Beyond Curriculum

Definition of a Learning Pod:

Small Group Setting: A learning pod typically consists of a small group of mixed-aged students, often ranging from 3 to 12, who come together to learn in a more intimate and personalized setting.

Shared Learning Experience: Students in a learning pod often follow a tailored curriculum that meets the specific needs and interests of the group and individual students.

Benefits of Learning Pods:

Personalized Learning: In a learning pod, the curriculum can be adapted to the needs and interests of the students, providing a more personalized and flexible learning experience compared to traditional classroom settings.

Individualized Attention: With a smaller group size, students in a learning pod often receive more individualized attention from the adult facilitator(s), allowing for a better understanding of each child's strengths and areas that may need additional support.

Flexibility: Learning pods offer more flexibility in terms of scheduling and pace. Parents and facilitators can adjust the learning pace based on the group's needs, providing more time for in-depth exploration of topics.

Socialization: While traditional classroom settings may have larger student populations, learning pods provide a social environment for children to interact, collaborate, and build friendships in a smaller, close-knit community.

Safety and Control: Parents may feel more in control of what their child learns and feel their child is safer from ideologies and social contagions that  have spread in public education.

Considerations for Parents:

Group Dynamics: It's essential to consider the personalities and learning styles of the children in the pod to ensure a positive and productive learning environment.

Communication: Regular communication among parents, facilitators, and students is crucial to address any concerns, share insights, and ensure that the learning pod is meeting its objectives.

Resource Sharing: Learning pods may involve pooling resources and expertise, such as hiring tutors or sharing teaching responsibilities among parents or community members.

Learning pods offer an alternative educational model that provides a more intimate, personalized, and flexible learning experience for students. They can be especially beneficial for parents seeking a solution that combines socialization, safety, and individualized learning for their children.

At Rocky Mountain Learning Collective we group kids by intermediate (8-11 or Grade 4 through 6) and middle school (12-15 or Grade 7 through 9) ages, with a maximum of 12 kids per pod.

We create a curriculum that is personalized and tailored to your child's needs. This includes:

- child and parent choice on technological or book based programs used in core skills that work best for your child (reading, writing, and math)

- project-based learning based on childs own interests and preferences for learning in different subject areas such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math)

- exploring social studies, we wonder what sort of questions  your child has about history or current events that they would like to explore through questioning, research, and critically thinking

- getting to fully know your child's interests, and best ways for them to learn

-have much needed one-to-one time with their learning coach, when needed 

-anything or anyone your child is curious or interested about that they can explore on their own throughout different curriculum areas to really engage them in a subject

Self-directed and self-paced learning are two educational approaches that empower students to take more control and responsibility for their own learning process. Here's a breakdown of each concept:

Self-Directed Learning:

Definition: Self-directed learning refers to a learning process where the individual takes the initiative to plan, implement, and evaluate their own learning experience. In this approach, students have more autonomy in choosing what to learn, how to learn it, and when to learn it.

In Practice: Students may have the freedom to explore topics of interest, set their own goals, and decide on the resources and methods they use for learning. Teachers often act as facilitators or guides, providing support and resources as needed.

Benefits: This approach encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and independence. It helps students develop lifelong learning skills and a deeper understanding of subjects that genuinely interest them.

Self-Paced Learning:

Definition: Self-paced learning allows students to progress through the curriculum at their own speed. Unlike traditional classroom settings with a fixed pace, self-paced learning enables students to move faster through materials they find easy and take more time with challenging concepts.

In Practice: Students have the flexibility to determine the speed of their learning based on their understanding of the content. This can involve completing assignments, projects, or assessments at their own pace, ensuring a more personalized and tailored learning experience.

Benefits: Self-paced learning accommodates different learning styles and abilities. It reduces the pressure associated with strict timelines, allowing students to grasp concepts thoroughly before moving on. It promotes a deeper understanding of the material as students can focus on mastery rather than merely keeping up.

Definitely not!

A typical day is a mix of academic time and collaborative time. During academic time, students may spend up to 2-3 hours a day on an online platform. However, since we work with you to develop a customized education plan, we can align the program with your desires with regards to screen time.

During collaborative/free time, we encourage all students to go screen-free and go outdoors, play board games, or just interact with their peers. 

We also have a no cell phone policy, and ask that cell phones are left at home as they are too much of a distraction in any learning space.

Progress is not going to be based off of traditional systems and report cards. We will measure progress using a variety of tools such as:

- progress tracking tools on technology-based programs

- portfolios, where students choose to showcase their best work for teachers and parents to see

- goal-setting and using systems to track progress toward reaching a goal that is important to the learner

- written and verbal feedback by having progress conferences with everyone in the learning team (student, coach, parent)

- giving students oppotunities to teach and show their peers, learning coach, and parents what they have learned, so others benefit from their learning as well and to deepen their understanding

- if choosing a BC accredited online platform, assessment is done through the online teacher for their course, and is not done by us

We are striving for mastery of concepts before students get to move forward with their learning progress. This allows students to take as much time as they need to master core skills so that there are no foundational gaps in their learning. They do not move forward until they feel they fully understand and are ready. This also builds confidence in the learning process, and curtails many of the frustrations children feel being pushed through the current traditional model.

Outdoor educations days are meant to be fun but also challenging for our learners. Some days may just be in a local park, holistically learning about the environment around them. Other days this could be outdoor survival skills, such as shelter building and cooking outside. There will also be days where we will push the kids out of their comfort zones by doing long hikes or bike rides. We will essentially be using our beautiful outdoor playground for all opportunities to learn and push ourselves, while having fun and trying new things. 

We would eventually like to get an 'Adventure Van' so we can take students on trips to do things like rock climbing, hiking, trail running, x-country skiing, going to lakes and rivers, and exploring our area.

Days can be subject to a change of plans if weather is looking to be a hazard, like below 25 degrees celsius, heavy rainfall for the day, severe thunderstorms, or if the activity is not conducive to the weather (i.e., mountain biking or rock climbing in the pouring rain).

At Rocky Mountain Learning Collective, we believe movement is of utmost importance. Creating a habit of movement throughout the day helps kids to focus afterward. Some morning meetings may include some forms of movement or excercize before doing deep work. Kids will be encouraged to move and play during all social times in the morning and lunch break.

We also believe in the resilience, determination, and self-discipline in athletic endeavors. While we may not initially be set-up for team sports, but we can train for local competitions like the Elkford Triathlon, and the hopefully re-established Fernie Kids Triathlon. Lindsay, being a Spartan athlete, also has an interest in training kids to do the 3km Kids Spartan Races.

Further research will be done on joining in on district sporting events, like the Kikomun race and Track and Field.

Outdoor Fridays will encourage students to try many individual outdoor sports and adventures, like hiking, trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, xcountry skiing, etc.

So the long answer, is yes, there will be plenty of opportunity to grow in movement, sports, and athletics as we grow into our learning community.

We are hoping as we grow that there will be primary and high school pods. For now, intermediate and middle is all we can be set-up for.

If we decided to work with learners from ages 15 - 18 (Grades 10 to 12)we would need to work out how we can get our high schoolers to graduate without a proper 'Dogwood' certification, which is what all post-secondary institutions look at when accepting students. At this point, this can only be done using very specific online learning platforms in our area- which makes it difficult for our model of learning. However, this can be an option.

Some colleges and universities do open their doors to alternative graduates (like those who homeschool to Grade 12), but this can limit post-secondary choice. We will look into getting our Mastery Transcript Consortium accreditation, which is an alternative way to acheive a high school transcript that is being more widely accepted in college and universitys. There are some Acton schools in Ontario that currently use this for their graduates.

However, we also believe there are many other avenues for a successful life beyond post-secondary institutions, including self-learning, trades, business, technology, travel, and more.

 The tool at this point is TBD. Once we grow we will utilize communication tools and apps. Weekly correspondence will be sent out at the end of each week via email. You can also follow what we are doing via our Facebook page.

Private communication can be done either through a phone call, email, or booking a face to face conference with the learning coach. A monthly newsletter will also be sent out which includes what students have been doing, and things that parents should know for the upcoming month.