This week the Tribe of Dragonauts was all abuzz about the coming Exhibition at the end of week five (next week). Exhibitions are significant in an Acton Studio for several reasons.
First, while traditional schools have tests, report cards, and parent-teacher conferences... an Acton Academy is all about creating real-world opportunities to show your work
Exhibitions are public displays of work - so we are inviting not only parents but grand parents and friends of each family. Even our neighbors here in Old Fort Lauderdale village who have been curious about this little multi-age school with no teachers, will get a chance to see the work over the past month.
Sometimes the lessons are simple yet powerful. Like starting each goal by stating and sharing your goal for the day with your fellow Tribe members.
Exhibitions are also planned and run by the learners themselves. There will be mistakes. We see making mistakes (and learning from them) as a way to accelerate the learning cycle. More mistakes made means more experience doing real-world, impactful stuff. Which means a faster path to mastery.
And beyond all the practical benefits of showing your work in public (which raises the bar for all of us)... the Studio is just plain excited and reached a new energy levels this week as they discussed HOW they want to present what they've been learning.
Beyond Exhibition... We've Been Exploring
Each day the learners have several hours set aside for Core Skills (Reading, Writing, and Math). And our group has really been focused on buckling down and doing Deep Work during Core Skills time. Which leaves the rest of the day to explore and play.
All our Dragon-Riders have been learning how to play chess. First they are learning each piece and how it moves, so they can play "mini-games" with a limited number of pieces. With practice they are able to build up to the full chess board. With Chess we are learning the value of Strategic Thinking.
Sometimes the explorations take us into new disciplines, like Mindfulness. In this picture you can see the Tribe trying out Ms. Martina's new "Signing Bowl" as part of their Mindfulness session on the front porch of the Bryan House.
Other times, the explorating adventures have taken us out in the Riverwalk District. Here the Dragonauts are finishing up D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read) while enjoying the rocking chairs at the front of the New River Inn & History Center.
And on "Fun Friday" the Tribe earned another outside adventure that included playing in the park and taking the "Water Trolley" on the New River.
The week was not without challanges. We did learn that due to some circumstances beyond our control, the Philomen Bryan House that we have come to know and love, will not be able to be our "forever home" like we planned. We are now reaching out to some of our partners and supporters in the local community to identify other spaces that might potentially host our studio space in the coming academic year.
Keeping Up With The Parent Resources
Each week we have been sharing the latest updates from Acton-friends Matt Beaudrea (video series) and the Parents Blog by Acton Founder Laura Sandefer. Here are the latest post for those of you scoring at home:
We've also been sharing Laura Sandefer's blog series on what she has learned about becoming a better parent, as she now looks back on 12 years of experience raising her boys through Acton.
See you all next week with a recap our our FIRST public Exhibition as a new studio!