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Independent Learners or Dependent Learners?

By Hero's Journey Academy

Our 1st Year, Session 3, Week 1

Independent Learners or Dependent Learners?

This week the Eagles were put in the shoes of William Wallace of Scotland in 1296.They were forced to make a decision to fight the king of England or give up their freedom.Right now there are students all across our country that have lost their freedom.They have a teacher that, like a king, tells them exactly what to do and when.They have few choices, and little freedom.At Active Leadership Academy, we believe in freedom. We believe that if you work hard, you too can be free.But as they learned in the shoes William Wallace, freedom is not without a price.It comes with great responsibility.It comes with holding each other accountable, and staying true to each other.You must become an independent learner and NOT a dependent learner.If you fail, there are consequences: you may lose your freedom or you may even end up back in a regular school with someone telling you what to do.

Slide comparing dependent learners and independent learners with bullet points about learning habits

Active Athens Time Machine

Eagles have been getting into a time machine this session and are going back to ancient Greece, exploring the culture of Athens and Sparta!They will be exploring the sights, sounds, tastes, and lifestyle of people in ancient Greece.

Four children and a guide pose in a classroom with posters and desks
Three heroes sit at a white table in a classroom, smiling and wearing paper crowns
Learners and a guide gather around a floor map during an ancient Greece lesson

Yoga PE

The Eagles had a good time learning about Yoga and how to take care of their bodies!

Children sit cross-legged on a classroom floor during a group activity with tables and chairs nearby
Children in a classroom do yoga poses while a screen shows a lesson and cubbies line the back wall
Children and a guide stand on grass near a fence during outdoor play, with one child holding a red disc

Socratic Help & Collaboration

_“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”_Eagles discussed this quote and it’s meaning in preparation for collaborative work this week.The goal of Socratic guiding is to help someone else learn to think more clearly.In other words, questions and struggles are more important than Answers.If your goal is to help someone get the right answer – and particularly to get an answer more quickly or without struggle – then this is cheating you and the person you are helping.There are no shortcuts - someone has to do the basic work first.

Poster titled 3 B’s Before G listing Brain, Books, and Buddy before asking a Guide

Pitch a Field Trip

For writers workshop this session Eagles will choose a field trip to research, write a pitch about it, and pitch it to the whole studio.The winning pitch will be chosen as a field trip next session (within reason).A pitch is a short presentation where you plan in advance what to say, practice how to say it, and then share your ideas with others.The goal is to convince others that your idea is a good one!Eagle’s watched several Shark Tank pitches for ideas and wrote ideas on the board about what makes an effective pitch.

Whiteboard in a studio lists six tips for an effective pitch beside bookshelves
Three learners sit on a classroom rug reading papers during pitch practice

Halloween Party on Friday!

At the end of the day on Friday, during game time, our Eagles chose to have a halloween party!Little Eagles participated in a Scavenger hunt!

Two children in Halloween costumes stand indoors, with one older child holding a younger child in front of blue beanbags
Three children play on foam mats and blocks in the gym with a guide nearby
Young eagle kneels outdoors holding a paper and pencil beside a wooden post during a scavenger hunt

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