Athena Academy uses Project Based Learning and Guiding Questions as one of our core teaching methods.

What is Project Based Learning(PBL)?

• Project Based Learning or PBL, is a process for teaching and learning based on inquiry.
• In PBL, students focus on a complex question or problem, then answer the question or solve the problem through a process of investigation, usually over an extended period of time.
• The PBL process goes through a cycle of “Ask, Plan, Learn, Show, and Reflect.” During this cycle, students learn the content, information, and facts that are necessary to draw conclusions about the question. Students also learn valuable skills and habits of mind.

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Are you Aware that

• Dyslexia is the most common learning difference in the world, affecting 1 in 5 people
• Twice exceptionality (2e) is less common, affecting approximately 1 in 50 people. Twice exceptional is a term used to describe students who are both intellectually gifted and struggling with a learning difference, such as dyslexia.
• In several studies, those with dyslexia have shown a visual-spatial advantage
• Those with dyslexia are particularly vulnerable to anxiety

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My interest in technology and devices all started with my personal device at Athena Academy. Without Athena Academy, I most likely would never have found my passion for VR. When I was 11, I got my first VR headset. It gave me this perspective to want to continue learning about it because in school I would have all these apps to use. In VR, it was the same but I could maneuver in all 6 degrees of freedom for what I wanted to express.

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Guest Author Tilda Moore, openeducators.org.

As a parent, seeing your child struggle at school or at home can be tough. First off, realize that you aren’t alone. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many kids have had trouble keeping up academically. While Athena Academy or your child’s school will provide the support they can, there is a lot you can do outside of the classroom to support your child’s scholastic success.

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Since Athena was established in 2010, we have relied on and incorporated the findings of neuroscience and educational research. The latest research shows that dyslexic students learn best with visual-spatial teaching methods[1],[2], which are incorporated into Athena Academy’s specialized curriculum. Athena Academy also utilizes a strengths-based approach – teaching to often under-acknowledged strengths of dyslexic learners, rather than relying primarily on repetition, memorization or other traditional approaches.

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Guest Author Tilda Moore, openeducators.org

As a parent of a child who learns differently, you spend a lot of time being told, often in the nicest and most well-meaning way possible, about what your child can’t do. You probably spend even more time, however, marveling at what kids CAN do: their special gifts and talents, their unique preferences and styles, and the things that light them up. If you haven’t already done so, encouraging your children to explore and be expressive through the arts can have enormous cognitive and emotional benefits for them. Read more…