Unique Paths for All Learners: Choice and Flexibility
At Village Home, we recognize that each learner is a unique individual. Learners can customize their learning experience by selecting courses in a choice-based educational marketplace at Village Home. Every child deserves an education that that sparks their curiosity and is tailored to them.
Family-Centered Learning
At Village Home, the family is honored in the learning community. We acknowledge that the parent is the first and the primary educator for a child. In addition to welcoming the parent in the classroom, Village Home supports families by making play space available for younger siblings and parents, offering multi-age classrooms where it is possible for siblings to learn together, and providing opportunities for parents and children to learn together. We believe that the family is the primary sphere of influence for education, and Village Home Education Resource Center functions as a secondary, supportive environment. The family joins their children on their optimal educational paths. We expect parents to be on campus if their children are not enrolled in a class.
Self-Directed Learning
We believe that true learning happens only in the context of self-direction. Intrinsically motivated learners maintain their innate drive to learn by self-directing their learning. We encourage families to see their children as the authors of their own learning plan. In classes, instructors rely on the students to measure their own success, and hence there is no grading. Our learning environment centers on learning for the sake of learning. We believe that maximizing learner autonomy supports a love of learning and increases the intrinsic motivation to learn.
Lifelong Learning
We value the spirit of lifelong learning. Learning is a natural, joyful process, and keeping the love of learning alive is the key component for developing a life-long learner. We provide opportunity for people of all ages to learn together and to learn from each other and encourage primary educators, the parents, to model lifelong learning for the children.
Peer-to-Peer Learning
We believe that there is tremendous value in peer-based learning for people of all ages. We create group-learning opportunities that facilitate meaningful peer interaction by offering classes with flexible age ranges.
Passionate, Focused Instruction in Small Classes
We believe that the most important thing an instructor can bring to the classroom is a personal passion and interest in the subject matter, and the most important thing we can do is keep their classes relatively small (eight to fifteen learners). Classes are multi-age groups and are non-credit and non-graded. Village Home also provides opportunity for exploration beyond the classroom.