Education Model

Education Model

Why the FlexTech Education Model?
We do not need to look far to see that conventional schools and classrooms across this country are not keeping pace with students’ rapidly-changing lives. It only requires adults to reflect on what life was like for them as adolescents compared to what young people experience today.
 
Students interact with each other and the world through a rich, complex and technologically advanced landscape. Students are more creative, eager and passionate than ever because of the information at their fingertips and the large global community of which they are members. Yet when they come to school, they are largely met by the growing shortcomings of conventional education methods. What we often hear from students is that our traditional school systems seem irrelevant, antiquated and often out of tune with their world.
 
While this may still be the case in many schools across the county, FlexTech is a part of an exciting wave of aspirational change taking place in classrooms and school districts across the globe. We at FlexTech Education have been reimagining what students and teachers are capable of doing for over 10 years. Our educational model fosters student agency and ownership through relevant, project-based curriculum and flexible course schedules. Our schools are built around strong advisory programs, where we pair students with caring adult advocates who support them throughout high school and set them up for post-secondary success. Let us help you bring your own vision for next generation learning to life. FlexTech Education draws on its legacy of success at three different FlexTech schools to help you reimagine education for your own community. The following five pillars of innovation distinguish FlexTech High Schools from other school models:

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. Research shows that PBL can promote student learning and may be more effective than traditional instruction in social studies, science, mathematics, and literacy. PBL builds 21st century learning skills like critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration.These are important skills that students need to thrive in college and career. PBL requires students to think deeply about an interdisciplinary problem over a sustained period of time, which mirrors the workplace environment. Thus, preparing them for the careers of the 21st century.

Community Partnerships

At FlexTech, the community is the classroom, and we expect students to explore real-world issues, solve industry problems, and partner with community organizations to build skills for the future. FlexTech High Schools invest in building enduring community partnerships that support and inspire students during and after high school. 

Student Agency

Our educational model cultivates student agency so that students learn how to take an active role in their education. What do we mean by student agency? In short, agency is when students engage in meaningful decisions and processes related to their learning. To elaborate on these processes, we subscribe to Education Reimagined’s definition of agency that includes four student actions: goal-setting, action towards goals, reflection and revision, and internalized self-efficacy. Some examples of student agency at FlexTech include having voice and choice in projects, designing flexible course schedules, and participating in student-led committees to influence school culture. 

Relationships

Our Advisory program, which is designed to generate strong and healthy relationships across the school community, is the cornerstone of our schools. Advisory is a block of time during the day where students connect with their advisor, participate in skill development and team building activities, and engage in purpose-driven exercises to plan for meaningful and fulfilling futures. Advisors lead a cohort of 12-16 students and serve as the cohort’s advocate for the duration of high school. The advisor-student relationship is a sacred and essential part of the FlexTech experience. In addition to Advisory, our teachers and staff members leverage the power of adult relationships to support, guide, and motivate students.

21st Century Skills

To put it broadly, 21st century learning is a term used to describe an approach to educating students so that they are able to thrive in a modern, fluid, technology-driven society. Students have to cultivate skills and dispositions like adaptability, resilience, cultural competence, digital literacy, critical thinking, and collaboration in order to contribute and find meaning in our current global context. A 21st century education is a comprehensive curriculum, instruction and assessment framework that helps students practice these skills and dispositions by engaging in authentic problem-solving. The FlexTech program uses a 21st century approach to education to increase student engagement and success. These 21st century skills and dispositions are woven through the student experience at FlexTech. 
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