinary,involving multiple subjects,such as science,social studies,and language arts.Students work together using technology tools like Google Classroom,G Suite for Education,and other digital platforms.They use these tools for research,collaboration,presentation creation,data analysis,and more.The goal is for learners not only acquire knowledge but also apply it meaningfully in authentic contexts.Projects culminate with public exhibitions where learners showcase products,demonstrate processes,tell stories about learning journeys,and receive feedback from experts,guests,families,friends,colleagues,memberships organizations,businesses,government agencies,charities,network partners etc.This process helps build confidence,self-awareness,resilience,persistence,collaboration skills,time management abilities,presentation competencies etc.It prepares learners well for college,career,lifelong learning opportunities beyond school walls.Actually,it equips them with 21st-century competencies required by employers today such as communication,collaboration,time management,self-direction,resilience etc.

Character Development

Character development plays an important role at ActonAcademy.Learners are encouragedto develop virtues suchas honesty,integrity,respect,humility,honor,diligenceand compassion.These virtuesare embeddedinthe daily routinesofthe schooland reinforcedthroughoutthecurriculum.Character developmentisnotjustaboutbeinga good personbutalsoaboutdevelopingleadershipskillsandbecomingan agentofchangeintheworld.Learnersaretaughttobeaccountablefortheiractionsandtothinkcriticallyaboutethicaldilemmas.Theyalsodevelopempathybylearningtounderstandotherpeople’sperspectivesandcultures.Thisapproachhelpsthemdevelopintoethicalleaderswhoarecapableofmakingpositivechangesthroughouttheirlives.

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Actonschoolshaveanentrepreneurialmindsetthatencourageslearnersnotonlytobecomejobseekersbutalsobusinessownersorinnovators.Thecurriculumisdesignedtosupportentrepreneurshipbyteachinglearnershowtocreatevalueforothers,solveproblemswithlimitedresources,takerisksandleadteams.Inaddition,theacademyprovidesopportunitiesforlearnerstoconnectwithmentors,businesspartners,startupsincubators,vcsangelinvestorsetc.Theseconnectionsallowthemtolearnfromsuccessfulentrepreneurs,getfeedbackontheprojectsandideas,receivefundingorinvestmentopportunitiesetc.Actually,the academy has launched several successful startups over time including Galileo Learning,Camp Invention,BrightBytes,Learning Heroes,Socratic Labs etc.

Global Network

Actonschoolshavegrownintoaglobalnetworkofschoolesthatshareacommonphilosophyandsupporteachotherthroughcollaborationandsharingbestpractices.Theacademyhasover100schoolsacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Africa,MiddleEast,Australia,NZ,Europeetc.Alltheschoolsinthenetworkfollowthesamecurriculumdesignbasedonthelatestresearchinscienceoflearningandsuccessfulpracticesfromaroundtheworld.Theyalsosharecommonvalueslikelearner-driveneducation,characterdevelopment,PBL,mastery-basedlearningetc.Throughthisnetworklearnershaveaccesstogroupprojects,internationalcompetitions,guestspeakersfromdiversebackgroundsandcultures,internshipsabroadetc.Thisglobalperspectivehelpsthemsucceedinamulticulturalworldwherecommunicationcollaborationacrossbordersisessential.

Conclusion

Actonschoolsofferuniqueeducationalopportunitiesthatpreparelearnerswellforthefuture.Byfosteringanentrepreneurialmindset,astrongcharacterdevelopmentprogramme,alearner-drivenapproachtopedagogyandanetworkofschoolesthatshareacommonphilosophy,theacademyproducesgraduateswhocanmakeapositiveimpactintheworld.Actonschoolsalsoofferparentsaflexiblesolutiontoeducationthatallowschildrenpursuetheirinterestsandpassionswhilestillmeetingacademicstandards.Actonschoolsisatrailblazerineducationalinnovationthatwillcontinuetoinfluencehowweeducateourchildreninthefuture.Ifyouwantyourchildtobecomeaheroinehis/herownjourney,youshouldconsiderenrollinghim/heratActonschooltoday!