Traditional education typically relies on teachers presenting information to students who passively receive it. Students are asked to repeat what they have learned or memorized through regular testing. Teachers then assign grades based on test performances, with grades serving as extrinsic rewards and punishments.
In contrast, Skyview School believes that when students are actively engaged in their learning through a compelling, interactive, and dynamic curriculum, students develop and nurture a love of learning and intrinsic motivation. Through a combination of whole group instruction, center-based activities, thematic projects, small group collaborations, and individual work, students experience enthusiasm about and connections to their investigations and learn because they want to learn. Intrinsic motivation and self-direction are essential to fostering a lifetime love of learning and the ability to learn how to learn as opposed to simply learning what is needed in order to pass a test or satisfy a teacher or parent.
Developing and nurturing intrinsic motivation through an active approach to teaching and learning also means that students assume greater responsibility for their education and their lives. In this way, in addition to developing study habits that will serve them well for years to come, students are also developing important life skills as family and community members and as informed and active citizens.
The multiple intelligences inform these projects, providing rich products in which content is expressed through a variety of intelligences. Thematic projects require students to construct deep understanding and skills, while simultaneously fulfilling academic standards and goals related to the emotional intelligence.
