Documentation Examples > Documentation Exhibition

The Components of Powerful Learning has been strongly promoted by our charter school?s Accelerated Schools Plus Model and encompasses the following:

Authentic

? Every student demonstrates his/her learning through the creation of authentic products and performances.
? Learning applies to student real life situations or issues.
? Teachers assess the learner?s life experiences, knowledge, goals, and interests and use this data to design learning activities
? Instruction includes and makes use of the cultural and family traditions of the students and/or community
? Instruction includes the vocabulary, methods, and/or activities of the work world or the discipline
? Teacher takes advantage of teachable moments.
? Students reflect on their work and learn from their mistakes
? The school exhibits and celebrates student learning with the community

Interactive

Every student is engaged in interactive and collaborative activities to share knowledge and expertise or to complete projects.

? Teachers? dialogue with students develops critical thinking
? Students constructively critique their own and each other?s work.
? Students interact with a learning community that exists in and outside the school through field-based experiences and/or technology.
? Teachers build family-student interaction into the learning and assessment practice.

Learner-Centered

? Every student is empowered to make choices in his/her learning.
? Students? strengths and interests are identified and used to plan instruction and curriculum.
? Students are involved in the planning of instruction.
? Most of the displays around the school are student work that shows originality, creativity, and higher order thinking
? Classrooms are set up so each learner can independently access and use materials, books, equipment, and reference materials.
? Learners are guided to manage time and resources effectively.

Inclusive

? Every student is engaged in differentiated content, process and products based upon her/his needs, interests, and strengths in order to accelerate learning
? Students demonstrate their learning using a variety of learning styles and intelligences.
? Assessment is used to determine a variety of instructional approaches in each unit and lesson.
? The school and each teacher provide opportunities for students to extend and accelerate their learning, to assess their work and follow-up on individual interests.
? All students participate in enriched and challenging learning experiences.

Continuous

? Prior knowledge is assessed in order to engage every student in instructional activities and make connections between various subjects and contexts.
? Teachers integrate state, district, and/or school standards to plan curriculum.
? Throughout the school, there is a spiraling strand of curriculum from one year to the next that builds on prior knowledge in order to deepen the levels of student thinking.

It is believed that when implemented effectively, Powerful Learning increases students? commitment to learning, their level of engagement and ultimately their level of achievement. We hoped that through this process, our students reflections would become more substantive and encapsulate their thoughts in a more profound way.