Our approach to learning

Your child is the author of their own learning journey. At SelfDesign® Learning Community, they set their own learning path based on their unique passions, interests, skills and more.
What sets us apart from other technology-enabled schools and brick-and-mortar schools is our model and philosophy which is focused on personalized and lifelong learning.
We follow the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care curriculum, in a way that puts your child at the centre of their learning journey. We acknowledge that learning is a process, not a product, and that it’s centred on relationships and conversation.
We guide your child, with the support of a B.C. certified educator, to develop a personalized learning plan for your child that will help them achieve the path to completion that best suits them – B.C. Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma), Adult Graduation Diploma, or School Completion (“Evergreen”) Certificate.

We support

INCLUSIVE LEARNING

We provide learners with Indigenous learning opportunities so they can understand the world and its relations through a framework of Indigenous wisdom and philosophy.

SUPPORTIVE LEARNING

The safety, acceptance, and inclusion of all learners in regard to ability, learning style, culture, personal and spiritual beliefs, and gender identity.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING

The development of traits such as autonomy, collaboration, and a sense of social and global responsibility, which can position learners to be successful in post-secondary programs and careers.

How we approach learning

WHERE LEARNING TAKES PLACE

Learning takes place in your home, online and in your local community

We provide you and your child with digital technologies and resources as a complement to real-world learning. This includes access to subscriptions such as Discovery Education and BrainPop, which we provide free of charge.

Your child will have the option to access to real-time online connections with their peers and B.C. certified educators using web conferencing technology. They also work with their educator on the digital platform for communication, the personalized learning portfolio, as well as access resources and extend their learning through the SelfDesign Learning Experiences Library.

We also support learning through relationships and in the community by providing various optional group learning opportunities and in-person events such as:

  • Online workshops for grades 8 to 12
  • Online forums for learners and parents
  • Seasonal, fun-filled in-person camp opportunities for grades 9 to 12 (up to five per year when offered)
  • Community Gatherings (two per year when offered)
  • Special interest clubs
  • Work experience or apprenticeship options for youth in grades 10 to 12
  • Yearly commencement ceremony
  • Opportunities for families and youth who identify as Indigenous to be in community with one another
  • Opportunities to explore and connect with learners with common interests
  • Other special events

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Not all children learn in the same way, at the same pace, in the same learning environment

Personalized learning, in the SelfDesign Learning Community, means your child takes the lead in their own learning.

It is a 21st century approach to education that puts the needs of your child first because they are a unique individual with their own learning style, interests and goals.

Personalized learning is different than classroom-based personalized learning. Classroom-based personalized learning involves customized educational lessons to support learners’ needs, yet within the limitations of a fixed curriculum and learning schedule.

At SelfDesign Learning Community, we focus on your child being at the centre of their learning journey.

ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning is a technology-enabled educational model that represents a profound shift in the way education is delivered and received

As a model of education for the 21st century, online learning offers solutions to many of the challenges faced by traditional brick and mortar schools. It also provides learning experiences that are flexible and supportive of the needs of today’s generation of learners.

Online learning meets provincial standards and is directed and supervised by a B.C. certified educator, with the responsibility for the program resting on SelfDesign Learning Community.

Homeschooling should not be confused with online learning. While homeschooling is the responsibility of the parent/guardian, students enrolled in an online learning school such as SelfDesign Learning Community are guided and supported by teachers certified by the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch.

HOW WE ASSESS LEARNING

At Self Design Learning Community, we assess our learners based on competencies

Because our kindergarten to Grade 12 program is based on competency, we assess learning not through reporting, but through a process we call Observing for Learning. Our B.C. certified educators participate in an ongoing weekly conversation with you and your child. This type of communication and dialogue is led by your educator.

In the Observing for Learning process, you observe and reflect on your child’s learning during that week which includes describing learning activities as well as the learner’s engagement or emotional response. Your educator responds, reflects and shares in observing, and also matches your child’s learning with B.C. Ministry of Education requirements, from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Your educator will coach you and your child in how to observe daily activities, assisting you in noticing learning as it unfolds in everyday moments.

As your child becomes a youth, they collaborate directly with the educator in the Observing for Learning process, with parent or educational assistant as needed. This fosters and allows your child to form a deepened awareness of their own integrated learning, goals, interests and skills related to learning to learn such as time management, flexible thinking, and organizational skills.

An innovative, inclusive and personalized approach to learning

I love SelfDesign for so many reasons! I fall in love with the program year after year. I love the ability for our children to explore their interests, I love the support we get from our educator…Being together all of the time is a wonderful gift to give to our children and ourselves. Being able to travel and learn that way is something that most people don’t get and it’s an amazing opportunity for our family.

– Cheryl, SelfDesign Parent