The Acton Method
Acton's Learner-Driven Community puts children at the center of their learning. This allows them to create and maintain personal goals and relational covenants, as they Learn to Learn, Learn to Do, and Learn to Be.
Core Skills
Learners master the foundations of reading, writing, and math during their daily Core Skills time. We replace mundane test preparation, rote memorization, and unsatisfying motivators like grades with self-paced mastery through a blend of hands-on and online learning tools.
Reading: Heroes learn to love reading by being given the freedom to read anything they enjoy — even comic books.
Writing: Our primary communication focus is on writing, but learners experiment with film, photography, speech-making, and apprenticeship sales pitches.
Math: Math skills are delivered by game-based adaptive programs like Khan Academy, and through collaborative games.
Hands-On Challenges
Learning to do means making practical decisions in the real world to accomplish great tasks as a way to change the world.
Quests: A four to six-week series of learning challenges and role plays, ending with a public Exhibition where learners show the world their development of 21st-century skills.
Whether it's launching a startup business through the Entrepreneurship Quest, planting and managing a garden, competing in a Greek Olympics, or programming a robot, learners build real-life skills through hands-on projects.
Civilization: Twice a week, learners dive into history, politics, and economics.
Art: Learners explore art of all kinds from the classics to modern niches.
Character Development
Traditional education asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At Acton, learners ask, “Who do I want to be?”
Launches/Socratic Discussions: Each morning and mid-day, learners circle up for mini-Socratic discussions focused on character development.
Studio Maintenance: The learners own their space, and they keep it clean.
Character Callouts: Learners close each day calling others out for the heroic things they've done.
Learner-Driven: Our adults aren't teachers, they're Guides, and the role of the Guide is to be as small as possible.