Capstone: An Acton Academy

Character becomes destiny.  

It's the Acton Academy educational philosophy.  

Some things just can't be "taught;" they are learned through modeling + experience.   

Through hero stories, daily Socratic Discussion, goal setting, badge plans, studio responsibilities, running partner accountability, growth mindset language, public exhibitions, written promises, and more, our Heroes are given daily opportunity to practice thinking and decision making, experience real-world consequence, and establish right habits at an early age.  

By creating an environment that equips learners with real-life learning opportunities, the Acton Learning Model allows space for individual character to be cultivated and developed - ultimately setting the foundation for life.  

"I do not teach my pupils.  I only provide the conditions in which they can learn."  
- Albert Einstein

Character becomes destiny. It's the Acton Academy educational philosophy.

Some things just can't be "taught;" they are learned through modeling + experience.

Through hero stories, daily Socratic Discussion, goal setting, badge plans, studio responsibilities, running partner accountability, growth mindset language, public exhibitions, written promises, and more, our Heroes are given daily opportunity to practice thinking and decision making, experience real-world consequence, and establish right habits at an early age.

By creating an environment that equips learners with real-life learning opportunities, the Acton Learning Model allows space for individual character to be cultivated and developed - ultimately setting the foundation for life.

"I do not teach my pupils. I only provide the conditions in which they can learn."
- Albert Einstein

Capstone provides a 21st-Century learning environment using the latest in educational technology for self-paced mastery of Core Skills: reading, writing, elective courses, and math skills. Young learners work daily at their own pace and move on to the next level only after the content has been mastered, which ensures there are no learning gaps.

When it comes to learning, we believe in the power of balance and technology is embraced as a tool - never as a toy. Nicholas Kardaras, author of Glow Kids says it well:

“Digital vegetables can be a healthy use of screens (researching a term paper), while digital candy (Minecraft, Candy Crush) are hyperarousing and dopamine-activating digital stimulants without any ostensible 'health benefit'.”

Using incredible, self-paced eLearning platforms (digital vegetables! 🥕🥬🥦), the Capstone learning environment provides the rigor needed for learning math, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, all in about 90-120 minutes each day! The remainder of the day is spent participating in engaging in hands-on, collaborative project-based learning.

The combination of these two learning day parts is highly complementary, effective, and absolutely necessary in equipping our young heroes for a world that is rapidly changing.