Pedagogical Philosophy - why we believe in what we are doing

The Academy believes that students should love coming to school. We believe that learning is a holistic undertaking that goes far beyond a 75 minute period marked by two bells. We understand, through experience and research, that students learn better when they are engaged in the topics. They learn better when they have a true sense of ownership of their work. They learn better when the outcomes of their hard work has real world relevance, from public exhibitions to tangible community projects and impact. 

We believe The Academy can be a leader in how we can do school better. We have designed a day that is structured around the science of how teenagers learn. We have built a program that incorporates the ministry of Education’s curriculum for courses, but elevates the school day around it. We will leverage the local communities expertise to offer real projects based in our community. We will leverage our local environment to spend meaningful time learning about and finding ways to care for the future of our planet. 

We also recognize that we are preparing the students for a life beyond our school. We do not teach them so that they can earn a diploma, we aim to teach them so they can succeed in the world beyond us. As our students take on their own work and challenges, from OVS school courses, to community developed projects, we will guide and support their own learning journey and building of tools and techniques that will serve them now and into the future. 

Our philosophies of pedagogy and practice come from a combination of leading research in traditional and alternative education as well as research on youth development, mental health and global initiatives towards a sustainable future. We intend to continue learning and evolving these best practices with our students as GB Prep moves into the future. 

Written by Co-Founder, Joride Burton