The KED program puts the individual student at the center. The teacher is the student's personal coach, guiding her in the learning process and in the effort to reach her goals. Resources in the form of time, facilities, curriculum and learning material - are organized to support that process.Upon entering a KED school the first meeting is a discussion with the student and her family. Together they identify the students long-term educational goals. What does she want to achieve in school? What does she need to learn? What will it take - from her, her family and the school - to succeed? The long-term goal is then decided and documented in writing.
Strategies for learning
The student is then assessed to determine what level she will start on and accordingly what strategies she will need to reach her long-term goals. The strategies are not only a list of hours that need to be spent or pages that has to be read. It is also a choice of lectures, lessons, assignments and every thing else that can support the learning. This provides everyone with a working plan, which will be divided into medium-term goals for the semester and short-term goals for the week to come. Each step is followed up in the student´s weekly coaching sessions with her personal learning coach. In progress reviews and development discussions - whenever needed or at least every six months- progress is tracked and the goals and their strategies are reviewed. Is she making progress according to the plan? Does the strategy put in need to change, the efforts, or should the goals be revised? Every goal should be both challenging and reachable. Every strategy should provide a reasonable roadmap for the learning journey. In the beginning is a process of setting goals, choosing strategies and assessing improvements often strongly geared and guided by the teacher. But step-by-step. our students learn their capabilities and how to stretch them. Setting goals, choosing strategies, doing the job, assessing the result and draw the conclusions for next step. It all becomes part of the learning, just as natural as all the facts and knowledge achieved.
Creating meaning
Unlike conventional schools, outcomes—grades, exams and achievements—are not only an account in retrospective. It is something the student can identify and influence along the way. Neither are outcomes a surprise for the family, since every step is assessed and documented. Through the Educational Documentation System (EDS) on the Learning Portal, families — as well as the student and the teacher - get a real time insight into how learning is progressing. Setting up individual goals and strategies to reach them creates meaning and motivation in school. It is much more interesting going somewhere if you know were you are going, how and why you will get there. Being able to see the result and your own progress step by step, is satisfying and provides motivation for learning more. The ability to set up goals and strategies, to break them down into smaller steps and to experience that sometimes strategies need to be revised, is knowledge that has a life-long value. Not to mention the feeling you have, when you reach and surpass your goals and see the new horizon and opportunities ahead!
