What is Praxis Academy at Bellevue Christian School?

 

Learning can be a little like baking a cake from scratch without a recipe.  In general we know the basic ingredients but the quantity of ingredients and the order in which they are mixed may make a great tasting cake or a miserable failure.  Moreover, educating young people is even more dynamic in that each student is like a different kind of cake, uniquely created and gifted by God.  Praxis Academy is one more way that Bellevue Christian acknowledges the giftedness of all students and is determined to meet their unique needs. 

 

Praxis teachers work with gifted students seeking to learn what matters in a nontraditional environment.  All students are uniquely gifted.  A classroom of students has a huge variety of aptitudes.  Traditional schools place too much emphasis on a finite amount of content and a select number of skills.  Even Einstein struggled in a traditional school.  Students need to be given a voice so we know how each can best learn.  Learning is a great thing, and when challenged appropriately, students will learn as much as they can.  Students need more from their classes not less and need to do work that matters.  Schools need to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in their students because we live in a world created and sustained by God.

 

Praxis students will be challenged to develop their individual skills through an integrated curriculum for English, science, social studies, and mathematics.  The structure of the school day will allow students to spend a lengthy block of time, three to four periods, to more deeply study and reflect on concepts and ideas that matter to them.  Students will be accountable to others in the learning community, and they will work with other students, teachers, parents and adults in the community to broaden their understanding of what matters.  With the teacher’s help, they will evaluate their own work.  They will set individual and classroom academic goals and measure their progress towards reaching those goals.  Students will lead self-evaluation conferences with teachers and their parents several times a year.  Their work will be kept in a portfolio to provide data for evaluations and to serve as a reminder of the student’s progress.

 

Praxis parents are welcomed participants in the classroom.  Along with the teacher and student, they will play a key role in the development of their student’s academic goals and the student’s progress in meeting those goals.  Praxis will openly explore the role of parents in the student work environment.  Parents will be challenged to develop a deeper understanding of their child’s unique giftedness and to appreciate how that giftedness impacts student learning.

A list of core values follows.  These values will serve as guiding principles for Praxis Academy program development.

 

Praxis Academy Core Statements

 

1. Environment.  Every student is known, appreciated, and included in a diverse, collaborative community.
2. Voice and Leadership.  Both students and teachers exercise choice and make decisions in all elements of life.
3. Teaching and learning.  Teachers collaborate with students to explore and employ a growing repertoire of instructional/learning strategies.  Teachers and students listen carefully to one another.  Learning is participatory where students help shape the curriculum and assessment.
4. Curriculum.  The focus is on the learner and learning. With their teachers, young people engage in challenging inquiry into topics that matter, building essential skills in the process.  Curriculum is influenced by student’s interests and gifts, and real life experiences shape the course of study. 
5. Community experiences.  Young people are engaged in the life of the community and the world of work.
6. Scheduling.  The school day and calendar provide flexible and variable blocks of learning time.
7. Technology and materials.  Contemporary technology and rich materials support students as thinkers, researchers, and authors.
8. Assessment.  Assessment primarily serves to inform and improve student learning instead of only measuring student performance.  Teachers help students to monitor, evaluate, and guide their own thinking.
9. Professional development.  Teachers are students of their own practice and instruction, with many opportunities to learn and grow. 
10. Relationships.  The school works closely with parents, community organizations, and educational institutions.  The classroom is open to the broader school community.  Visits are encouraged.
11. Belief.  We believe so that we can understand.  Understanding comes out of our belief about Jesus as the Truth.
12. Ethics and Stewardship.  We practice what we have learned in a way that cares for others and the rest of creation.
13. Academic Growth.  When learning comes from the student and not an external force, it is internalized.  Internalized learning is robust and sustainable.  We believe that students in the Praxis program will make significantly more academic progress than if they were in a more traditional learning environment.