Design Your Own Education
Here are 10 things we ask you to consider when designing your own learning at Pacific Sands Academy.
1. Find a mission that excites you. What truly excites you as a teen? What passions can you name? What is something that you can possibly “get lost” in doing? Skating? Finding your way in nature? Playing Video games? What mission can you accomplish that will make you feel really good and help you accomplish future goals?
2. Compile your own list of resources. Create a list of who to talk to, books to read, blogs to follow, YouTube channels to follow.
3. Decide on your deliverables. What can you create, finish learn? Come up with a list of tangible things you will do in your mission.
4. Keep a work progress journal. Make a journal with 3 columns: 1. date 2. work planned 3. work completed
5. Write publicly about your learning. Even posting status updates on social media.
6. Set hours and define dates. Set specific hours and times that you will be working towards your mission– and learning from your resources.
7. Set real goals, not time based. If you don’t quite understand something you want to– give yourself time to figure it out.
8. Find your ideal work space. Is it in your room, a library, local coffee shop?
9. Take care of your body and your mind. Eat well. If your mission takes up a lot of computer time- get up get exercise-rest your eyes. If your mission takes up a lot of outdoor time, find mental stimulation as well- online or books or conversations.
10. Get comfortable with boredom. Some of what you might need to succeed in your mission might be boring. This is where it helps to give yourself specific times to get through that kind of work.
The above points are taken mostly from this Article, written by Uncollege contributor Jean Fan. This article gives thirteen points about how to design your own “Learning Bootcamp,” as a young adult. I have altered it above to make it a bit more teen friendly, and what you might expect to do if you work as a student at Pacific Sands Academy.
