The micro-academy is a facilitated, co-created and emergent blend of individual and group projects and studies, exploration and skill-building, in a small-group setting. It involves both online and off-line work.
Essential Details (Spring 2023):
Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Times: 9:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (see below for a breakdown of the day)
Ages: 11 to 15
Size: We cap each cohort size at the point when the group "feels" full, so that a personal touch can be retained. We do not anticipate ever exceeding 16 children per cohort, with two facilitators (you can read about our current facilitators here and here).
Enrollment: The tuition and application process is described in detail here.
Location: Online
The emphasis is on deep, interdisciplinary learning about the world and one's place in it, and the development of key personal and inter-personal life skills, such as the “5 Cs” (critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; creativity and innovation; and citizenship). In addition to group work—built on solving practical, real-world challenges whenever possible—children also give monthly presentations to their peers about interest-driven individual projects they've chosen to pursue (with guidance, as needed, from the facilitators).
A cohort is like a learning team, and the development of an intentional, supportive culture is a key priority. This creates fertile ground for valuable peer-to-peer learning, deeper engagement in general, and the development of higher-order abilities to navigate life's challenges.
The team culture extends beyond the cohort. Parents (plus extended family and friends, should they wish to get involved) are invited to share interests with the group. We're also bringing in special guests from around the world (such as renowned software tester and author James Marcus Bach, who launched his career at age 16, talking about the importance of critical thinking and how to be a self-directed "buccaneer-scholar"). Facilitators can also tap into their expansive, global networks and our database of volunteers to help children get questions answered directly by subject-matter experts. At the meta level, this is about more than basic knowledge acquisition; it's about helping children feel heard, valued and supported, and part of something bigger.
To find out more, you can listen to the recording of our most recent informational session here.
What Happens Outside the Micro-Academy Hours?
Outside of micro-academy hours, children are free to follow other elements of their customized learning pathways, whether that involves working individually on building core skills (with the help of on-demand resources such as Khan Academy, software apps, books, or eclectic independent studies); attending tutoring sessions; participating in The Hub's à-la-carte programming, or third-party online or offline classes; or doing other activities. The sky's the limit! (The Resources page includes lists of ideas that can serve as a starting point.) Overwhelmed with options? We can help you cut through the clutter, suggest tailored ideas, and offer other guidance (as well as connect you to people with specialized knowledge about things that fall outside our own areas of expertise) via The Hub's wraparound services.
Interactions among the children can continue outside micro-academy hours. Members of The Hub can share activity playlists on The Hub's private social network, to make it easier to identify shared interests and sign up for things together, should they wish to do so. They will also be able to socialize with each other on that platform.
Can I Try It Out First?
Yes! To get a taste of the micro-academy, children ages (nearly) 11 to 14 are welcome to join us for a complementary mini-session. Please check the events page for the open-house schedule, description, and registration instructions.
This is the starting point for the micro-academy's daily flow. We will be agile and adapt the details—based on observations, feedback, and where the energy is flowing on a given day—in order to optimize the experience, while remaining true to the core principles and ideas.
9:30a.m. – 10:15a.m.: Setting the foundation
10:15a.m. – 10:30a.m.: Break
10:30a.m. – 11:30a.m.: Purposeful activities
11:30a.m. – 11:45a.m.: Break
11:45a.m. – 12:30p.m.: Project work
12:30p.m. – 12:45p.m.: Break
12:45p.m. – 1:15p.m.: Wrapping up (with a "working lunch," if desired)
1:15p.m. – 1:30p.m.: Closing circle
Participants who need to leave earlier can be accommodated.
In the process of doing such interdisciplinary projects, children have opportunities to develop skills in areas such as research, reading comprehension, debating, communications, and inter-personal relations. Such projects also serve as vehicles for learning about fields such as history, cultural anthropology, economics, geography, sociology, psychology, literature, civics, biology, ecology, chemistry, physics, engineering, math, and materials science.
"The kids couldn't stop talking about class today. They thoroughly enjoyed their time with you and even continued a few games of geosearch on their own." — Parent
"So fun to hear them laughing and learning!!" — Parent
The facilitators are "real gems" and have "created digital joy, which is very hard to find." — Parent
"I love Miró and Brooklyn! They are so amazing with the kids. [My son] really enjoys The Hub. ... He is engaged and participating. ... I have heard him contribute many thoughts, ideas and opinions." —Parent
"It’s so much more than I expected. My children have been able to engage in important, grown-up conversations, and their perspectives have been given weight and have been considered important. They continue to talk about these things and look for applications of them throughout the day. … I think about what different experiences they'll have as adults because of internalizing these experiences, and having opportunities to be leaders at these early ages.” — Parent
"I can't wait until The Hub's spring term starts." — Participant (during winter break)
"I'm grateful that I'm in The Hub." — Participant
Micro-academy enrollment comes with membership in The Hub. As members of The Hub, enrolled children and their parents also have access to the following:
Community Spaces and Events for Children and for Parents
Hub members have access to private online social lounges where they can come and go and interact with each other at any time. There will be one for the children and a separate one for the parents. There are opportunities to attend group games and other social events throughout the year, and to invite other friends and relatives to participate as guests.
Curated Resources
The Hub maintains a curated list of third-party platforms, websites, curriculum packages and events (at a range of price points) that might interest members, to help them choose how to spend their remaining time. New discoveries will be added regularly. We'll also share examples of curated pathways, showing how the micro-academy and various à-la-carte elements can be put together to form a comprehensive whole, as well as examples of portfolios to document learning. (For more in-depth and personalized guidance along these lines, members have access to additional wraparound services.)
Priority Registration for The Hub's À-La-Carte Programming
Hub members receive early notice of and advance access to new à-la-carte programming (which will begin to be rolled out during the course of the year), before registrations are opened to the general public.
Collaborations With Other Like-Minded Learning Groups: Several learning centers around the United States that share similar values have expressed interest in collaborations, such as teens visiting The Hub to offer presentations about topics of interest to them, and occasional facilitator exchanges that will expose children to additional perspectives and locales.
Expanded Age Range: We will continue to expand upward as the children's ages increase.
In-Person Options: We will aim to take advantage of cross-pollination opportunities between those enrolled in online and in-person hubs of various types.
Get in touch if you would like to be added to a mailing list to find out more details as they are officially announced for upcoming years.
The Hub offers select à-la-carte classes, workshops, informative discussions, and other programming. For starters, the emphasis has been on options for tweens and younger teens, and their parents, though some offerings are suitable to a wider mix of ages. Programs offered during the regular September-to-May time period are described below; summer camps are listed on the special events page.
For young people:
The Hub's "Friday Forum" (Theme: Create-Your-Own-History Adventure)
For parents and professional educators:
"The Hub Presents: A Conversation About ...": A series of free interviews with subject-matter experts on topics such as how to guide your children's learning; how to create win-win outcomes; how to mitigate stressful life events so that learning (and living) can get back on track; and how to help children be more resilient. (Recordings are posted on The Hub's YouTube channel.)
Examples of other free or fee-based à-la-carte options that could be offered in the future:
Want to have a say in what's offered? Please fill out the short survey. And if you'd like to get on the mailing list, please fill out the contact form.
Wraparound Services for Members of The Hub:
We offer essential support to members (families whose children are enrolled in The Hub's micro-academy) who need assistance figuring out how to get started with independent learning, how to create an interest-based learning pathway, and how to document learning and prepare portfolios. We will also share examples of curated learning pathways and portfolios. For more detailed or specialized questions, we can either arrange a separate consulting package, or refer you to a consultant within our network of affiliates who is well positioned to address specific questions (such as how to incorporate curriculum-based learning into the mix, or how this type of learning can look during the teen years).
The Hub hosts regular online member meetings, to build community, and to check in to see how things are going, and what we should consider adding or modifying.
We are also leveraging the power of a growing movement of independent-learning communities, via our membership in 100 Roads (previously the International Association of Colearning Communities), a vibrant group of individuals who are co-creating innovative independent-learning paradigms around the United States and around the world. (From the 100 Roads website: "Colearning communities are people coming together for the shared purpose of learning, living and working without institutional boundaries and in ways that they can customize.") We will bring to the group additional learnings from our interactions with the leaders of other learning centers and networks, such as the Agile Learning Centers.
Wraparound Services for People Enrolled in The Hub's À-la-Carte Programming, and Members of the General Public:
Please refer to the consulting page for more information about how we can support your independent learning.