If Dewey and Kennedy Built a School
John Dewey's DNA
We've known since John Dewey the best way for students to learn: project- & community based, experiential, interdisciplinary and most importantly - student-centered. At ARES, the Dewey DNA and spirt echo through out the program as much of the curricula and instructional strategies were developed and piloted at the University Laboratory School in Honolulu, HI - a school John Dewey was instrumental in helping to lay the foundation for.
John Kennedy's Inspiration
ARES Learning is inspired by the original Moonshot - a daring promise made by Kennedy to put a man on the moon within 10 years, without having the know how or the technology to do it. ARES Learning and our students embody the bold mindsets, daring, risk taking and courage it takes to tackle seemingly impossible challenges and change the world forever in the process.
Battle-tested & Research-driven
Like the Lab School at the University of Hawaii and the Moonshot Laboratory in Honolulu, ARES Learning is built on a foundation of constructivist learning theory. This means we provide students agency in determining the trajectory of their own learning, ensuring they are engaged and motivated throughout their time with us. All learning happens within the context of a real-world problem, simulation, game, or project that cadets care about. The process of inquiry allows them to ask questions and pursue answers that matter to them, and collaboration with fellow students (as well as peers and experts outside the program) is essential to success. Every learning experience includes a measure of reflection and metacognition so that cadets are well practiced at examining their own thinking and developing higher executive functioning skills.
