Academics
An education at Ideaventions Academy is focused on the whole child and combines experiential learning, hands-on STEM, and classical education in the humanities. Our goal is for children to love coming to the Academy because they are challenged and engaged. Ideaventions Academy provides students with a rigorous academic curriculum balanced with freedoms. Students must complete core subjects and can select one elective class per semester. The elective allows students to pursue a topic in depth or gain exposure to a different subject area.
Our philosophy is that children learn at their own pace and learn best when exposed to a variety of learning modalities. Our classes stress a hands-on approach to learning and use technology, where it facilitates the learning process. Our focus is on learning deeply, making connections, and understanding concepts through experiences. We may not memorize the parts of a cell so we can recall it years later, but we should share moments that spark curiosity and then nurture that curiosity. Our students will develop and practice skills to identify and solve problems, as well as creatively use resources and collaborate with others to accomplish goals.
The Academy provides an environment to support the growth of the whole child during the period of adolescence:
Homework
We believe in focusing on the quality of the homework and not on the quantity, and that a small amount of homework helps teach time-management skills. Homework causes too many headaches and stresses with families. We believe that if kids spend their time efficiently at school, then there should be very little work to do at home. In addition, when working with academically gifted children, the requirement for repetition is lessened and thus the need for extensive homework. Our expectation is homework will amount to roughly 3-5 hours per week (or less) and will support student projects and research. Students will be expected to plan their week and their work time, with the help of their teachers.
Grades and Testing
Our goal is to see that students have mastered a subject area through projects, discussions and presentations, without the focus on a grade. In certain instances, we will use tests and quizzes to assess student or class mastery of the subject. We will use a combination of these outputs to determine the student's mastery of a subject.
Our philosophy is that children learn at their own pace and learn best when exposed to a variety of learning modalities. Our classes stress a hands-on approach to learning and use technology, where it facilitates the learning process. Our focus is on learning deeply, making connections, and understanding concepts through experiences. We may not memorize the parts of a cell so we can recall it years later, but we should share moments that spark curiosity and then nurture that curiosity. Our students will develop and practice skills to identify and solve problems, as well as creatively use resources and collaborate with others to accomplish goals.
The Academy provides an environment to support the growth of the whole child during the period of adolescence:
- Challenge and support the burst of creativity present during this stage of development
- Produce independent thinkers and doers
- Provide a socially and emotionally safe environment
- Prepare the child to be a productive member of society, both in the ability to understand the economics of supporting oneself and through contributions to the community
- Prepare the child for a higher level of work output (both through reading and written) required in high school and/or college through an experiential STEM curriculum and through readings that form the foundation of a classical education
- Through hands-on projects and group discussion of readings, students become comfortable in critically thinking through reading passages and presenting and defending their points of view. Students practice persuasion and engage in debate
Homework
We believe in focusing on the quality of the homework and not on the quantity, and that a small amount of homework helps teach time-management skills. Homework causes too many headaches and stresses with families. We believe that if kids spend their time efficiently at school, then there should be very little work to do at home. In addition, when working with academically gifted children, the requirement for repetition is lessened and thus the need for extensive homework. Our expectation is homework will amount to roughly 3-5 hours per week (or less) and will support student projects and research. Students will be expected to plan their week and their work time, with the help of their teachers.
Grades and Testing
Our goal is to see that students have mastered a subject area through projects, discussions and presentations, without the focus on a grade. In certain instances, we will use tests and quizzes to assess student or class mastery of the subject. We will use a combination of these outputs to determine the student's mastery of a subject.
