The Hub's Micro-Academy

A: Our online micro-academy caters to young adolescents (primarily established homeschoolers) who are open, intellectually curious about the world, "play well with others," and would enjoy an intellectually and personally stimulating group program with a consistent cohort and a socially healthy culture. As homeschoolers, they may be using any method, ranging from unschooling, to an eclectic approach, to following a set curriculum, or worldschooling.

Although designed primarily for homeschoolers, it can also work for anyone whose schedule is compatible with attending the sessions. 

The micro-academy is set up for ages 10 to 16, but we will also consider mature nine-year-olds. Good group dynamics are very important for our program, so in all cases, an individual must be a good fit for a cohort, and vice versa.

Participants can be located anywhere in the world, as long as the schedule works for them. 

A: The micro-academy is designed to broaden intellectual horizons by exposing young people to new ideas and bodies of knowledge, in an organic, interdisciplinary way that is driven by their curiosity. The facilitators also focus on guiding participants to develop their personal and inter-personal "soft skills," including the “5 Cs” that are essential to a lot of success in life—critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; creativity and innovation; and citizenship.

Time outside the micro-academy sessions can be devoted to acquiring specific skills and knowledge to meet other objectives (see Resources page for ideas).

A: We have a unique combination of intentional culture, format, and approach, driven by curiosity, collaboration and community. Most importantly, we also have talented, committed and caring facilitators who can weave together these elements into a magical experience. 

On a more reductionist level, these are some of the features that distinguish the micro-academies:

• They're expertly facilitated, yet also highly interactive, creative and collaborative (participants play key roles in shaping sessions)
• They take a holistic approach, broadening intellectual horizons in an interdisciplinary way that's led by curiosity, while also developing valuable personal and inter-personal "soft skills"
• They are relational rather than transactional, encouraging facilitators and participants to really get to know each other and forge meaningful connections
• They model a healthy culture that  values both individuality and teamwork, preparing young people for  satisfying lives and careers, while feeding the soul via camaraderie,  creative self-expression, and joy in the present 

Parents and participants tell the story best, though. The majority of participants return year after year. Hear directly from some of these parents and participants about what's achievable online, if done the right way, in our short overview video, "What is a Micro-academy?"

A: Micro-academy cohorts meet twice a week for four hours at a time because that allows us to meet our goals—sessions are long enough to allow for a satisfying amount of activity and project time, and for more meaningful personal relationships to develop. Sessions also include several breaks. In this short video, you can hear how participants themselves experience the session length.

A bit of background: Micro-academy sessions were 3.5 hours long during the first term in 2020, but everyone asked for them to be extended. Many still feel that the time flies by (a characteristic of the desirable "flow" state). Nevertheless, four hours seems to meet tweens' needs adequately without over-extending them. Many teens like to stick around longer, so we give them the option to hang out informally after the session ends. 

The below schedule is the starting point for the micro-academy's sessions; details are adjusted as needed. Some periods feature a choice of break-out rooms, each focusing on different things. 

45 minutes: Setting the foundation

• Community building—check in, and share and reflect on what else everyone has done since the previous meeting.
• Expanding horizons—e.g., watching a short video to inspire new project ideas; a guest speaker presenting a “show and tell” about a job or hobby, etc.

15 minutes: Break

45 minutes: Purposeful activities

• Mini tutorials or interactive activities (e.g., games such as GeoGuessr, puzzles, art, discussions, collaborative story writing, book club, debate club, or anything else that may be chosen).

15 minutes: Break

60 minutes: Project work 

• Working in groups of various sizes, on projects of their choosing, with a facilitator's guidance. (A learning artifact comes out of each project, whether in the form of a written document, a PowerPoint presentation, a video, a piece of art or music, etc.)

15 minutes: Break

45 minutes: Wrapping up, with a "working lunch," if desired (individual meal times will vary, so this is just a placeholder in this sample framework)

• This time can be used to either continue working on projects or to do another activity.
• Show-and-tell presentations and Q&As (on personal passion subjects), guided field trips and guest speakers may also be scheduled. 
• Eating a "working lunch" is optional; participants are also welcome to eat as needed to fuel their bodies and minds throughout the session.

(Younger cohorts: The program ends here.)

(Older cohorts: The more formal part of the program ends here too. Participants in established cohorts may be given the option to stay longer in the Zoom room for unfacilitated socializing, at the facilitators' discretion.)

A: Because these are jointly chosen by the participants and facilitators once a term gets underway, and can be anything that interests them and fits into the format, they can look different from cohort to cohort.

But for example, some popular shorter activities have taken the form of discussions; purposeful games (such as a geography guessing game, or "history showdown," in which selected historic figures are researched and evaluated on how they might carry out a task such as throwing a party); Wikihunts (finding ways to connect seemingly unrelated entries on Wikipedia in as few steps as possible); collaborative art or storytelling; and show-and-tell presentations on researched topics of interest (which can range from music theory to chemistry to dengue fever).

Longer projects can span weeks or months, and involve research, discussion, skill building (hard and soft skills), creation, and project management. Examples include world-building (which involves exploring elements of culture, history, geology, biology, governance, taxation, defense, etc.); books containing compilations of collaboratively written and illustrated short stories; e-zines; and video productions.

A: The Hub's programs are part-time, so there's plenty of time left over for in-person activities too.

Families that live in the same area are also welcome to make arrangements among themselves so that their children can get together to do sessions in the same space, either regularly or every once in a while, as some have chosen to do in the past. 

A: A micro-academy facilitator’s role is like a blend between a composer, a conductor and a musician, with the goal of co-creating a beautiful piece of music. As a composer, they bring ideas to the table and offer intellectual and creative challenges. As a conductor, they aim to be attuned to what’s happening with everyone within the group and to help participants develop the skills that foster a healthy balance between meeting individual needs for self-expression and creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. As a musician, they are active participants themselves, modeling intellectual curiosity, how to learn, and respectful ways to engage, contribute to the group, and resolve any disagreements. 

The facilitator is also like a "guide by the side," getting to know each participant and what makes them tick, and using that information to engage their curiosity and to help them develop useful personal and interpersonal skills.

Our micro-academy cohorts are led by teams of two facilitators (once the group size exceeds five), who bring different personalities, perspectives and life experiences to the table.

A: Facilitators decide when a micro-academy cohort feels like it's reached full capacity; we expect that most cohorts will not end up exceeding a 1:4 ratio.

A: Grade cutoffs are arbitrary and limiting. Individuals learn things (in a meaningful way) only when they’re ready, and no two X-year-olds are the same, whether they’re in the same “grade” or not. On the other hand, young people progress through similar developmental stages that start and end roughly around certain ages, and mixed-ages learning has many benefits, for younger and older children alike. Like human-development age ranges, The Hub’s age range is “ish”—it’s more about maturity level and maintaining good group dynamics, rather than calendar age.

A: The tuition and application process are described on the Apply page.

For a glimpse of what the program is like in action, you can watch these highlights from a "sample mini-session" part of an open house.

Then, to gauge fit for an individual child:

• For ages 10 to 13, check the Events page for an open house, which features an overview and Q&A for parents and children, followed by a "sample mini-session" in which the child can participate.
• If the open house schedule doesn't work for you, your child is older (or younger), or you'd like to meet individually to gauge fit for any other reason, please get in to touch to schedule an individual meeting.

A: Get in touch if you are interested in providing scholarship funding or want to explore other ideas or share other resources.