Powerful dreams can be realized with powerful knowledge. I2I Academy was formed to promote active learning through engaging teaching methodologies. At I2I Academy all our actions and measures focus on cooperative learning, which creates a truly memorable experience for our students.
I2I Academy spends a significant amount of time in the hiring process to ensure its teachers are highly qualified and truly effective in the classroom. Highly qualified teachers have been historically proven to get results, producing an engaging environment of learning.
Quality learning is characterized by:
A scaffold, layered curriculum, which ensures that a base knowledge is created before any newer, more difficult topics are introduced. Students will first master a foundation of the English language before more complex concepts are tackled. This ensures that a student is rarely frustrated or that he/she will fall behind and be confused by the subject matter that’s being taught.
Engaging, hands-on experiences through cooperative learning and motivating activities spread throughout the curriculum.
Consistent diagnostic check-points throughout the curriculum to ensure that certain topics are not only mastered, but reinforced throughout the learning curve.
Results shown throughout the curriculum through progression charts and graphs, so that a student can clearly see where he/she has come from and where he/she is going. This also reinforces motivation within the learning curve.
Highly qualified teachers that diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and reinforce strengths while doubling-up on the attention paid to weaknesses.
Cooperative learning focuses on a small-group approach that allows students to not only learn from each other, but to collaborate in problem solving.
I2I Academy will also focus on the main components that make up the science of teaching. These components, when implemented consistently and efficiently, have been proven to produce a higher level of student learning. These components include:
I.
Planning
Pre-planning for each lesson, including an overview, creation of hands-on manipulatives, higher level questioning, and reinforcement assessments.
Learning Communities are developed within the teaching faculty to reinforce positive teaching methodologies and share best practices.
Providing and maintaining a supportive learning environment that offers a fully engaging experience.
Planning and implementing Cooperative Learning Activities for a memorable and dynamic experience in learning.
Maintaining high expectations and standards for all students
II. Teaching and Learning Strategies
Learning objectives and goals are clearly communicated to all students, including individual feedback and assessment.
Providing consistent feedback that helps students discern, articulate, evaluate, and correct prior knowledge through positive reinforcement.
Implementing learning activities that reinforce previous knowledge and look to extend a student’s comprehension of the English language through motivating experiences and activities.
All classroom time is used to its maximum potential
Using homework as additional learning opportunities.
III. Assessment and feedback
Students are first diagnosed through a pre-test to target their level of English proficiency. This ensures that instruction never begins at the frustration level, and instead discovers a student’s strengths and weaknesses to help guide instruction effectively and efficiently.
Students are routinely given mini-assessments to ensure mastery of specific skills taught in the classroom and provide consistent feedback of their progress throughout the lessons.
Comprehensive assessments are also given to ensure mastery of the language as a whole.
Based upon student scores, reinforcement and remediation activities are also assigned to help develop and build a student’s knowledge of the English language.
The Highly Qualified Teacher
All educators teaching in any core academic subject area (including early childhood and elementary) must:
Hold at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
Hold a valid Standard Professional Certificate or Advanced Professional Certificate or Resident Teacher Certificate in the subject area they are teaching; and
In addition to the above general “highly qualified” requirements, the teacher must demonstrate content knowledge and pedagogy competency by passing tests that assess subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, math, and other areas of basic K through 12 and college curriculum. They must also possess Advanced Professional Certification in each of the core academic subject areas in which the educator is teaching
