Holistic Learning Outcomes (HLOs):
At Explorations Academy, we have high standards for our students, not just for their academics, but for their development as creative, informed, and self directed human beings. The following are the guiding objectives and values around which we center all of our programs and curriculum. By practicing and embodying these values our students are able to make meaningful contributions to the world now and in the future.
PERSONAL
Character Strength
- Become confident and self-reliant in the pursuit of self understanding
- Be willing to engage with new experiences and ideas and continually explore one’s orientation in the world
- Be intentional in bringing about personal change in physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual realms
- Demonstrate integrity through words and actions
- Cultivate resilience: be willing to learn from failure
Executive Functioning Skills
- Plan, execute, and evaluate assigned and self-designed activities
- Develop strategies to access, assess and apply new information
- Construct systems to organize responsibilities and follow through with commitments
- Express ideas, arguments, and beliefs articulately in written and spoken form
- Develop strong quantitative skills and financial literacy
Creative Aptitudes
- Effectively use a variety of tools and media for meaningful self-expression
- Appreciate aesthetic expression and the role of art in creating and influencing culture
- Produce functional objects using a variety of tools and technologies
- Develop passion and motivation through work that holds personal meaning
- Cultivate a variety of approaches to problem solving
SOCIAL
Interpersonal Skills
- Develop interpersonal skills in the areas of collaboration, communication and conflict resolution
- Practice and develop skills to succeed both as a leader and team member
- Practice compassion, empathy, and forgiveness in relationships with others
- Effectively and clearly advocate for one’s needs
Community Responsibility
- Contribute to the health and sustainability of one’s immediate community in meaningful ways
- Understand social systems and the roles individuals play in maintaining and/or changing them
- Identify and participate in addressing community needs
Technological Systems
- Develop proficiency in ancient, traditional, and emerging technologies
- Think critically about the interdependence of technology and culture
- Demonstrate an informed and intentional use of social media
GLOBAL
Multiculturalism
- Understand and appreciate the diversity and commonalities of the human experience
- Develop competency in communicating in a language other than English
- Seek to examine and understand the influence of one’s inherited cultural paradigms
Geopolitical Systems
- Develop an awareness of systems of privilege, power, race and gender both in how these systems are maintained and changed and their effects on individuals and society
- Analyze historical and contemporary world issues from multiple cultural, political, economic, and sociological perspectives
- Participate consciously in political and economic systems and be able to articulate the consequences of personal political action
Ecological Sustainability
- Explore and appreciate the complexity of natural systems
- Analyze the role of human beings in sustaining and destroying ecological systems
- Gain an understanding of the inequities in the world and the effects that the choices of individuals, cultures, and political systems have in affecting others’ quality of life.