All About Acton Fort Lauderdale
See & Hear From The Founders In Their Own Words
Why We Started Our Acton
Many parents tell us the same story: they watched the light in their child's eyes starting to go dim, and their heads go down. That is usually the moment a family finds us.
Our own road to finding Acton was a bit different. We'd already started homeschooling.
Our daughter is smart and curious. Academically, she would have been fine continuing at home.
But we noticed something about homeschool life. When an activity got hard, or a group program got messy, it was easy to eject. Try something else. Start fresh somewhere new.
The hard, messy work of learning to get along with others, and staying in the struggle instead of stepping around it, was the one thing we could not give her at home. That struggle shapes us. We wanted it for our daughter.
Every school teaches two things at once.
One curriculum is visible. Math. Reading. History.
The other is invisible. It is how a child learns to respond when things get hard. Children absorb the invisible one far more deeply than the first. It shapes who they will become.
Most schools build for compliance first. Children get very good at performing for approval. That produces adults who get very good at waiting for direction, not taking the initiative.
We did not want to build that by accident. So we built something on purpose.
The real question is never what grades or which college. It is who your child will be when they are on their own.
That is the whole reason Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale exists. If this is the conversation already happening in your head, we are here. Come see it for yourself.
~ Tobin & Martina
Tobin
Co-Founder
Author, entrepreneur, and father of five. Tobin serves as Head of School and as a Guide in Adventure and Launchpad.
Martina
Co-Founder
Certified Yoga instructor and parent of four "pretty cool" adult children, Martina is the practical thinker of our Acton team.
This One Belief Impacts Everything We Do Each Day:
We believe each person who enters our doors deserves to find a calling and change the world.
What Makes Acton Academy Different?
1.
Young people doing challenging work at their own pace.
2.
Collaborating on real-world projects.
3.
Earning points for effort and badges for mastery.
4.
Sharing learning in a tightly bound community.
5.
Using the latest technology to master reading, writing, and math.
6.
On a Hero's Journey, with challenges, adventures, fellow travelers, and guides.
* At Acton, we use the word hero to mean someone who takes action knowing it will be hard, knowing they may fail, yet chooses to go forward anyway. They pick themselves up when they fall. It is a message about courage, not capes and superpowers.
The Acton Network Promise
Our Promises as an Acton
With our promise to you, your child will:
Begin their own Hero’s Journey
Learn to be a curious, independent, lifelong learner.
Develop a deep respect for economic, political and religious freedoms.
Cherish the arts, wonders of the physical world and the mysteries of life on Earth.
Discover his or her most precious gifts, and then use them to learn how to solve difficult problems.
Understand the importance of strong character.
Value a healthy lifestyle of mind AND body.
The Tell-Tale Signs
You Know You Are at an Acton When...
You know you are visiting an Acton Academy Learner-Driven Community when you see and hear:
Evidence of the Hero’s Journey
- Frequent references to the Hero’s Journey and callings
- Use of Growth Mindset language
- Acknowledgement of the necessity to fail early, cheaply, and often to learn
- Parent Meetings at least 3x per year, focusing on parents’ own Hero’s Journeys
Self-Governance and Self-Management
- Public Exhibitions at the end of every session
- Badges approved according to “Standards of Excellence”
- Weekly points and SMART goals
- Customer satisfaction surveys at least twice per month shared with Heroes and parents
Heroes “Learning to Learn”
- Hands-on Quests to discover gifts
- Socratic discussions in launches and Civilizations
- Lexia, Spelling City, and other game-based tools to allow Heroes to learn at their own pace
- Heroes choosing to “drop everything and read” (DEAR)
- Writers’ Workshop and peer-reviewed writing
- Apprenticeships in upper studios
Heroes “Learning to Do”
- Overarching Question posted on the wall
- Journey maps posted on walls (Quests, Writer’s Workshop, Civilizations)
- Heroes learning clear processes for getting things done, often posted on walls (writing processes, critique processes, conflict resolution processes, etc.)
- Public posting of work and comparison of world-class examples
- Feedback systems and deliberate practice
- Nest Cams to capture visual patterns over time
Heroes “Learning to Be”
- Character Call Outs
- Servant Leader Badges or another way to intentionally develop heroic habits
- Squad Leaders or Running Partners/Teams
- Collaboration Cards or another system for purposeful collaboration
- 360 Peer Reviews or another system for feedback on Heroes’ warm-hearted and tough-minded character development
Socratic Guiding
- Guides only respond to questions with another question or a choice
- The flow of the studio doesn’t revolve around the Guide; Heroes don’t look to Guides as their primary help
- Guide can disappear for extended periods of time and nothing changes
- Studio isn’t organized around a teacher’s desk
Here's What We Don't Do
- Teaching or lecturing by Guides
- Grades or grading by adults
- Shaming behavior or language or a condescending tone
- Fixed Mindset language
- Guides making announcements in front of the studio
Words That Match Our Method
- Young people referred to as “Heroes,” or “Learners,” and not as “students” or “kids.”
- Adults referred to as “Guides” and not “teachers”
- ZERO reference to grade levels (“fifth grade”)
- “Learn to Learn, Learn to Do, Learn to Be” instead of edu-speak like “developmentally appropriate,” “classroom,” “instruction,” “gifted & talented”
- “Learning” instead of “teaching”
In The Media
See What Others Are Saying About Acton Academy
See what these thought leaders and outlets are saying about the Acton approach.
Seth Godin
Author
Watch this video as Seth Godin talks about Acton Academy and the first rule of Acton. "If a learner asks you a question, you are NOT allowed to answer them."
Getting Smart
Podcast
Host of the Getting Smart Podcast, says "Acton Academy is one of the most important education developments in the world. The story and the movement is a must read for any parent."
Inc
Magazine
Inc profiles Jeff Sandefer of Acton Academy, and how across the U.S., a nascent movement is educating young people on the precepts of entrepreneurship.
Gary Vaynerchuk
Entrepreneur
Gary Vee recorded this video about why school is so outdated, and to say "this is the kind of school he wishes he had as a kid, to grow up super entrepreneurial."
Fast Company
Magazine
AAFTL Co-Founder Tobin was interviewed for perspective about the opportunities and risks of using generative AI for personalized learning.
Liberated Podcast
Episode #46
Acton's growth and impact is continuing and accelerating, as the Network gains notoriety among parents, learners, and entrepreneurial educators.
Forbes
Magazine
For Tobin Slaven, a longtime entrepreneur, being part of the larger Acton Academy microschool network is enormously beneficial.
SXSW EDU
Event Stage
AAFTL Founder participated in this discussion at SXSW EDU on the topic of insights from out of the ordinary education spaces.
National Microschooling Center
Center & Advocacy
Self-Directed Learning Changes the Game: questions with founder Tobin Slaven, for the National Microschooling Center.
Jordan B Peterson
Podcast
Jordan Peterson and Jeff Sandefer discuss K12 education, its origins and failures, and how the Acton Academies are making leaps to correct the system.
Careers
Want to Join Our Team?
Every adult here is a Guide. Not a teacher, a fellow learner and challenger.
We are a mission-driven team. The people who join us are deeply aligned with that mission and committed to growing themselves, not just managing a studio.
Explore this site first. Get a real feel for what makes us different. If it resonates, write to info@actonacademyfl.com with a thoughtful introduction to your own journey.
We read every application carefully and prioritize the ones that show real understanding and alignment. One hint: applications built around "teaching" or being a "teacher" are unlikely to be a fit. We do not respond to generic applications.
You've met us on the web. Now come meet us in person.