Traditional Curriculum Vs. Burton's Garden of Schools DBE Curriculum
Many would expect to see a list of subjects
or courses corresponding to a grade level or age group along with a
listing of minimum requirements or expectations for each subject in
order to graduate or move on the next grade level. Traditional education
offers many models, some more complex and elaborate than others, but all
basically the same goals of raising minimum expectations in focused
areas or subjects of importance. Typically the focus is to meet or
exceed the state standards in some transferable and measurable way.
There is little flexibility in the number of hours a student can or will
spend based on interest, aptitude, limitations or giftings.
Traditional curriculum often is forced to focus on material that will be
tested. One of the biggest nation wide complaints is "teaching to the
test" and how this takes away from real learning and quality
instruction. Traditional Curriculum is a one size fits most while
meeting the minimum for graduation is the overall goal.
At Burton's Garden of Schools the curriculum is structured very differently. Our
unique structure exceeds all
known standards for each and every student individually. While there is
a chart that shows roughly where these minimums are met in the
curriculum, there is such a difference in the delivery of subjects,
coursework and goals that you will not find a course at Burton's Garden of Schools that is "transferable" to traditional systems. A few of the
major differences follow.
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Grades and age divisions
While Burton's Garden of Schools offers online learning for those
under the age of twelve in the Greenhouse section of the site,
DBE curriculum begins at the age of twelve and spends the next five and
half to seven years covering K-12 plus an extra 13th year or grade. In the first 9 months
to one year, elementary material is reviewed and tested for gaps while
broadening the content of these concepts and deepening the material to a
high school equivalent level. Accomplished in our quest system of
layered learning levels and facts in application, students
begin their second year with a solid foundation of hours that all apply
toward graduation.
Learning Levels
At Burton's Garden of Schools, there are
no A, B, C, D, F grades. Every student is Introduced to the lesson
or concept, allowed to Practice, then Explore the concept. Only
then does the student show their Mastery. Students do not fail at
Burton's Garden of Schools. Instead they receive the assistance they need, when they
need it.
The Destiny Based Education curriculum uses
Learning Levels. Only when a student has successfully completed one
Learning Level do they proceed to the next level.
The Learning Levels are: Introduction, Practice, Explore, Mastery,
Interpretation, Re-Interpretation, and Prove & Produce. To learn
more about Learning Levels, please visit the
Learning Levels
page on the Destiny Based Education site.
The curriculum is encapsulated within the
Virtual Learning Environment of Burton's Garden of Schools. Within this safe
environment, students are able to interact with other students and their
teachers while they complete their lessons. Students have many
opportunities within the context of their lessons to select electives in
areas that specifically interest them. These electives often go
deeper into a topic, or allow the student to continue at a more advanced
Learning Level in their area of interest.
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Quests and Portfolios
Burton's Garden of Schools allows students to build a portfolio of their work and
accomplishments as they progress through the curriculum. Using the
Burton's Garden of Schools Quest system within the Virtual Learning Environment,
students find that they are learning many subjects at the same time.
Instead of attending a Math class, then a History class, followed by an
English class, Burton's Garden of Schools students participate in a dynamic
environment that allows them to learn all of their material in an
integrated fashion. This approach allows students to mix subjects
they do not care for with material they are interested in learning.
Each student will create a portfolio as they
progress through their education at Burton's Garden of Schools. The portfolio
not only shows a student's best work, but also shows how much a student
has improved as they have progressed through our curriculum. As a
student progresses through the curriculum, all accomplishments and
requirements are noted in the students personal records. This
system also allows for material to be delivered in a method that is
appropriate to their individual learning style.
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