The Deep Book Badges

April 25, 2014Core Skills, Readingsandefer

Some schools favor the Great Books, drawn from a list that most scholars agree form the foundation of Western philosophy. Our version of this at Acton is a Deep Book, a “world changing” or “life changing” read.

The big difference at Acton Academy is that we trust our Eagles to create a list of books that inspire, move and transform them. During late middle school and Launchpad (high school), Eagles must earn 22 Deep Book badges.

1. It all starts with Gaining Approval for a Deep Book.

Each Deep Book requires a two minute face to face pitch to a three person committee made up of one Guide and two Eagles (eventually this committee will be all Eagles.) The vote to approve a book must be unanimous.

The initial criteria include:

Why you believe this particular book is an important part of your Hero’s Journey?
Is this a serious book that others have considered “life changing” or “world changing” by others?
Are you stretching your “challenge zone” by reaching for more complex texts or ideas?
Does this selection add to the diversity of your reading choices? (In other words, are you choosing different types of ideas, subjects, genres?)
Is the material too violent or sexually explicit to be appropriate, at this time?
What other three books are next on your list?”
What is your deadline for completing the book and review?

Any sense that an Eagle is trying to “take the easy way out” results in an automatic rejection. A series of links to lists of Great Books is provided as a place to start.

2. Once a book is finished, the Eagle must deliver a Video or Written Review

The goal of the written or video review is to convince someone else to read the book.

The review includes:

How did this book change you in an important way? Who else should read it and why?
A description of the history and impact of the book and its author.
The major questions raised by the book or its characters or plot.
Observations about the author’s style and voice.

There must be evidence from the book – facts, questions, quotes, characters, the plot – to back up any recommendations and the review must be completed by the deadline and judged as superior to the Eagle’s last review or equal to or better than the average review turned in by other Eagles, by unanimous approval of the Committee, or if the Committee chooses, a 4.25 or better ranking by a gathering of Eagles. If a review does not pass, it may not be resubmitted.

Any examples of plagiarism or taking shortcuts like reading summations or watching a movie in place of reading the entire text will be immediate honor code violations.

Already pitches have started and Eagles are reading: 1984; Democracy in America and Lord of the Flies.

Below is an excerpt from a recent pitch:

I would like to read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I believe this book will introduce me to the finer points of physics and science, and it will help me understand more about science and physics, not in the formula way, but in the metaphysical sense, where I will begin to think differently. My mom has been pushing me to read these books for a while now, and I think this is a book that has changed people’s opinions on time.

I am stretching my challenge zone by reading this book, because I feel like the writing will not be hard to read, but I will have to really think about a lot of the stuff that he is saying in the book. I don’t normally read books like this, so it will be a pleasant change.

The books I am going to read including this one are:

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Complete works of Shakespeare
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Iliad by Homer
The Odyssey by Homer
IT by Stephen King
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

I am going to read the book in one month, and write the review a week after that, so my deadline is May 26, 2014

Deep, serious books. Choice. Comprehensive proof of a serious struggle and the impact on a hero’s life. Perhaps civilization has a fighting chance after all.

How to Land a World Changing Adventure

April 22, 2014Apprenticeships, Communications, Core Skills, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Pitches, WritingElla Reesesandefer

Those of us who hire employees know searching for the right person too often requires a depressing swim through a sea of commodity-like resumes and many cover pages strewn with grammatical mistakes and misspelled words.

So imagine you open an email, glancing down the text to see a picture of a whimsically dressed eleven year old, holding an equally whimsically dressed puppy. Then you start to read:

Dear Ms. Cxxxxxxxx,

I visited xxxxx last year with my mom, and it was one of the most beautiful, fascinating, imaginative, and inspiring experiences of my life. I learned so much about the methods and processes used to create beautiful clothes and how travel can work to inspire new creations. I admire you (and those you work with) so deeply for what you contribute to this world. I am so grateful for that experience, and I will cherish it forever. Thank you for spending time with us and giving us a tour of this beautiful space.

At my school here in Austin, Texas (Acton Academy), we believe in learning by knowing, learning by doing and learning by being. Each student is committed to their individual journey to find their passion. Otherwise known as, The Hero’s Journey. We each are blessed with our own gifts, talents, and callings. We nourish them every single day, so we are prepared to change the world some day.

The main gift that I focus on is fashion. I hope to bring beauty to the world, and inspire everyone to be themselves, and have their own style. As an 11 year old middle schooler, I am beginning a fashion blog very soon, and styling a fashion photo shoot with a local fashion photographer and a few friends, which I will then pitch to a magazine. I also designed and created a fashion look book last fall. I styled it completely by myself, and shot the photos on my own, as well. I sold them $15 each at a children’s business fair, and nearly sold out. I will mail one to you if you are interested.

Fashion is a huge part of my life, and I believe it is one of the things that makes us unique and authentic. I would love everyone to believe in that statement someday, and I am wondering if you would help me by considering my request for an apprenticeship.

We are nearing the end of our school year. Our next step on our journey is to find an apprenticeship with someone who is considered a hero to you. The apprenticeships will be one or two weeks, and each of us will work with our hero, doing what they do to see if we enjoy it, and want to further pursue it. I immediately thought how amazing it would be to work with you. Inside one of the most beautiful fashion studios in the world. I will be very helpful, and never in the way.

Please be in touch with me if you would allow me to do this, or if you would like to talk more about it with me or my mom. Thank you so much for considering this request.

Very sincerely,

Reese Youngblood

(Reprinted with permission from Reese and her parents.)

How would you reply? Would you hire Reese as an apprentice, if fashion were your calling?

Here’s the reply Reese received:

Hello, dear Reese,

Your letter has touched my heart. I love the sweet clarity of your vision. Its timing is impeccable and poignant as I spent the weekend writing about my heart’s desires and my own heroic journey. I will need to speak with Christina who is not here right now. But if it were only up to me, I would say yes in a heartbeat! I have an idea that I will propose to my partner and we can see what happens. It would give me great pleasure to have someone as bright, passionate, focused, capable and talented as you are as my apprentice because it is my experience that not only you would have something to learn from me, but I from you, too!

I will keep you posted. In the meantime, can you tell me more about the practical aspects and time constraints of your apprenticeship. What is the possible time period – from now until end of June? Or? And more practical considerations such as housing and food – is your mom going to come with you?

Thank you!

Cxxxxxxxxx

When we critiqued Reese’s email in the studio and reviewed the reply she received, one Eagle chirped: “That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me.” We all agreed.

Graduates from prestigious colleges increasingly find themselves unable to find a job, and must move back in with their parents. Perhaps these graduates should be looking for a calling instead.

Not to mention that a few lessons from an eleven year old about how to write an irresistible email might help too.

Sugata Mitra, SOLES and Acton Academy

April 21, 2014Culture, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Independent Learner, SOLES, Storytellingsandefer

Sugata Mitra is the father of the Hole-in-the-Wall experiments, where in poor neighborhoods all around the world, he installed computer terminals that allow students to “self-organize” to learn.

In case after case, the poorest of children — without a teacher or school – outscored the most privileged private school students in their countries, leading to Mitra winning the first $1 million TED talk prize. Mitra went on to create Granny-in-the-Cloud, an army of British grandmothers who acted as virtual Running Partners (coaches) for Sugata Mitra’s students.

Now, Sugata Mitra will be coming to Acton Academy the second week in June, to lead our Eagles in a SOLE (Self-Organized-Learning-Environment.)

How does a SOLE work? Eagles form into four person teams, around one computer. Mitra asks a compelling question, and the Eagles go to work. An hour or so later, the teams convene to present their findings.

Here’s an example of a SOLE Sugata Mitra led for group of poor Indian children a few months ago:

He started with a story:

“Five hundred years ago, barbarians invaded India and were repelled, because the natives had better weapons, forged from superior steel. The barbarians regrouped, wondering how to acquire such steel. One suggested: ‘Perhaps we could just offer to buy some steel from them in the normal course of trade.”

Another replied: ‘Surely they would not fall for such a trick.’ But they did. The barbarians analyzed the steel and created a superior metallurgy, forging weapons three inches longer.

Because of that three inches, the barbarians were successful in their second invasion, changing India forever.”

Mitra then asked his question: “What were the metallurgy changes and the science that made the extra three inches possible?”

He left and came back a week later. The presentations were powerful, incorporating deep questions in and lessons about chemistry and metal working.

Mitra then issued his second challenge: “What problem can you find in the world today, where ‘three extra inches’ would change the world, and how would you propose to solve it? I’ll be back in two weeks.”

A compelling story to set the stage. A powerful question. Four students, a computer and a great deal of faith. No adult in sight. Perhaps the most effective curriculum and classroom of all.

(By the way, during his visit to Acton, Mitra will invite an Acton parent who knows little about science to lead a second SOLE on physics. Consider it our chance to learn from a modern day Socrates.)

Session Six Focus: “Which questions motivate a hero?”

April 20, 2014Apprenticeships, Hero's Journey, Journey maps, Launches, Motivating a Fellow Hero: Conversation, Motivating a Tribe: Interviewingsandefer

For the next six weeks, we’ll be exploring the theme: “Which questions motivate a hero?”

Our adventure will have three main thrusts:

1. Which questions will motivate YOU on your Hero’s Journey?

Here we’ll dig deeply into the three questions our Eagles will ask to measure if they are happy, satisfied and fulfilled: Am I contributing something meaningful? Am I a good person? and Who do I love, and who loves me?

Eagles will work hard to identify their gifts; explore “flow” and investigate the irresistible opportunities that will motivate them to brainstorm, select and acquire a world changing apprenticeship.

As part of this work, Eagles will learn to write compelling emails, make irresistible phone pitches and dazzle in face-to-face interviews on their way to finding apprenticeships for next session.

The final exhibit will be an electronic portfolio designed to secure an apprenticeship, which will include a two minute “Message to Garcia” video showing each Eagle promising to “get the job done” if given the chance.

2. Which questions will motivate a FELLOW HERO?

The focus here is becoming a world class conversationalist, so our Eagles will be able to walk into any gathering and strike up a conversation that will make the other person feel important.

Eagles will practice their new found techniques on Running Partners, incoming 2014-15 Eagles to Acton and students from other schools, until the art of conversation becomes second nature.

The final product here will be a short “Hero Story” about a new friend, that captures what makes that person a “genius on a hero’s journey.”

3. Which questions will motivate a TRIBE OR NATION?

Oprah, Johnny Carson or William F. Buckley – who is the greatest interviewer of all time? Our Eagles will compare and contrast world class interviewers, as they learn the art of asking penetrating questions on stage, on the radio or on television.

Near the end of the session, we’ll invite adult heroes to class (especially those who might sponsor an apprenticeship) and allow our Eagles to conduct interviews in front of a live audience. The final product will be an edited transcript of the interview.

Executing an apprenticeship that may lead to a calling in life; learning to make excellent conversation, anytime, anywhere, with anyone; asking penetrating questions from a stage – all 21st Century Skills for our young heroes who plan to change the world.

Exhibitions are not without difficulties

April 8, 2014Exhibition, Questssandefer

At Acton Academy, we don’t issue grades. Instead, we invite the outside world to gauge the quality of our Eagles’ work through public exhibitions.

Whether it’s a play, a Casino Night, Hero Speeches, a public display of board and electronic games or trying to triggers dozens of Rube Goldberg inventions without a miss, exhibitions require thoughtful design, relentless hours of deliberate practice and a great deal of courage. They are difficult to pull off well.

Add to this the difficulty of drawing an objective audience; parents are always welcome, but outsiders raise the stakes even higher. Yet to attract paying customers, you have to offer something special.

All of this makes it tempting for the Guides to guarantee that the Eagles shine; polishing a bit of work here or making an important suggestion to keep from suffering a catastrophic failure. Such interventions almost always a mistake, because it teaches dependence, not independence; and still, no one wants parent to think that our young heroes aren’t learning.

Bottom line: We’re still learning a lot about exhibitions, with many more lessons yet to come.

A Rube Goldberg Celebration of Scientific Heroes

April 6, 2014Exhibition, Pitches, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Speechessandefer

As our end of session celebration, we invited parents and other adults to an exhibition honoring Scientific Heroes, the men and women who improve the world through creating new ideas (like Einstein); new inventions (like Edison) and new innovations (like Ford.)

Guests were asked to listen to one minute video pitches, to see which full length Eagle speeches they wanted to attend (there were six speech pods going on simultaneously) and then mingle among the various Rube Goldberg contraptions honoring different scientists. (Here’s a link to some of the video pitchers: http://vimeo.com/user26478640/videos )

The votes of the crowd would decide not only the best pitches, best speeches and best Rube Goldberg contraptions, but also whether the Explorer, Inventor or Innovator team would win the grand prize – a trip on Friday to see a documentary about how Vermeer’s paintings were made.

The speeches were terrific, as each Eagle stood in the shoes of a Scientific Hero he or she had chosen, and explained what motivated the hero to persevere through hardships and failures to create a idea, invention or innovation that changed the world.

The votes were tallied. There was a narrow margin between the three teams. Now it was time to trigger the first of twenty four sequential Rube Goldberg devices; for every device that failed, the corresponding team would lose 100 points.

In other words, the entire contest would come down to the reliability of the Rube Goldberg devices. (In the unlikely event that ALL the Rube Goldberg machines worked, everyone would win a trip to see the documentary.)

A drum roll; then the big moment. The first machines were flawless; then a vibration from a guest sent one machine off prematurely; then another failure and another. By the end, the Inventors won by a narrow margin.

Some Eagles were crestfallen; they had worked hard on their Rube Goldberg machines, adding redundancies and testing, only to seem them fail because of a quirk or unexpected error.

Of course, the odds were against them. Some Rube Goldberg videos require up to one hundred takes to reach perfection, even with professionals in charge. But the objective wasn’t success, but deep hands-on-learning to better understand what motivates a hero to keep trying, even after public setbacks.

Our Eagles certainly got a real taste of what it feels like to be a real Explorer, Inventor or Innovator. It’s very, very hard work.

A New Approach to Civilization

April 4, 2014Civilization, Socraticsandefer

This session there were thirty six college level lectures about the history of inventions we wanted to discuss in Civilization, but only six weeks in the session.

What did we do? We held a weekly contest.

Each Eagle chose a hero, watched the associated DVD and created Socratic questions. Then once each week, the class came together for six Eagles to pitch their heroes.

A vote followed, the winning DVD was watched by all and a Socratic Discussion debated deep questions about the impact of invention and creation on civilizations.

This way, each Eagle had an opportunity to delve deeply into a hero he or she cared deeply about, everyone learned something about thirty six world changing inventions and the lives of six heroes were deeply probed by the group. looking for larger themes.

All of this with great energy and enthusiasm.

What constitutes “help” in Math?

March 25, 2014Collaboration, Core Skills, Culture, Math, Town Hallsandefer

We haven’t spent one minute “teaching” math. Not one minute. So far, Eagles have learned math from Khan Academy; ST Math; Dreambox; Manga High; ALEX and other game based, adaptive programs.

Eagles have been progressing through Pre-Algebra at a rapid rate. One Eagle has finished most of Pre-Algebra; Algebra; Trigonometry and Geometry in six months. At this rate, she will master twelve years of traditional school math in less than one year.

Eagles are free to help each other, as long as they stay in “Socratic Mode,” asking questions but not giving answers.

Lately, a bit of controversy has arisen, and a flurry of emails. The Council ruled (unilaterally) that even Socratic help cannot be offered during the final Khan Mastery Quiz, so that each person proves they have mastered the material before moving on. Others believe Socratic help is within the student contract.

Here are excerpts from the back and forth on email:

From a Council Member:

A lot of people have been complaining about the new Khan rules, but I will tell you why they are necessary.

If you have heard of the rubber band theory, good for you. If you haven’t, it’s this:

When you learn something, a mental rubber band forms around that skill in the brain, even if you get it with help. But from there on, if someone helps you on the problem, (even socratic help, Ben!) that rubber band does not form another one. But if you do it on your own, another rubber band forms. And you get better and better.

The reason Council made this rule, is so those rubber bands form, and you can go into calculus knowing what you’re doing. Now a lot of people might say that it’s their problem, and it’s fine, and they will have problems, and this school gives emphasis on one another helping each other, not the Guides. But something our school focuses even more strongly on, is best work. If you go into calculus not knowing what you are doing.

That is also why I refrain from helping people on their last problem, because if they have already gotten 4 problems correct by guesstimating, than they won’t understand the last one, no matter how Socratically you explain, that rubber band will not form.

Another Eagle supported the Council:

I wouldn’t go with the easy way out in this case… remember how none of us really learned everything we did last year on Khan? It was because we would get someone to help us on a skill and move on. Check it off, and forget. That obviously was not the correct way to approach Khan.

A third Eagle disagreed:

Socratic help is perfectly fine, what isn’t fine is when people give the answers; which is a whole different problem.

A forth Eagle reported:

Math is getting harder, so my parents can’t help me as much.

And finally:

When I was in second grade (at a different school) I learned complicated algebra, by using a bead chain system. The bead chains were just a way to help me understand the problems better. BUT, when I got to third grade and I had come to Acton, the bead chains were not there, so I forgot how to do that complicated algebra. The bead chains were just a way to help me understand it better, just like Socratic help, but since they were not there I forgot how to do that type of math and I had to learn it all over again. That is why you need to learn it by yourself.

This is a powerful view into how learning really works in a community. An open and honest debate about standards. A discussion of what types of assistance help and which hurt. Deep insights concerning the effort required to grow.

There will be further bumps in the road. Before long, Eagles may need to band together in small groups to watch Khan videos in sequence, as the math becomes more difficult. Several are making plans to do so already, and Eagles no doubt will have to reach beyond Khan for even better resources.

But in the end, they will understand math far more deeply than students from a traditional classroom, because they own the process. No doubt, they will have learned a great deal more about grit and learning as well.

Broken Windows at Acton

March 24, 2014Consequences, Culture, Distraction, Guides, Troublesandefer

In the late 1980s, New York City was a mess. Trash filled many streets; aggressive “squeegee men” stopped cars, ostensibly washing windows, but really shaking down motorists for a protection payment; murder rates rose to all time highs.

A new Police Chief took over, and instituted a policy of “no broken windows,” a theory proposed by economist James Q Wilson that predicted that focusing on minor transgressions would lead to a reduction in more serious crimes.

The police cracked down on the squeegee men, subway toll jumpers and graffiti artists; before long violent crime began to recede too, a trend that eventually made New York City one of the safest large cities in America.

Last week we faced a “broken windows” moment at Acton Academy Middle School, when it came to light that several Eagles had been turning in “less than best work,” playing computer games during school and a host of other violations in the honor code. A rude response when being asked for an Eagle Buck had become the norm for some.

This lead to a morning launch discussing:

The Tragedy of the Commons – Common spaces not defended by private property rights or law will soon be abused.
The Rule of Law – Everyone should be treated the same under the law, no matter how popular, rich or powerful.
Broken Windows – Attending to small transgressions discourages larger problems later on; and
Logrolling – How a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” approach to lowering standards can have a devastating long term impact.

Yet even after this launch, standards continued to slip even more noticeably.

Eagles asked for a 360 Review, an anonymous survey designed to provide frank feedback to every member of the studio – from the Eagles to the Eagles. From the results – posted in a way that protected the identity of each person but allowed you to know your own scores – it became clear that there was a real problem with some.

What could we do about this as Guides? Our only right under our covenant with Eagles is to point out a slippage in standards, and ask them to remedy the problem. We tried that, but some of the leaders in the class had become so fed up with the transgressing group that they chose to focus on their own work instead of trying to lift up the community.

A few of the Eagles who tried to hold the line were treated more and more rudely by some.

Yes, in some ways this was normal adolescent behavior in America. A “whatever” attitude and being “too cool for school” and mailing in work are a natural defense again the sting of failure. Plus, everyone makes mistakes.

But Acton Academy is supposed to be different. A place where high standards and best work are celebrated; where a warm community cares enough to tell you the truth; where failing and making mistakes is celebrated – if you admit them and honestly try to improve.

The transgressions so far had been fairly minor, though several Eagles had begun to practice deceit and dishonesty on an all too regular basis. It was a reminder that here’s no such thing as perfect person, only people who make mistakes and admit them and those who keep making the same mistakes until they turn into more serious problems.

Because we thought this was a serious matter of principle and a turning point for the community, the Guides went on strike. We left the studio and promised to return once Eagles had put their house in order (while watching from a few hundred feet away, using our new video system to make sure everyone remained safe.)

The Eagle leaders leaped into action: designing a new Honor Code, Eagle Buck fines and clear due process and ultimate consequences clear for those who continued to violate community standards.

There would be a “reconciliation moment ,” inspired by Post Apartheid South Africa. Anyone who admitted a serious honor code violation, in detail, and offered an apology would immediately be forgiven and have the slate wiped clean.

The due process for someone who kept choosing to act outside the contract was made crystal clear. A serious honor code violation, if not immediately disclosed or later cleared by an appeal, would result in an Eagle being sent home for a minimum of one day. Repeated smaller transgressions that resulted in someone being in a negative Eagle Buck position for longer than three weeks would count the same as one honor code violation.

After the third serious honor code violation and third time being sent home, an Eagle would not be invited back (for every eighteen months of a clean record, one past honor code violation would be erased, giving each Eagle the chance to earn back a clean slate.)

None of us like to hear that our children have done something wrong. But just like adults, they will make mistakes all the time, some of them ethical mistakes. It’s by learning from the natural consequences of these mistakes, and asking for forgiveness, that a strong character is forged.

Honesty; transparency and caring enough not to let a friend get away with a lie, even if it is a small one. Then genuinely forgiving others when they stray, as we hope they’ll forgive us. These are the building blocks that make for a strong community.

We will continue to hold the Eagles to their promises and the high standards they set. And we will celebrate when our children’s friends hold them accountable for small transgressions, before sex, alcohol, drugs and driving make the consequences far more severe.

Launching LaunchPad

March 23, 2014Badges, LaunchPad, Uncategorizedsandefer

Two weeks ago week we announced at a parent meeting our plans for LaunchPad, the name Eagles have given to our new high school, which will open in the fall of 2015 (though the most advanced middle school Eagles already are working on the model, and will be experimenting with the curriculum next fall.)

LaunchPad will allow Eagles the freedom to choose their own adventures, while preserving the option to attend a selective college.

During the Launchpad years, Eagles will dig into advanced reading, literary analysis, writing and communication skills, tackling advanced Math concepts, serious Socratic discussions in Civilization and even creating Quests for the lower studios, as a way of doing deep explorations into Science and the Arts.

Longer term, serious, for pay apprenticeships will play a big role in LaunchPad as well, giving Eagles a chance to test their skills and thirst for a calling in the real world, long before most young adults make a blind choice of a college major.

And, on top of these accomplishments, LaunchPad Eagles will assume many of the responsibilities for running the lower studios, earning Learning Badges that would qualify them as exceptional leaders in the world’s leading companies and not-for-profits.

How will we accomplish all of this? Two secrets:

Our Eagles can work at 10X the normal rate, when absorbed in something they love. Allowing individual choice leads to an exponential increase in the quality of work and the number of skills mastered.
Arranging Quests as a series of badges that demonstrate competence and mastery, allows us to sequence challenges in a way that delivers real world skills, while still preserving the ability to map these badges into a more traditional (and artificial) traditional high school curriculum.

How do you create a portal into the real world that equips and inspires young people?

Start with a blank sheet of paper; embrace 21^st century learning; combine with ageless wisdom; and above all else, ask the young heroes to help you build it.

Exhibitions and Eagles: “May I please do more work?”

March 23, 2014Communications, Culture, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Exhibition, Guides, Independent Learner, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Speechessandefer

This week our Eagles will host an exhibition, including each performing a “Four Minute Speech in the Shoes of a Scientific Hero” in front of a roomful of adults.

Recently several Eagles requested to change the speech criteria to “no less than four minutes and up to eight minutes.” Quite a few had done so much research that they wanted more time to tell their hero’s story.

So what did we do? After all, Guides don’t answer questions.

We decided to turn the organization of the entire exhibition to the Eagles. The only two constraints:

(1) The total time could not exceed one hour, out of respect for our guests, and

(2) Speeches will be judged on “value per minute,” to encourage conciseness.

Speak up. Get more responsibility. Just like the real world.

A Pitch Session

March 20, 2014Communications, Consequences, Core Skills, Critiques, Culture, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Feedback, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Speechessandefer

How do we decide whether the quality of an Eagle’s work is ready for an Exhibition?

Answer: the Eagle has to pitch to his or her studiomates, requesting a “green light” to proceed. This session’s Four Minute Speech; the 30 Second Video and Rube Goldberg device each required a separate pitch.

What follows a pitch? First, a warm/cool critique, offering affirmation and suggestions for improvement. Then, a vote.

What if the green light approval is denied? You go back to the drawing board, make improvements, and try again. That’s what heroes do when they fail: they get back up, dust themselves off, and get back to work.

Hungry for a meaty BTL?

March 19, 2014Core Skills, WritingJacobsandefer

BTL (Between the Lines) is a mentor text literary analysis discussion format designed, led (and named) by Acton Eagles. Below are the guidelines the MS Eagles came up:

Purpose of BTL:Through reading and discussion, analyze mentor texts (chosen by Eagles in the genre of their current writing project) to lift the curtain on the secrets of masterful writing.

Format: Small group discussions led by Eagles who pitched a text and persuaded a minimum of 3 others to sign on.

Points: 5 pts if you pitch, 20 pts if you lead a discussion (and are ranked an average of 4 or higher by your group), 10 pts if you participate. OPTED OUT on your SMART goals sheet if you opt out.

Pitching: Sign up by Friday to pitch on Monday. A qualifying excerpt or text must:
– stay within the genre you are writing in (this session, biography/ autobiography)
– be no longer than one chapter, but as short as one paragraph
– stand alone and convey at least one complete idea
– be an example of masterful writing (person who chose the text must be prepared to defend their decision)

Participating in a BTL: To sign up as a discussion participant, you must agree to:
– read text at least 2x
– read and think about the discussion Q’s provided
– Come up with one new question of your own about the author’s writing style or the craft of writing

Leading a BTL: BTL discussion leaders will ask questions designed to:
– deepen understanding of the text
– help the reader understand the writer’s technique and intentions
– reflect back onto the Eagles’ own writing with an eye towards improving their skills

In this week’s pitching session, three Eagles showed their powers of 30-second persuasion, sharing a sampling of their discussion questions and each using their own unique hook. One touted the length of his mentor text excerpt: “Only one paragraph! Much shorter than the others!”. Another handed out “free” samples as teasers. The third offered a warning: “This excerpt is rated PG due to adult language!”. (Caveat to parents: the subject is Clara Barton, so it’s probably not too risqué).

While those hooks may have helped, don’t be fooled- it was the power of the questions that lured participants to sign up. The Eagles love a meaty discussion and will not tolerate a lack of substance in their BTLs!

The Cornucopia

March 17, 2014Consequences, Critiques, Culture, Quests, Rube Goldbergsandefer

How do we provide raw material for the Eagles’ Rube Goldberg machines?

First, we put out a call to all Eagle families, asking parents to clear their closets of unused toys and gadgets, and send them to campus..

Next we hold a Hunger Games Cornucopia – a competitive contest to see who can plan, search and secure the most important raw materials.

Here’s how it works:

Eagles rank each Scientific Creator research pitch.
The five highest ranked Eagles get the first two minutes at the Cornucopia, and can select whatever materials they need. The only rule: You must use anything you take. Any item bought from the Cornucopia afterwards will cost an Eagle Buck.
Repeat Step 2 until every Eagle has had a chance to graze at the Cornucopia.

Friendly competition. Dealing with scarce resources. Empty closets. Complex Rube Goldberg machines.

Everyone wins.

How many questions should a Guide answer in a perfect day?

March 16, 2014Celebration, Culture, Guides, Sal Khansandefer

We recently held a reception at Acton Academy for SXSW.edu. The over one hundred Disruptors and Educators who attended were treated to a Quest: a scavenger hunt to discover the answers to a series of provocative questions about Acton.

At one point in the presentation, the Eagles took over answering questions from the crowd. In a word, they were “brilliant.” Or as one parent put it: “It was magical.”

There were some humorous moments too.

One visitor couldn’t believe the Eagle’s answers were spontaneous. He kept asking: “How did you stage that so perfectly?” (Answer: We trusted them.)

Later, a traditional educator, seeking to answer a question on the scavenger hunt list, turned to an Elementary Studio Guide: “So how many questions does a Guide answer in a perfect day”

In perfect Socratic Guide mode, he replied: “How many do you think a Guide answers in a perfect day?”

“At least 200,” she said.

Her companion disagreed: “At least 400. Maybe 500.”

The Acton Guide provided a clue: “We’ve been having a contest that records how many questions we answer in a week. You can see the results in the Elementary studio.”

On a whiteboard in the Elementary studio was the answer: “Ms. Terri 2. Ms. Samantha 1. Mr Brian 11.” (Eagles had been trying to trick Mr. Brian all week by catching him off guard with personal questions.)

The two traditional teachers were heard saying: “I just don’t understand how this place works.”

Neither do we. We just know that it does.

Seeing the world as it is

March 15, 2014Culture, Feedback, Videosandefer

The rate of technological change in the world is breathtaking. Ten years ago, at the Acton MBA classroom, we installed a series of high definition cameras in the Socratic Classroom so MBA students could debrief their performances on video. Total cost: over $500,000.

Last week we installed eight discrete high definition cameras in the Acton Academy studios, allowing us to record “to the cloud” every interaction and discussion between Eagles. Total cost: $3,000 – including a much more user friendly playback system.

Our goal is not surveillance. In fact, parents and strangers are not allowed access to the password protected system and we’ve pledged never to use the system in a disciplinary way. (Eagles are allowed to review the video, with permission from the Council, to settle any disputes over a breach of the promises Eagles have made to each other.)

Instead, Eagles and Guides now have the ability to record, review and critique every performance, either individually or as a group. The energy around these critique sessions has been high, and we’ve already seen a quantum improvement in discussion techniques and embracing the “rules of engagement.” (Even though standards already were high.)

This also gives the nine other Acton Academies we’ll have open by fall the ability to learn from each other, since having password protected access to cameras in each studio is a precondition of opening a new Acton Academy. Just imagine how this will multiply the rate of experimentation and learning.

New technology. Direct feedback. Rapid learning. It’s going to be powerful to watch what our Eagles do next.

Sir Isacc Newton, as seen through a Rube Goldberg Machine

March 14, 2014Art, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Speechessandefer

How can an Eagle capture the ideas of a Scientific Creator in a Rube Goldberg machine?

Here’s a glimpse of one Eagle’s Scientific Hero, Isaac Newton. If you look closely, you’ll see that each step demonstrates one of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, and ends with an apple dropping off the table.

Now imagine twenty four of these Rube Goldberg devices, lined up in a purposeful order, telling the story of Explorers of Ideas (like Newton), Inventors and Innovators; each triggering the next to begin.

A week from Thursday, we push the button and begin the journey.

Finding Apprentice Guides Who Will Change the World

March 13, 2014Guidessandefer

It is not easy to become an Apprentice Guide at Acton Academy, because it’s our most valuable position.

All Apprentice Guides go through the following eight step Hiring Funnel:

Step One. Submit a resume, cover letter and answer three questions

Step Two. An Email interview requiring extensive research about Acton Academy and answering six questions

Step Three. A twenty minute phone interview with a Lead Guide

Step Four. Read the Message to Garcia note about taking initiative and answer, “When have you been like Colonel Rowan?”

Step Five. An on campus interview with the Head of School.

Step Six. An Eagle panel interview and presentation of a Pathbrite portfolio and a personal Hero’s Story.

Step Seven. A final interview with three guides.

Step Eight. The Decision.

Why so much effort? Because we only hire superstars who we believe will launch their own Acton Academy, after a three to four year apprenticeship.

In other words, our Apprentice Guides are not here to train Eagles, they are here to be prepared by Eagles to go out and change the world.

Which is the most telling step in the hiring process? Step Eight, where the applicant must face a panel of Eagles. Young people have an uncanny sense when an adult is “posing” and doesn’t really believe that each and every Eagle is a genius, who deserves a calling that will change the world.

In the last round of hiring, we started with 79 applicants. Only three made it to Step Five. Only one made it to Step Eight and received an offer.

Even the best companies are successful in hiring only thirty percent of the time. So all of our Apprentice Guides go through a 180 trial period. We hire slowly and carefully and remove someone quickly if it’s not a good fit.

Just one more lesson for our Eagles, as they prepare to assemble, lead and serve on teams of superstars themselves.

Protecting Intentionality During Quiet Core Skills Time

March 12, 2014Consequences, Core Skills, Covenants, Culture, Distraction, Eagle Buck-Pts, Guides, Troublesandefer

Silent Core Skills time at Acton Academy means exactly that – a time of deep individual work that isn’t distracted by noise or activity in the studio. How do we protect such times of “flow,” when the right challenge can lead to deep learning at a rapid clip?

Of course, all intentionality in the studio begins with the Eagle to Eagle covenants and an Eagle Buck system that lets Eagles set and uphold the standards. Without a serious buy-in by all, there is no spontaneous order.

But even with this, protecting individual work time during Silent Core Skills isn’t easy. During Silent Core Skills time, you can hear a pen drop in the studio – literally. So even the smallest creak becomes a distraction. So we have “white noise machines” that help to block out distractions.

Sometimes minor distractions can build, until all intentionality breaks down. Here, the Yacker Tracker – a listening device that can be set to trigger an alarm when a pre-set decibel level is breached – is a big help. The decibel level is at a whisper for Silent Core Skills and slightly higher for Collaboration time; if the alarm goes off, the person who triggered it owes an Eagle Buck.

Finally, when all intentionality is lost, we can depend on our Elementary Eagle neighbors below to deliver a Red Card, meaning we’ve disturbed the rights of the Elementary Eagles to learn without being distracted. A Red Card costs the Middle School community 24 Eagle Bucks.

Layers of habit, protocol and individual and community rights, developed by Eagles, with a little help from technology. It’s one set of secrets as to why Eagles can learn at a 10X rate when engaged and in flow.

The Value of Surprise

March 11, 2014Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovators, Uncategorizedsandefer

What does this session’s exploration into the motivation of Scientific Creators – Explorers of Ideas, Inventors and Innovators – have to do with educational disruption? Perhaps quite a bit.

So much energy is put into standardizing schools – testing, segmenting and applauding assembly lines of students shaped and formed by teachers. What if this is exactly the wrong approach in the 21^st century?

Early in the electronic age, engineers believed that sending more energy through a noiseless conduit was best way to transmit data, much like shouting through a megaphone to be heard. Bell Labs paradigm buster Claude Shannon turned this idea on its head in 1948 with his classic paper “A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” proposing that listening for “surprises” in a noisy communications channel was a better way to transmit information.

From Shannon’s single insight came all of modern communications, including the internet, digital encryption and the compression algorithms that allow us to watch YouTube videos for free.

Economist George Gilder has applied Shannon’s insights into the value of surprises to the Information Age. Gilder argues it is the surprises created and spread by entrepreneurial scientists and business leaders that add most of the value in the world, not the forces tending toward standardization and economic equilibrium studied by most economists.

The Explorer of Ideas, like Shannon, is someone who comes up with a novel concept, like throwing a rock into a still pond. The Inventor sculpts the rock. The Innovator throws the rock and sets in play ripples that spread across the pond. All of this energy comes from the surprises generated from the three Creators.

Standardization can be necessary at times, but its job is to minimize variability and surprise. Once all of the ripples have been quieted, the value added is nil as commoditization reigns.

Our Eagles are being inspired and equipped to become Surprising Forces in the world, creators of great value, daring to be different, never settling for a standardized or commoditized life.

How fitting our Eagles are delving deeply into what has motivated the great Scientific Creators of the past, as they prepare to be the Creators of the future.

What can I learn from Rube Goldberg?

March 6, 2014Art, Culture, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Independent Learner, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

Imagine this…. someone who knows nothing about Acton Academy wanders into the studio and notices all the students tinkering joyfully, building crazy-looking Rube Goldberg-like contraptions. The visitor is puzzled and possibly even indignant. “Looks like playtime to me,” she thinks. Aloud, she asks, “ Where is the value in this? Shouldn’t you be learning something? This is school, after all.”

Guides try to come up with challenges that hit the sweet spot where rigor intersects joy. The Rube Goldberg design-build project has many layers; “Games within games within games,” one Eagle noted. Not all elements are immediately visible to a random visitor, but most are easily teased out by asking a few good questions.

So, where is the value? According to the Eagles, the value lies in:

hands-on experimentation
letting their imaginations freely flow
nudging their creativity from “bud to blossom” (thank you, Anaya)
answering an open-ended question
working without instruction
problem solving
incorporating evidence of their biographical research into their designs
having FUN

When Eagles begin designing their own Quests from scratch, chances are very good they will do an even better job of hitting the right balance. They already do the best job of answering visitors’ questions!

Math without Math Teachers

March 4, 2014Core Skills, Mathsandefer

Guides have not taught any math in Acton Academy Middle School; not a single minute.

Almost every Eagle is on the Calculus track; many are moving much faster.

One thirteen year old Eagle has conquered 443 of the 540 possible Khan skills since September. To put that into perspective, she’s mastered Pre-Algebra; Algebra; Geometry; Trigonometry and part of Pre-Calculus in a little over six months. at this pace, she’ll be finished with Calculus by the end of summer.

Again – at this pace she will have mastered – meaning she has proven her competence – in twelve years of traditional school math in less than a year. Can you imagine how bored this Eagle would have been in a normal school?

Her parents write:

We have recently signed on as parents on Khan’s site. Looking at the hours that xxxxxx spends working on her Math, we know many of those skills are not easy to master. Some took her more than 50+ times of trying . One skill took her 150 times. We asked her why she did not ask for help, xxxx said “I want to learn it on my own”. I am sure she knows how to do that problem by heart by the time she got it correctly.

We think Khan is a cool Math site!

We think so too. Especially for hard charging heroes who plan to change the world.

Another Snow Day – Not!

March 4, 2014Culturesandefer

Most schools are starting late today, because of concerns over snow and ice. Acton Academy will be starting on time, for those families who believe the streets are safe enough to travel.

The email below, received yesterday from a middle school Eagle (and edited for anonymity), explains why we stay open:

Subject: School tomorrow?

Please, PLEASE let us have school tomorrow. I can give you many reasons why we should, despite the bitter weather:

We have a critique due tomorrow, and we need all the critiques we can get to improve the quality of our writing.

We have some important visitors coming tomorrow. We don’t want to make them re-schedule.

Everyone will be thrown off track by having one less day in the week, and it is as important as ever for us to keep up with our long-term goals.

I hope that I have convinced you that the benefits of having school tomorrow outweigh the risks of icy roads. Even if many parents do not want to drive their kids to school in the predicted conditions, some may wish to, so I believe that that option should be preserved for those who want it.

Thanks, xxxxx

A student arguing for Acton Academy to open on time, when most schools will be closed or delayed. That’s what happens when you out young heroes are in charge of their own learning.

What’s Different This Session?

February 28, 2014Consequences, Culture, Energy and flow, Quests, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

The high scores the new Creator Quest received on this week’s Fun/Important graph indicate that Eagles are finding the work both engaging and relevant to their Hero’s Journeys- for most of them, in stark contrast to last session’s Rocket Quest. Why?

Guides had theories, yet despite our “no experts” ethic, we suspected the best way to answer this particular question would be to take it to the ones in the know: the Eagles themselves. We asked: Why were you so focused this week? How is this project different for you? Eagles’ responses fell under four main headings.

1. Choice

High energy around getting to choose a hero who relates to their own gifts and passions. A dedicated violinist chose Stradivari, a budding filmmaker chose Walt Disney, a talented cinematographer chose the Lumiere brothers, and one Eagle with razor-sharp focus on becoming a future race car driver chose Karl Benz.

They appreciate the independent nature of this project, which provides the freedom to do research, write and draw mind maps during core skills, and conversely, to continue core skills work in the afternoons during “project time”.

And they love getting to design their Rube Goldberg device from scratch, with their own choice of materials.

2. Diversity

The combination of specific, individualized work that must still fit into the broader goals of a team resonates with the Eagles’ powerful commitment to both their own Hero’s Journeys and to their learning community. The diversity of hands-on drawing/design/building, along with deep research and multi-draft writing, keeps them energized.

In the words of one Eagle: “This project has everything: drawing, writing, research, history and even public speaking.”

3. Games

“This project has games within games,” one Eagle noted, mentioning the Cornucopia, the pitches, and the final exhibition/competition.

While much of the work is independent, small groups come together for critiques, and larger groups form for pitches.

There’s nowhere to hide, and while no one wants to lose, if they don’t ace one game they know there will be another they can try to beat. “Some of us will be motivated more by the Rube Goldberg presentation, some of us by the speech.” And Eagles with the highest standards are in the powerful position of inspiring and lifting up the rest.

4. High Stakes

The Eagles crave meaningful experiences and real-life lessons. When stakes feel high to them, they soar. The word “pressure!” came up quite a bit in our discussion, but in the context of a challenge to be met rather then a negative to be avoided. The space hums with excitement. Speeches, pitches, a public display of a giant Eagle-crafted Rube Goldberg chain reaction… AND a very special reward for the team with the highest average scores as rated by the Acton community.

Nikita’s slogan for this session best sums up the enthusiasm and focus in the studio:

It’s ON!

Gamifying motivation.

February 26, 2014Collaboration, Consequences, Critiques, Culture, Energy and flow, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Feedback, Guides, Quests, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

What do Guides at Acton Academy actually do, if we never teach or respond to questions?

The answer – we’re Game Makers. We describe an exciting end goal, design the incentives, suggest a few boundaries or rules, provide a list of tools and process — and then get out of the way. Our goal is to inspire Eagles to pack as much learning into the day as possible.

Take for example, this session’s Creator Speech Quest. First, each Eagle chooses a Scientific Explorer of Ideas (a paradigm buster); Innovator or Inventor. Five weeks from now, at the public exhibition, each will deliver an original four minute “hero’s journey” speech from the shoes of their Creator and unveil a Rube Goldberg device that celebrates the scientific contributions of their hero.

Here’s the catch – a maximum of eight Creators per category will be allowed to speak. So who determines which Eagle qualifies for which spot? The Eagles themselves.

1. First, all Eagles in a category deliver a two minute pitch displaying their research and mind map, asking to be “green lighted” (approved.) Everyone in the group rates each pitch and provides warm and cool critiques.

2. The top rated 2/3 of the group (a maximum of five) are elected to be the Excellence Committee for that group. The Excellence Committee decides whether those receiving a lower rating should be admitted immediately (up to a maximum of eight) or asked to do more research and polishing and then pitch again.

3. What keeps the Excellence Committee from quickly approving more members and filling the group? The final ratings, from customers at the exhibition, will be based on the average rating per person. So you do not want any slackers on the team to bring down your average score.

Today was pitch day. Nine Eagles pitched for Inventors; nine for Innovators; three for Creators. Five were admitted to the first and second groups; two to the third group. Standards were high. Many Eagles were asked to do additional work and pitch again.

The result:

1. A high level of energy and enthusiasm, because each Eagle chose a hero who appealed to his or her calling.

2. Standards were set by Eagles and kept high. If you hadn’t turned in first rate work, there was no shame, but you got the chance to try again. Plus you received a great deal of encouragement and coaching.

3. Along the way, there was much work and learning around the processes for research, mind mapping, pitching and how to compete for scarce resources – all with an eye toward rigor.

4. Eagles learned a lot about the lives of twenty four different scientific heroes, and what motivated them.

Examples of the criteria Eagles developed to judge “productive research:”

Quality and credibility of sources;
Number and variety of sources;
At least one serious biography selected.
Facts; opinions and stories.
Clearly organized and present with enthusiasm.
Tells a Hero’s Story.

Some of the questions asked during grilling:

How much time will you be able to work on this? What will you sacrifice to make room for this effort?
What progress have you made so far on your Rube Goldberg device?
How will your Rube Goldberg device reflect your hero’s contributions?
Are you going to spend more time or less time and effort on this project than you did on the rocket project? Do you promise?
Will you spend more time and effort on your hero’s speech or your Rube Goldberg device?
How much research have you done and how much more will you promise to do?

Self organizing learning; making research fun; adding a competitive edge to encourage rigor and excellence – not a bad day’s work for a Guide, especially since we didn’t do much at all.

We should never take this for granted….

February 25, 2014Culture, Guides, Hero's Journey, Independent Learner, Town Hallsandefer

Yesterday, with no outside prodding, Eagles assembled to elect a new Council.

Six candidates were nominated. Six passionate speeches. A close election with three winners. A peaceful transition of power.

Today, as the Council’s first difficult assignment, a heated debate about the qualifications needed to serve as a Clean Up Champion. In other words, Eagles arguing for the right to work on behalf of the group.

Self governance. No adult intervention. We should never take this for granted, because it is a privilege to watch unfold.

Acton Eagles and Google

February 23, 2014Apprenticeships, Culture, Hero Story, Hero's Journeysandefer

How do we prepare Acton Academy graduates to change the world?

That’s a question we’ve been pondering over Winter Break, in preparation for a Parent’s Meeting on Friday to discuss our plans for high school.

Is a prestigious college degree the answer? Our Eagles will be armed to excel at the best colleges, and their portfolios may lift them above the teeming mass of commodity applicants, who clingto sterile GPA’s, test scores and class ranks.

But in world where too many college graduates are asking: “Would you like fries with that?,” a $300,000 diploma looks increasingly like a prestigious Ponzi scheme.

Google’s chief hiring officer, Laszlo Bock, quoted in Thomas Friedman’s Sunday New York Times column, seems to agree: “G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. … We found that they don’t predict anything.”

For Bock, too many colleges “don’t deliver on what they promise. You generate a ton of debt, you don’t learn the most useful things for your life. It’s [just] an extended adolescence.” So the “proportion of people without any college education at Google has increased over time.”

A prestigious college degree? Maybe it’s still a good bet, if you can afford it. But our Eagles need a 21^st century back up plan, perhaps working at a company like Google.

So what does Google care about? Three key attributes, beyond technical skill:

General cognitive ability. The ability to make decisions in real time, with disparate and often conflicting information. This trait has no correlation to traditional test score IQ. Think of Socratic Discussions and Quests.
Emergent leadership skills: Emergent leaders are a far cry from being President of the Chess Club. Emergent leaders assess opportunities, assign roles and lead when necessary, but who are just as willing to listen, ask questions and relinquish power to others. Think of Eagles running their own learning communities.
Humility and ownership. The humility to learn from failure; the humility to ask questions instead of trying to be “the smartest person in the room;” the courage to own your mistakes, to get up and dust yourself off, and try again and again. A perfect description of the Hero’s Journey.

The least important trait for Google is “expertise.” Too many experts cling to a false sense of certainty, rather than a willingness to take on the difficult, unstructured problems that lead to breakthroughs and sustained growth.

So are our Eagles impressed that they are qualified to work at Google? Not hardly. As one Eagle put it: “Work at Google? I’m planning on launching the company that destroys Google.”

Sergey and Larry, look out. Not so long ago, Bill Gates might have wanted to interview you for a job.

Session Five: Creative Motivation and a Rube Goldberg Celebration

February 22, 2014Culture, Guides, Hero's Journey, Journey maps, Launches, Quests, Rube Goldberg, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

What inspired Einstein to imagine himself straddling a beam of light? Why did Edison toil night after night in his Menlo Park lab? What led Ford to pay the highest wages in the land?

For the next five weeks our Eagles will dig deeply into what motivated the creative geniuses who changed the world through ideas, inventions and innovations.

Then on Thursday, March 27th, each Eagle will stand before an audience and deliver a four minute “Hero’s Journey” speech as a famous Creator, exploring this year’s Overarching Question: “What motivates a hero?”

Once the speeches are finished, guests will be able to roam the studio and investigate twenty four different Rube Goldberg devices, each handmade by an Eagle to honor the contributions of their Creator, and each with a thirty second video introduction. (If you are interested in clearing your home of unused electricity and chemistry kits, just send them to the studio and we promise not to return them!)

Finally, after a suitable build up, the first Rube Goldberg contraption will be launched, leading to twenty four sequential celebrations of creation, as one Rube Goldberg device after another is triggered.

During the session we’ll continue to forge ahead on Khan and Learning Badges while engulfed in this frenzy of scientific and economic creation. And in Civilization, Eagles will watch college level DVD lectures on the Science of Innovation, followed each week by student designed and led Socratic Discussions.

Stay tuned for a lot of creative grit and sweat these next five weeks!

Our blog has been kidnapped

February 21, 2014PEsandefer

Hi Acton Middle School Parents. The PE department is taking over your blog! today. (One time only).

You might have heard from your Eagle that we are doing things a little differently in PE than we have in the past. I thought I’d lay out for you the new curriculum, along with the reasons behind it.

The basics: The class is broken up into three pods of 8, which will rotate every few sessions. On Mondays each pod competes in a sport (ultimate frisbee), and on Thursdays they focus on conditioning.

The big difference? Coach Carpenter spends most of the class sitting on his duff, and the EAGLES lead the class.

How does this work? At the end of every Thursday class, each pod elects a leader for the following week. Leaders may not be selected twice until every one has led once.

On Mondays, leaders are responsible for:

Helping me lead their pod in the warmup (I’m still active in this to ensure everyone warms up sufficiently).
Selecting teams (within their pod) for the sport and changing them up as needed to ensure fairness.
Keeping score, enforcing rules, and settling disputes (a biggie).
Leading the good sport of the day discussion, and selecting that person.

On Thursdays, in addition to leading the warmup leaders will be responsible for:

Designing the conditioning class for their pod, using the lessons they’ve learned from Coach Carrozza and myself over the last year and a half. Each leader is free to design their own conditioning class within each pod (ie. there could be three different programs going on). I will be available for them to help them design a plan if they wish, but only if they ask at least two days ahead of time (not during class).
Leading the discussion to choose next week’s leader, and selecting that person.

My goal for this is to increase each Eagle’s experience and skills in:

Leadership
Being accountable to their pod/providing constructive criticism
Public speaking/discussion leading
Sportsmanship
Fitness levels
Learning to Coach
Learning and increasing skills in a new sport.

At the end of the session we will have a three-way pod tournament in ultimate Frisbee, with the winning team to play the Acton guides. This should be fun, and so far seems to be sufficient motivation for the teams to improve.

Again, my role during class is primarily to be a timekeeper (i.e. let them know when they need to transition, etc.), and to ensure their safety. And I’ll pick the music 🙂

So how did this work out the first session?

Sometimes great. Sometimes not so great. But we end every session with the Eagles providing constructive criticism to their leader, explaining what they thought went great, and what could use improvement. It has been INCREDIBLE to watch the eagles grow during this first session, and to see how seriously they are taking their responsibilities. I look forward to seeing how much further they grow the rest of the year.

And I really look forward to beating them in ultimate Frisbee at the end of next session.

Thank you,

Coach Carpenter

We have liftoff!

February 21, 2014Art, Celebration, Quests, Rocket Olympicssandefer

The Rocket Olympics finished with a bang – or to be precise, seven powerful blasts.

We started with a few last minute preparations and a review of the different rocket designs and artwork, with voting by Eagles from the Elementary and Middle Schools.

Next, it was time for seven dramatic countdowns that led to seven spectacular launches — rockets shooting and twisting far out of sight, until with a “pop” parachutes emerged.

We had six successful recoveries and an 84% success rate, with several Rocket Teams making surprisingly accurate predictions of their rockets’ trajectories, especially given the brisk 10-20 mile per hour, swirling, gusting winds.

In the end, the winners celebrated, complete with an Olympic style rendition of the national anthem.

Rocket Scientists of the world unite!

Mission Control is Buzzing with Anticipation

February 12, 2014Quests, Rocket Olympicssandefer

Mission Control buzzed with energy as rocket scientists prepared for tomorrow’s launches. Rocket points were tallied, to make sure each team had paid for the rocket parts they had ordered.

This morning we reviewed experiments from the last few days, noting the different approaches that different groups of scientists had taken:

Gathering large amounts of experimental data and using proven equations;
Using fewer empirical observations and a simulator to make predictions;
Inventing entirely new approaches and equations, that might or might not work.
Adjusting initial estimates based on new learning.

Depending on the the approach, Eagle teams celebrated:

Preciseness;
Diligence and perseverance;
Creativity;
Teamwork; or
Curiosity.

Then, focus shifted to tomorrow’s Rocket Olympics, as nothing concentrates the attention quite like a countdown (with apologies to Samuel Johnson.) Estimating the impact of winds forecast at 10-20 miles per hour, and aiming the rocket so it drifts back to the launch site will be no easy task.

The countdown begins at 12:30 Central Standard Time on Thursday. Let the games begin.

Writing in The Harsh Light of Day

February 9, 2014Core Skills, Writingsandefer

Remember that special English teacher who taught you to write? How he or she labored to edit papers, filling the margins with red scribbles? A noble effort, but one with limited scalability. Also too easy for weaker writers to hide in the shadows until the waves of red ink subsided.

How do we encourage Eagles at Acton Academy to improve their writing skills, without involving an adult? By having a community where each Eagle is expected to become a strong writer, and each Eagle’s writing is posted for all to see.

We begin with a challenging question at 9 AM Monday morning. For example:

You are a noted astrophysicist who discovers a large asteroid is likely to destroy earth in 30 days. Will you:

Spend time with your spouse and ten and twelve year old children, who you have neglected because of your career;
Dig deeply into your spiritual life and whether God and an afterlife exist; or
Answer the President’s call to help launch a missile to destroy the asteroid, even though you believe this is a futile effort?

By Tuesday afternoon, first drafts begin to go up on a board, without a name attached. Someone from your Writing Group will choose your paper to critique, offering specific advice after learning about a new topic such as “strong opening sentences” or “choosing vivid verbs.” Specific lessons about grammar come from an online program, ironically called “No Red Ink.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Writing Groups assemble and someone reads your paper aloud, as each team member offers “warm” and “cool” verbal critique, to add to the written critique you’ve received.

Now it’s time for revision and perhaps a pass through an automatic grammar checking program, imperfect but a good start. Next drafts must be posted by noon on Friday, with your name attached. You read your final draft aloud to your group, and a winner is chosen. The best work is read aloud to the entire class, and a Journal contest winner is chosen for the week.

If this is a particularly important paper, it may be revisited and polished next week as well.

Notice that your work always is posted for all to see. You and others must walk past it every day. Many pause to read the writing of others. It’s almost impossible to resist comparing your writing and looking for ways to improve.

Learning to write well, in community, through hard work and revision, with no adult intervention. No red ink required.

Welcome to the Disruptive Matrix

February 9, 2014Culture, Exhibition, Journey maps, Quests, Rocket Olympics, Science, Troublesandefer

Conventional wisdom suggests project based learning is the best way to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.) Acton Academy takes this one step further, adding narrative and gamification to projects to create Quests.

Despite these high sounding goals, our recent Rocket Quest was a flop. The experiments, videos and equations seemed too structured – a series of old style science experiments disguised in Quest clothing. Our Eagles weren’t fooled and weren’t interested.

In our quest to make science more interesting, we’d made the journey too complicated. we’d forgotten that science is a curiosity powered, relentless pursuit of natural truths, no gimmicks required.

So we punted, “took the red pill” and posed two open ended challenges (the “red pill” is a Matrix allusion, for those of us old and lame enough to be Guides.)

Point the nozzle of a tennis ball machine straight up and fire. Then predict where the ball will land if the machine is positioned at 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 70 degrees from horizontal. No equations, videos or intermediate exercises offered. No trial and error allowed.
Shoot a pressurized water rocket – a two liter plastic bottle – straight up. Then predict where the rocket will land if launched from 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 70 degrees. No trial and error allowed.

An added incentive is that the closer our Eagles predictions were to reality, the more Rocket Points they could can earn, which then could be used to buy larger Estes rockets for next week’s Rocket Olympics.

Most Eagles had to purchase rockets in advance, increasing pressure because they had to spend points before earning them; any deficit would have to be made up using Eagle Buckets, at an unfavorable exchange rate.

In attacking these problems, Eagles could:

Use the equations of physics;
Locate a projectile simulator on the internet or
Pattern match parabolas.

The most dedicated teams could cross check answers from all three approaches.

Each Eagle group took a different path. Three groups made predictions for the tennis ball machine that were remarkably close to reality; the last two closed the gap after a misfire or two.

After success with the tennis ball machine, the water rocket experiment should have been a breeze. Simply apply the same equations and simulations a second time. Lesson learned: math is a “force multiplier” because it allows you to learn something once, and apply it again and again.

Here’s where the real world intervened. The water rocket predictions were 50% longer than the real world tests at 45 degrees. What had gone wrong? Guides were stumped.

The teams went back to their tracker programs, video tools that allow our young scientists to track the x-y position of a projectile at precise time intervals. They soon discovered that the rockets went up much faster than they came down, a discovery that made the simple projectile formulas useless.

Lots of conjecture followed: Was it that the two liter bottles lost mass as they rose? Did the rockets fall more slowly because they tumbled? Eagles drew from their experiences in mini experiments, began re-watching videos and checking the assumptions in formulas.

The room was humming with hypotheses being born. Formulas and simulators were tested with the new data. One team re-fired the rocket without water, to see if losing water mass really was the problem.

On an icy day when most schools had been dismissed for a snow day, our young scientists were out in the cold, firing rocket after rocket, trying desperately to squeeze in as many tests as possible.

This time the results fit with predictions! Eureka!

Our debrief centered on how good it felt for an experiment to succeed, and how dangerous this longing for validation was for real scientists. As one Eagle put it: “To be true to a scientific calling, you have to care more about truth than yourself.”

So real science is about never forgetting to “take the red pill.”

Quite a lesson indeed.

Rats, it’s a snow day!

February 6, 2014Culture, Parent's Meetingsandefer

Traditional schools have a difficult time with threatening weather. As complex bureaucracies with large workforces and administrators who take responsibility for the lives of others, traditional schools must make decisions about tomorrow’s snow and ice as as early as possible.

It’s a no-win situation. If school is cancelled and the weather turns warmer, students are thrilled to but some parents are angry. Many teachers are delighted to be away from the daily grind. All grumble when a make-up session is scheduled during the next holiday.

If school isn’t cancelled, and even one teacher, employee or family is involved in a wreck, school officials are criticized for not being more cautious. The skills of the least experienced driver or the trek of the most distant family set a cautious bar for everyone.

To make matters worse, there’s great pressure to keep traditional schools open because every lesson in a factory-like curriculum must be delivered in sequence to prepared for the next standardized test.

These conflicting pressures are why you see traditional schools closed at the slightest hint of frost one week, and then kept open in dangerous conditions the next, as educrats are whipsawed by public opinion.

We’re blessed at Acton Academy that we don’t have these problems. When bad weather threatens, we trust our families to make the decision that’s right for them. Likewise, parents know we’re more likely to be open when other schools are shuttered, because Guides and students love to be at Acton Academy.

Families who need certainty can just assume the worst and plan to stay home. With self paced, web enabled lessons and students who are far ahead in their learning, Eagles easily can learn a lot at home (or even take a month off to travel to an exciting place.)

Families who have the flexibility can wait and judge the weather themselves, confident than one of our Guides will be at school, unless conditions are too treacherous for all.

It makes a big difference when parents know that Eagles and Guides want to be at school, because it’s more fun than staying home. And that we can each trust each other to make the right decisions, instead of relying on a school bureaucrat to make our decisions for us.

Wickedly Open Ended Challenges

February 4, 2014Culture, Exhibition, Quests, Rocket Olympics, Science, Troublesandefer

What do our young heroes need the most in science:

A specialized vocabulary to discuss a technical subject clearly and intelligently;
The processes, formulas or equations to solve a clearly defined problem; or
The curiosity and tenacity to tackle a wickedly open ended question?

In a way, these three types of learning track our promises to parents:

Learn to know;
Learn to do;
Learn to be.

Is it better to learn about velocity, acceleration and gravity from watching skill based videos; experimenting for hours with deeply immersive simulations or learning through hands-on trial and error?

We’ve struggled to get Eagles to engage with pre-formed problems, which haven’t piqued their imaginations, even when disguised as demonstrations.

So we gave up, and in desperation posed a wickedly open ended challenge:

Use a tennis ball machine to shoot a ball straight up in the air.
Using only this experiment, predict how far a tennis ball will fly if the machine shoots a ball at 30, 45 and 70 degrees from the horizontal.

Suddenly, the teams were engaged. Some Eagles dove straight into algebra and geometry; others searched for a simulation that would help; some just kept plugging numbers into formulas hoping the answer would magically appear.

Before long, it was clear that there were three problems plaguing the teams:

A failure to define the problem and goal;
Not knowing how to find and use a process, framework, formula or tool to help; and
Interpersonal conflicts between team members.

The most damaging of these was the failure to define the problem and goal. For many Eagles it was fire, ready, aim. The second biggest problem was interpersonal conflicts between team members. A distant third was the difficulty of solving the problem, once properly defined.

Isn’t that the case in real life? Aren’t most colossal mistakes usually a failure to recognize the real problem? Aren’t the biggest blunders often a result of talking past each other? How often have arguments between team members doomed a project?

So at least for now, open ended problems seem to deliver the most powerful learning. Even if it is a frustrating and messy process for the Guides.

Soaring to the stars through simulations

February 4, 2014Quests, Rocket Olympics, Sciencesandefer

The simulations now available for learning about physics and astrophysics are mind boggling.

Kerbal Space Program lets you build rockets and fly them to distant planets – but only if you put in the hard work to master complex physics problems.

Universal Sandbox allows you to manipulate time and space in a way that makes the universe come alive, traveling side by side with a comet or a beam of light.

If you don’t believe the internet and simulations are going to change the way we learn physics and astrophysics, just spend some time with these tools and prepare for a powerful awakening.

Now it’s up to us to find a way to use these tools to inspire and equip our young heroes.

Zombie Tag Distraction

February 3, 2014Consequences, Core Skills, Culture, Distraction, Energy and flow, Guides, Troublesandefer

Building a self sustaining learning community is difficult.

Everyone begins with good intentions, but like entropy,intentionality almost always moves towards disorder. All will be diligently working, and then one bored studio-mate begins to amble about, distracting others. Like a game of Zombie-Tag, each person who is infected infects others, and attention and work ethic quickly crumble.

How do we reverse this entropy of learning potential without becoming controlling teachers? By clarifying rights and privileges, for Guides are allowed to insist that the covenants set by Eagles should be respected.

Eagles have the right to work individually and quietly on Core Skills, to meditate or even rest. Soon, however, most hit a flat spot with individual work. The going gets tough; an individual becomes tired or bored. He or she soon seeks the company of others.

Chance social interaction is like a quick sugar high, a cheap boost of energy. And while Eagles have the right to work hard individually or even to be bored, they do not have the right to distract others.

Middle Schoolers live for community. In fact, the love of community is far more motivating than the love of learning. That means that the privilege of collaborating can be used to encourage serious work.

Yet collaboration, poorly defined, becomes little more than hanging out with friends and frittering away time. Frittering away time is not a habit for heroes who want to change the world. So collaboration must be tightly defined as individuals, working toward a specific measurable goal, for a set period of time. Added to this antidote to bolster intentionality are weekly SMART goals and Long Term goals that cannot be adjusted on a whim.

we have created a new system to encourage and support these habits.

A Green Card means you have earned morning and afternoon breaks by being current with SMART goals (set and checked) and have reached your weekly Core Skills goals (reading, writing and math.) A Yellow Card means you have been respecting the rights of others to work without being distracted, and thus can collaborate with others if your are doing so in a SMART way.

Will this new approach work? Likely, only for a while. Yet it seems every step towards transparency and accountability more deeply imbeds the habits of grit and perseverance that will serve our young heroes well, and prepare them to create even more powerful systems themselves.

Rocket Scientists in Antarctica

January 24, 2014Quests, Rocket Olympics, Sciencesandefer

Acton Academy Middle Schoolers have been hard at work on a secret rocket fuel formula, at an undisclosed location near the South Pole.

OK. To tell the truth, Eagles are combining different kinds and temperatures of soda and mentos in one experiment and different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, soap and yeast in another, and measuring and comparing the results.

And while the temperatures were in the 30s Thursday, with a raging north wind, the Eagle scientists were in Austin, not Antarctica.

But Eagles are in the middle of a week long series of hands-on experiments, delving into physical and chemical processes, preparing for a battle where they’ll have to create the best mix to win the Rocket Competition on Monday (postponed from today because of ice.)

Perhaps more importantly, Eagles chose to work outside, in bitterly cold conditions, without being asked. You see, they have some pressing questions to explore.

The mark of true heroic scientists.

The Power of Process Drama

January 24, 2014Process Drama, Uncategorizedsandefer

Process Drama fuses imagination, improvisation and community. Sound mysterious? It is.

So what is the end result? In the words of one MS Eagle: “Character traits come to life and become habits, through imagination, action and adventure.”

In years past, local artistic genius Nat Miller generously donated his gifts as a Process Drama Guide. But if that guiding genius cannot be spread to others, it’s not replicable.

So this year Middle Schoolers have taken over as Process Drama Guides for the elementary school, to rave reviews by all.

Why has Eagle led Process Drama been such a hit? Again, in the words of a MS Eagle:

It matters. Imagination, creativity and character are an important part of a Hero’s Journey.
You must learn the process. But if you do, it works.
We are in charge. It’s something we create that transforms others.
Process drama is hard work, but also lots of fun.

An excellent set of criteria for any Acton Academy Quest.

Teaching and Learning at Acton – Without the Teaching

January 22, 2014Culture, Guidessandefer

What a terrific headline – the essence of Acton Academy in a few words.

A big “thank you” to Marie Bjerede for this article in Getting Smart for that sums up our approach to learning:

Learning to Write

January 22, 2014Core Skills, Writingsandefer

In a traditional school, learning to write means a paper filled with red marks; reading a textbook on grammar; or listening to an adult drone on and on about Faulkner (the distorted wah, wah, wah of Charlie Brown’s teacher comes to mind.)

At Acton Academy, the first step towards becoming a writer is developing a love of reading. Next comes journaling: getting observations, thoughts and feelings on paper to share with others. Group critique with warm and cool feedback serves as a catalyst for the difficult art of revision.

Yet, this somehow feels incomplete. At some point a writer needs to hone her or his word crafting skills. No Red Ink is an interactive program that helps with grammar, as do the best computer grammar checkers, but this is more about art than convention.

So we asked each Eagle to choose a specific type of word to research – a pronoun or adjective or even more specific term. Then to prepare a Prezi celebrating the word.

Pods of eight shared their creations, and voted on the two best presentations from each group. The semi-finalists from each pod shared with the entire studio.

The result – lots of enthusiasm. Full coverage of every type of word, several times over. Energy; sharing with peers and more finely honed tools: a fertile soil for cultivating powerful writers.

Far more powerful than a textbook, red marks or a droning adult.

A Confession: We Made Rocket Fuel Boring

January 22, 2014Quests, Rocket Olympics, Troublesandefer

Here’s a confession: Acton Guides made science boring this week. Even more difficult to believe, we made investigating rocket fuel boring. That should be next to impossible.

Don’t let the picture above fool you. Yes, there was more energy around the rocket fuel challenge today, but not as much as their should have been.

How did we blunder so?

We thought about which science topics were important.
Then we designed experiments.
Then we added videos and math.
Because we were afraid the challenge might not be exciting enough, we tried to correct with extrinsic rewards.

Wrong; wrong; wrong.

Science requires two key ingredients: curiosity and rigorously applying the scientific method. If you have a burning question that deeply motivates you, the tediousness of the scientific process isn’t a burden.

This brings up a more fundamental law of Acton Quest creation:

Curiosity + Relevance + Fun + Group Interaction >>> (must be far greater than) the difficulty of the process to learn and apply.

Boiling this into steps:

Find out what raises a burning question in the minds of the Eagles;
Make sure it matters to future heroes who will change the world.
Raise the energy level by encouraging collaboration.

The more difficult or complex the process to be learned, the more energy you need from Curiosity + Relevance + Fun + Group Interaction. (Note – be sure to remove as much confusion and as many technical frustrations – like computer programs that won’t load – as possible.)

If a process is technical or complex, break it into parts, or be sure you have a particularly compelling exhibition at the end.

We’ll start correcting course next week, starting with asking Eagles: “What are curious about in the world?”

That’s where we should have started. Why do Guides have to learn the same lessons, again and again?

Simulations, anyone?

January 15, 2014Quests, Rocket Olympicssandefer

This week Eagles are deeply involved in hands-on experiments involving projectile travel. After all, if you want to win a Rocket Olympics, you need to know how to aim.

Understanding projectile travel is no easy task. It means measuring the velocity of a projectile leaving your catapult, and using an equation to predict how far the projectile will travel. It requires a working knowledge of algebra and struggling with high school level Khan videos.

Once our Eagles have built and tested their catapults and digested the theory and mathematics, it will be time to experiment with the art of simulation. Do the experimental results confirm or call into question the equations? Do the equations confirm the simulation?

Finally, given a new set of targets and the simulation, can you find the right settings to hit a real world target with your catapult, in only one try? That’s putting science to work.

If you want to try the simulation, go here: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/projectile-motion

If you want to have some real fun, check out the 100 or so other simulations. And then imagine how much fun you could have designing hands-on science projects that use these.

What’s the impact of “Bell Lab level” intentionality?

January 15, 2014Culture, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Guides, Quests, Rocket Olympics, Sciencesandefer

Discoveries, inventions and innovations from Bell Labs shaped the modern world.

Today a test of scientific intentionality: Eagles were asked to imagine that the cameras in the studio were turned on, and that scientists from Bell Labs were watching. Could we achieve a “Bell level” of intentionality all afternoon? If so, how much more work could be accomplished than on an average day?

Those who didn’t want to take the challenge were asked to work outside, in silent Core Skills.

By the end of the day, a survey was taken. Eagles believed they accomplished 50% more work than on a normal day.

What’s the cumulative value of a 50% increase in output, if each day of learning builds on the last? In a week you would have learned 17.5 times as much.

Surely overstated, but consider for a moment people who are committed to a cause. Don’t they get far more done than the average person?

Grit, perseverance and intentionality trump IQ, every time. Just one of the many reasons the Hero’s Journey is so important – especially for world changing scientists.

“Best Work” in Science

January 15, 2014Culture, Energy and flow, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Quests, Rocket Olympics, Science, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

What does it mean to do your “best work” in science?

Is it diligently repeating ancient experiments? Carefully watching a few simple demonstrations? Neat and tidy documentation? Or simply open ended inquiries?

Which is more likely to spark a love of discovery? Which will develop the grit and perseverance required of world changing scientists? Which will better prepare Heroes for the 21st century?

Here’s a page from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks:

Here’s a collection of our Eagles scientific output, as they struggle to document their findings in hands-on experiments involving gravity and projectiles. Is this a mess or an example of genius at work?

Today we discussed the criteria for best scientific work, by comparing the output from the Eagles with da Vinci’s work. The Eagles’ criteria for “best work” in science:

Curiosity: The question must be interesting.
Clarity: Ten out of ten people must be able to understand the results.
Beauty: The notes should be organized and presented in a visually pleasing way.

So what do you believe defines “best work” in science? An interesting question.

Calling Google, Amazon and Apple

January 12, 2014Core Skills, Culture, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Math, Quests, Science, Scientific Creators Inventors and Innovatorssandefer

Eagles seeking an apprenticeship with Google , Amazon or Apple likely will be given a difficult, open ended problem, like: “How many cows are in Canada?”

It’s not the answer that matters, but the quality of the thinking.

On Friday Eagles were challenged with a difficult physics problem. If given the experimental set up above, and d2 (the distance of the cup), can you solve for h1, the height from which to drop the ball?

No trial and error experiments were allowed. No equations or cookbook theories were offered. Eagles had only four tries at three different d2 distances, and each try was expensive (25 pts) relative to the payoff (100 pts.)

All week we worked on physics experiments that involved Newton’s Laws of Motion, the Four Fundamental Forces and the Scientific Method. Careful observation and a lot of thought might have led one college student out of a hundred to the right approach for Friday’s competition, and an equation to solve this problem, using theory alone.

Can you solve it? (Hint – consider horizontal velocity and gravity separately.)

No Eagle came up with the perfect solution. But many theories were proposed and tested. Lots of frustration. Human error turned out to be important. So did working effectively as a team. Two teams came close enough that their theories helped predict h1 during the competition.

In other words, our Eagles learned a lot about how science really works, not how it works in textbook experiments. When you become a hero charged with launching real rockets, in the real world, this distinction will make all the difference.

Who knows, it might even land an apprenticeship with a private space entrepreneur like Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson or Elon Musk.

Shhhh! Skunk Works Ahead

January 12, 2014Independent Learner, Quests, Sciencesandefer

aa ms 1.12.14

See the photos above? It’s a skunk works – an off limits lab – operating deep inside Acton Academy.

So what’s going on behind these walls? Well, with a skunk works, so that’s supposed to be a secret. But given that Acton is an open source lab, it probably wouldn’t hurt to tell you.

Inside these walls, three Acton Eagle middle schoolers are working on a Quest for the week of January 20^th. And at another undisclosed location, a second team of three Eagles is hard at work on the following week’s curriculum. A third team will start soon.

Middle school Eagles creating curriculum? It’s one thing to believe Eagles can govern their own studios; quite another to believe they can create their own Challenges and Quests. But we believe they can.

That’s why Eagle teams will be working for the next few weeks with world-class game designed Jesse Jacobson, creating curriculum together so Jesse can create a prototype of a curriculum creation game, to inspire and equip Guides and Eagles to create their own Quests.

Just think of the power of young heroes who can imagine an interesting problem, and then design a way to inspire others to learn the skills and frameworks needed to solve it.

Just remember. It’s a secret. So don’t tell anyone.

More Acton Academies to Open in the Fall of 2014

January 12, 2014Acton Academy Expansionsandefer

Acton Academy Campus

We closed the first round of the Acton Academy expansion contest, awarding the right to open Acton Academies in London and Washington DC and two more AA’s in Austin (North and South.)

A second round of the contest will close in March 31^st, with the possibility of adding a few more schools to the mix next year.

The more Acton Academies, the more experiments we can run. As we’ve learned from Acton Academy Guatemala and Southern California, all of this speeds up the disruption of the status quo.

Rockets, planets and atoms – Oh my!

January 7, 2014Big-Small Science, Questssandefer

Today we started our “Big and Small” quest, designed to explore the question of whether Eagles are more motivated “feeling small” in an infinite universe or “feeling big” in a microscopic one.

For the next six weeks, our eagles will be tackling difficult challenges in Cosmology, Physics and Chemistry, preparing for a Rocket Olympics the week of February 10th where they will launch rockets (purchased with Eagle Bucks) competing on height, distance, accuracy, beauty and design.

Along the way, they’ll be learning the practical and theoretical power Newton’s Laws, the Four Fundamental Forces and the Scientific Method.

Today we started with simple “table cloth” and “dropping object” challenges to experience inertia, gravity and the Scientific Method firsthand, with the results probed in a Socratic discussion.

All of this will prepare our Eagles for a Friday competition that will take cunning and logic – as well as serious attention the the Scientific Method – to win.

When Edtech Meets Montessori – Kids Rule

December 25, 2013Acton Academy Expansion, Culturesandefer

Edtech is a Gates Foundation sponsored publication, in a way the New York Times of the disruptive education movement.

Acton Academy is featured on today’s front page:

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-11-20-when-edtech-meets-montessori-kids-rule-edtech

Celebrating Our Last Friday Adventure for the Year

December 21, 2013Celebration, Hero's Journeysandefer

How do you motivate a hero? That remains our overarching question for the year.

Often the Hero’s Journey is seen as a solitary one, a series of challenges for the individual. But in truth, it’s almost always taken in community, and serving others brings a sense of satisfaction and joy that prepares a hero to reach even loftier heights.

Today, in our final Friday Adventure for the session, we put entrepreneurship aside to celebrate by caroling in the neighborhood.

From Acton Academy elementary, to the train station, to a hospice, to an art gallery to a local church, our Eagles delivered songs and holiday cheer to our neighbors.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Welcome back Ellie!

December 17, 2013CultureElliesandefer

One of the advantages of a 21st Century education is that once the learning community is formed and solidified, you can stay in touch with studio-mates and work from anywhere in the world.

Two of our Eagles have been on an around the world adventure for the last six months, working on Khan and journaling from the road and occasionally dropping in for a discussion via Skype.

Today, Ellie returned, to cheers and hugs all around.

Welcome back Ellie – we missed you!

Feliz Eagle Bucks

December 17, 2013Celebration, Culture, Eagle Buck-Ptssandefer

Having a classmate ask for an Eagle Buck is a great way to remind a studio-mate to follow through on his or her commitments in the Contract of Promises. In fact, just as in the real economy, it’s difficult to imagine how civil society can function without a currency of some sort.

From time to time, however, excess of Eagle Bucks can build up in the system. If there are too many bucks in circulation, they lose their value, and intentionality suffers.

Today Eagles were given the choice to redeem Eagle Bucks for: (1) sports equipment for the class; (2) a cookie party or(3) donating to the less fortunate.

Thanks to the generosity of the Eagles and the ingenuity of Oxfam America, two chickens, two goats, a sheep and assorted water cans are now on their way to less fortunate families in Africa.

What a great way to spend excess Eagle Buck liquidity.

Besting the Acton MBA’s

December 14, 2013Entrepreneurship, Quests, Socraticsandefer

The air was electric with intentionality and seriousness. Fifteen Acton Eagles had earned the right on Friday to prepare an Acton MBA case, and discuss it in the Acton MBA Socratic amphitheater.

Just before the launch, the Eagles learned the session was being taped and would be seen by the incoming MBA class, as a challenge to see who could have the most powerful Socratic Discussion. Game On!

Mason’s opening was crisp and on point. Claire’s counter equally powerful. Soon each Eagle was thoughtfully listening, responding, disagreeing or adding evidence.

The deep lessons from the Acton sims: Robo-rush (bootstrapping); Lemonade stand (customer needs); Cha-Ching (sales funnels); Pricepoint (pricing); Fistful of Dollars (working capital and cash flow) and Galactic Zappers (assembly lines) could be heard in every comment. So could the impact of the Acton MBA notes our Eagles had read and the entrepreneurship outings in the real world.

“My lemonade stand has a low break even and a rapid payout.”

“Should we price low or high?”

“What other substitutes would satisfy the same customer need?”

“Should we use an artisan production process or an assembly line or the Toyota cell method?”

“How do we defend against competition?”

Any class of Harvard or Acton MBA’s would have been wowed.

But the most impressive comments were those at the end of the day:

“When can we do that again?”

“That was the best adventure so far. We should earn the right to learn like that again.”

“Can we create a makeshift Socratic amphitheater at Acton Academy?”

“We need to work harder on our own intentionality and Socratic process. Can we start preparing cases for Civilization.”

“I’ve never had an hour and a half fly by so fast.”

“That was so much FUN!”

Stop and ponder this for a while. Middle schoolers so excited about thinking and learning that they were begging for more work to do.

It just doesn’t get much better than that.

The Keys to the City States

December 11, 2013Collaboration, Consequences, Culture, Town Hallsandefer

Today, inspired by the Eagles, we embark on a new governance experiment.

The Council has appointed six mayors, each with jurisdiction over a geographic area of the class.

Mayors must enforce the general rules of the studio, including: “No horseplay or running;” “ No noise or behavior that distracts from intentionality in other areas” and “No snarkiness towards people in other areas.”

Any additional rules and consequences must be posted and mayors have the right to ask serial offenders to move to a territory. A neighboring Mayor or Council Member may ask a Mayor for an Eagle Buck if the behavior of his or her citizens negatively impacts others.

Mayors serve at the pleasure of the Council, and may be asked to resign at any time, for any reason. Of course, Council Members are subject to recall too.

In Civilization we are finishing our sequence on 19^th century America, including the Civil War and Reconstruction. Today we placed the Eagles in the shoes of President Andrew Johnson, and asked what they would have done to bring reluctant Southern States back into the fold, while protecting the rights of minorities.

Now Eagles get to put their ideas into action. Will more lenient Mayors attract a larger number of citizens or will a lack of intentionality lead to a collapse of an entire district?

Let the experiment begin.

“Coffecake is for Closers”

December 10, 2013Entrepreneurship, Exhibition, Questssandefer

“Coffecake is for closers!”*

Why are these Eagles smiling?

First, each qualified for this week’s adventure by completing a difficult weekly Challenge Envelope; only four Eagles out of twenty four made the cut.

Secondly, each earned a treat by having the courage to peddle their Bestselling books, approaching. pitching and closing complete strangers at the local mall.**

Reading, writing and mathematics, valuable skills in today’s world. The ability to create, communicate, critically think and sell – priceless!

* Extra credit if you can identify the movie that inspired this quote.

** Don’t worry, Guides were keeping a watchful eye.

Lord of the Flies Returns

December 10, 2013Consequences, Culture, Distraction, Energy and flow, Guides, Troublesandefer

Today was complete chaos in the studio; Lord of the Flies; a lack of intentionality.

It was cold and wet Eagles couldn’t burn off energy outside. We were coming off the difficult American Revolution experience; Colonists had lost and there was lots of “bad energy” in the classroom. Even worse, a group had earned the right to another “roll of the Revolutionary Die” by doing extra work, and had lost a second time. Emotions were high, the Eagles on edge.

On Eagle failed to turn in an assignment on time and a Council member intervened on her behalf, pleading for leniency because of a computer glitch. Several Eagles protested that an exception would be lowering the standards; the vote was close to protect the standards.

The Intentionality Champion tried to reign in the Eagles but was ignored, partly because he equivocated and rambled. The studio become noisier and more chaotic. One Guide stepped over the line by refusing to show a visitor around the studio, because the chaos was embarrassing.

Then something miraculous happened. The Eagles began to self-reorganize. A new curtain was used to separate the room (one Eagle compared it to the Berlin wall.) Eagles, having found during the Revolutionary War that desks separated from each other seemed to lead to more intentionality. Individuals began moving desks into private clusters.

Eagles got back to work; the noise level dropped to a whisper. One group later requested to be allowed to leave for the High School to establish an even more intentional space.

The lessons? Almost too many to count:

Hard cases make for bad law. An unfair case, especially one that makes you want to bend the rules as a leader, can lead to a conflict between Justice (treat everyone the same) and Virtue (do what is right). A real world example of the Moral Frameworks we discussed last week.
Leaders must be clear, tough and uncompromising; but this is hard to do when you have to make rulings about your friends.
State’s Rights versus Federal Rights. Exactly what we have saw in the Civil War. Having small groups experiment leads to new discoveries, but risks fraying the principles that hold our Eagles together.
Above all, self rule by the Eagles may be the most important learning experience of all, if a Guide can ask the questions that lead to deeper lessons.

What should a Guide do? This is where being a Guide becomes an art.

Praise in private. Praise the leaders who took tough stands. Applaud their courage in holding the line. Encourage them to step up even more.
Constructively criticize to unveil the principles at stake in private. The Eagle who wanted to bend the rules for a friend needs to understand where this could head. The Eagle Champion who equivocated and rambled needs to understand how this affects his power.
Encourage Eagles to return to their frameworks and contracts when in doubt. Appeal to identity.
Set forth the historical examples above, and ask Eagles to describe the parallels in the studio. But don’t push too hard. Ask questions that demand difficult choices; don’t give answers.
Point out the power – and the danger – of separate communities. Encourage Eagles to protect the individual rights of the group without diluting the principles that make them a powerful learning community.

Tomorrow should be a day of deep discovery. Because being willing to endure chaos led to even more self rule, which will lead to more powerful revelations that a Hero can use. The Eagles earned their lessons.

From a Bestselling Book to the Academy Awards

December 9, 2013Book Publishing, Communications, Core Skills, Exhibition, Quests, Storytelling, Writingsandefer

Frank Eakin and his family rediscovered the nineteenth book 12 Years as a Slave and helped turn it into an award winning movie.

On Friday Frank Eakin shared his Hero’s Story with our middle school Eagles via Skype, giving tips such as:

Make sure your book is different and stands out. 99% of books don’t sell more than 1,000 copies.
The right cover art and extras help a book sell itself.
Use inexpensive E-book editions to encourage first adopters.
Having a celebrity like Brad Pitt or Louis Gossett Jr. take an interest in your project can help spread the word, without advertising.

Maybe one day soon we’ll be walking down the red carpet with one of our Eagles!

The Revolt of the American Colonists has been suppressed. Long live King George!

December 5, 2013American Revolution, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Questssandefer

What’s the difference between a revolution and a revolt? Between Patriots and Rebels? Whether you win or lose, for victors write the history.

Today, the revolt of the American Colonists failed.

We began the day reviewing other revolutionary heroes and revolutions: Mahatma Gandhi; Martin Luther King; Kent State; the Fall of the Berlin Wall; Tienanmen Square.

It started to sink in that revolutions weren’t fun and games – not at all. Real people, brave people, fought and died; sometimes it seemed for nothing at all. Often they were students.

Our Eagles grew increasingly uncomfortable as King George III’s edicts became more burdensome. Even those loyal to the King grew disenchanted with his continually rising taxes and irksome demands. Requiring Eagles to put their desks in rows was the last straw!

Given the real world consequences, Eagles learned that defying a Royal Edict would result in solitary confinement (behind a cardboard partition;) left only with a pen and a sheet of paper, like Reverend King and his Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

Any violation of the rules of solitary confinement would result in being sent home.

Several Eagles eventually did draw the King’s wrath and enter solitary confinement.

Finally the Continental Congress submitted its Declaration of Independence.

After several passes the brave Rebels mustered a two thirds majority who pledged pledging their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.

It was time to roll the die to see if the revolution had succeeded or failed.

The roll – a 4. The revolution had failed.

A second roll, to determine the length of time the King’s war reparations would be endured by the Colonists. A 6 – the maximum sentence of seven months.

The revolt had failed, put down by the Redcoats.

But the lessons endured. Because no matter how brave the heroes, it’s not about winning or losing, but having the courage to give it your all, no matter what the outcome.

“Sire, the colonists are revolting.”

December 4, 2013American Revolution, Collaboration, Consequences, Covenants, Culture, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Questssandefer

Today, the revolutionary plot thickened.

One by one, edicts restricting educational freedom arrived from King George III.

Edict One: On hearing the Royal Buzzer, subjects must assemble within one minute.

Edict Two: Before breaks in the schedule, line up in order of height and sing “God save the King.”

Edict Three: One Khan Academy skill must be mastered per day – from home — or a tax of one Eagle Buck must be paid.

Each Eagle did deep research on three eighteenth century American colonists: two Patriots and one Loyalist. Then choosing to stand in the shoes of one of these revolutionary leaders, wrote a petition to the King, asking for the edicts to stop. Some letters were respectful; others threatening; all were critiqued by the group and the most historically accurate and powerful letters chosen to post.

Soon the class learned that they could pass an Educational Declaration of Independence by a two thirds vote. But declaring such a revolution would lead to the rolling of a six sided die: a roll of a 1 or 2 and the revolution would succeed and all educational freedoms would be restored; a more likely 3, 4, 5 or 6 and the revolution would fail. If the revolution failed, a second die would determine whether a onerous set of penalties would be imposed by the King for as short as three weeks or as long as seven month.

The Eagles were in a bind; just like the American colonists of 1776. Yet the edicts kept coming.

Edict Four required Eagles to remain silently seated at a their desks.

Edict Five asked Eagles to raise a hand to ask permission from a Guide for even the most trivial request.

Edict Six meant a one Eagle Buck tax on lunch.

The usually light atmosphere became oppressive. The furious colonists began to fight amongst themselves, suggesting traitors in their midst (some did try to sell out to the King, asking for special treatment.)

Some Eagles put on war paint to prepare their own Tea Party.

Revolutionary committees formed and emotional speeches rang out.

Eventually six delegates were elected to the Continental Congress; some intent on war; others recommending careful negotiation. All hid their identities when a representative of the King appeared, fearing retribution from the monarch.

The day ended with no resolution and more edicts expected tomorrow – perhaps even a revolution and a fateful roll of the die – especially given this final silent Mocking-jay protest against tyranny (you have to have seen The Hunger Games to get this one!)