our method

The Whole Life Charter School is targeting a particular student population and offering a program that must at once address the social and emotional needs of students in that population, help our students each discover effective personal strategies to manage their learning differences and, in that, freeing the student to focus on meeting the academic requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and, most importantly, helping that student prepare for the expectations that will be made of them in college and beyond.

It’s a big goal. To that end, we have worked to design a program that has the flexibility necessary to individualize each student’s education while concurrently providing structure enough to manage that degree of individualization. Our final design, completed after many drafts, was informed by several successful school models and educational philosophies and incorporates:

• Project-based learning (informed by the work of the Buck Institute and a number of progressive schools across the country) and supported by academic project management software. In Lower School (grades 4-6), students will work on complex, interdisciplinary, 12 week long explorations formulated and led by a team of WLCS educators. Lower School students will also design, build and operate a complete economy through the MicroSociety program where they develop business as varied as theatre groups, bicycle repair shoppes and newspapers, establish governance, governmental services and tax rates, and design and manufacture products and build storefronts in which to market them. As they move through Middle School (grades 6-9), these projects deepen in complexity and rigor as students work side by side with faculty teams to assist in their project’s design. Middle school students will also spend time completing group service projects of their own design. Once enrolled in our Upper School (grades 10-12), students take the lead in designing and completing unique projects based on their individual areas of interest. At the time a WLCS student graduates, he or she will be fully prepared to meet the challenges of the most rigorous colleges and work environments.
• A real-world component (informed by the work of the Big Picture Company) that will give our students opportunities to access and explore outside the walls of the the classroom. Our youngest students will work in groups side-by-side with practitioners in a variety of professions. Middle school students will formulate team based service projects that offer real benefits to the world beyond the walls of the school. High school students will be required to develop yearly internships with professionals practicing in occupational area of interest to the unique student.
• A heavy focus on computers and technology. Informed by the early work of the Minnesota New Country School (part of the Edvisions School Network), each student will have a computer conveniently located at his/her desk. We plan to use computers in five basic ways:
  1. students struggling with learning disabilities for which assistive technologies are proven to be helpful will have training in their use and constant access to the tools each student needs
  2. teaching apps will allow students to move at their own pace
  3. student management and data gathering applications will help our advisors oversee their students and keep communication flowing to each students’ learning team (the student and the students parents, tutors and instructors) so that needed intervention can be managed in the most timely manner
  4. as portals to the world of information.
  5. as tools for creation (anything that you can imagine and that can be done with these amazing tools)
• Direct teaching. We don’t believe that we have to completely abandon traditional methods in order to create a unique learning experience. Traditional classroom teaching methods will be used to convey a majority of the mathematical and scientific concepts that our students will initially encounter. However, we will allow our students to present what they have learned using methods additional to tests and written reports. Students may also present their mastered skills in ways that are consistent with their learning styles.

There is a great deal more to know about the educational method we designed for our students. Additional descriptions can be found on the following pages:

• how we’ll teach
  
• what we’ll teach
  
• the school day
  
• additional resources

Of course, if you still have questions and want to know more about the Whole Life Charter School, please call us at 215.517.5331 and speak with one of our representatives.