| How it Works |
Scheduling Generally, allowing time for lunch and travel, students begin their placements between 1:00 and 1:30pm on Wednesdays. In some cases, students complete their ILP at sites that operate during after-school hours (i.e.: assisting with an after-school science program at a local elementary school) or on the weekend (i.e.: Saturday afternoons at the Philadelphia Zoo). Scheduling is determined on a case-by-case basis for each ILP. You can expect an SLA student to contact you in advance in case of absence or lateness. Support and Supervision Each member of our staff is responsible for an Advisory class. Advisory meets twice each week, and is the main touchstone for students to prepare for and reflect on their Individualized Learning Plan experience. A student's advisor actively monitors their progress and guides them to successfully complete SLA's requirements, including their ILP experience. Through Advisory curriculum, students learn to be more self-aware, self-managed and self-directed. An Advisory group of 20 students has the same advisor for their 4 years of high school. Their advisor is both a mentor and an advocate. A student's Advisory is designed to be their "home-base" at school, and advisors guide students in developing and articulating their plans for after graduation. Working with their advisors, students develop ILP Learning Goals that fit into their long-term goals for the future. Throughout the year, each student's ILP experience is monitored through their Advisory. Students keep track of their learning goals and track the time they dedicate to their ILP with the ILP guidebook. Students are supported to reflect on their progress and develop plans for continually improving their ILP experience. The Individualized Learning Plan Coordinator acts a liaison between ILP hosts, students and advisors. What Students Bring More importantly, our students bring their initiative, enthusiasm and creativity. Our curriculum is project-based, and students learn by doing. This prepares our students with many skills that are transferable to the workplace: * Problem solving - SLA emphasizes the importance of students developing and answering questions about how they understand and interact with the world. This includes supporting students to consider real-world problems and work towards solutions. As an example, our engineering classes are building and patenting the design for a flow-process bio-diesel reactor as a response to the growing problem of global warming. |