The Five Learning Goals
We believe that high school graduates must know how to reason, problem-solve, and be active members of the community. In a world where available information is growing exponentially, we believe that the most important thing a student needs to know is how to learn. Integral to this design are the five learning goals, a framework for looking at concepts, skills, and abilities and a guide for creating personalized learning projects and personalized curriculums.
Empirical Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Communication
Social Reasoning
Personal Qualities
EMPIRICAL REASONING: Think Like A Scientist
The goal is to use empirical evidence and the scientific method to make decisions and to evaluate hypotheses. Moreover, the scientific method is not only used in science but also in other disciplines including finance, marketing, and politics among others. In one of our sales projects, we hypothesized that we could sell a beverage for $1. However, when we surveyed future customers as to how much they would pay for this particular beverage, we gladly found that customers would pay $2. Because of the application of science to our sales project, we believe that we nearly doubled our profits in this particular project!
QUANTITATIVE REASONING: Think Like A Mathematician
The goal is to understand numbers, to analyze uncertainty, to comprehend the properties of shapes, and to study how things change over time. As part of our mortgage refinance project, students interviewed people, or clients, who were considering refinancing their mortgage. In the final presentation to the client, students shared a spreadsheet they had created, which reviewed the current interest rates and the amount of money the clients could save by choosing a specific rate. Students learned how to create a spreadsheet, develop spreadsheet formulas, and how to treat clients. In addition, students were able to see how an exponential graph showing the compounding mortgage interest actually had relevance in the real world rather than being just an isolated math concept they would never use.
COMMUNICATION: Be A Great Communicator
The goal is to understand your audience, to read, write, speak and listen well, and to use technology and artistic expression to communicate. Each student is required to read a certain number of books each year, with the required amount increasing each year. One student chose to read The Flavor Bible, at the suggestion of Villa Harlequin executive chef Amanda Cusey, who he had interviewed about her work. Students also gain invaluable experience in writing and speaking as they give quarterly talks to parents, administrators, and business professionals. Also, they are skilled in utilizing presentation software programs, graphs, spreadsheets, and video.
SOCIAL REASONING: Think Like A Historian
The goal is to see other perspectives, to understand social issues, and to look at the history of an issue. As part of a project to explore whether a 16-year old could begin saving for retirement, one of our students also looked into the history of personal savings in the United States. Doing so allowed him to see that his speaking to financial advisors, finding a job, and investing earned income in a child’s Roth IRA was something that very, very few are doing at his age. Indeed, many seniors do not have adequate retirement savings!
PERSONAL QUALITIES: Be The Best Version of Myself
The goal is to demonstrate respect, responsibility, organization, leadership, time management, and to reflect on your abilities and strive for improvement. This area encompasses most of the soft skills that employers are looking for but rarely find in today’s college graduates, according to research. In order to encourage and foster these traits in our graduates, each BCHS student has weekly meetings with their advisor. Recently, a student was making his learning plan for the first school term. In it, he mentioned that browsing the internet and looking for sales could be an obstacle preventing him from reaching his goals. Therefore, he discussed this with his advisor in his weekly meetings.