Why are so many students struggling in traditional school settings? Why are so many hardworking educators stuck approaching learning the same way? If you have pondered these questions at all, then you have already started defining your vision for a microschool.
The first and most critical step in establishing a microschool is to define your vision. That vision requires that you understand your why, your what, and your how: your motivation for starting a school, your definition of success, and how you will achieve your goals.
The Why
- Who is your community and what do the students in that community need?
- What do you want to do to meet those needs?
- How does your approach to learning set you apart from others?
The What
Once you have your ‘why’, a good next step is to articulate ‘what’ you believe success looks like. It’s often helpful to define three sets of items:
- Intended outcomes
- Metrics to measure the outcomes
- Your target
The How
Another way to think about how your school will deliver the ‘what’ is by defining ‘how’ the following components will interact. Your school will combine different elements in a unique way to deliver a differentiated and high-quality learning experience. Take a look at the examples below:
- Curriculum: How will students learn basic knowledge and skills? Are you planning to build your own curriculum or use existing online or homeschool curricula?
- Pedagogy: Will you teach the curriculum or will students learn at their own pace?
- Application: How do you make the learning come to life through projects and other activities?
- Student Experience: How do you facilitate your students' socialization and enable them to build relationships and friendships?
- Family experience: How will you include families in your school and their child's learning journey?
- Other things: Where will your school be located? What will the indoor and outdoor space look like? What is your student/teacher ratio? Think of all the things that make your school unique and a difference to families.
If you want to hit the ground running and keep your momentum, you have to be ready to communicate your vision effectively.
