Running With a Partner

These past few months it has been amazing to watch learners develop their independent learning skills and practice setting academic goals. Often, learners choose work that is interesting and challenging balanced by easier work for a brain break. Continuously staying on task and working to achieve goals is tough (even for us adults). What if there was a way to feel encouraged and held accountable for your work? What if a friend could give us this tough-minded and warm-hearted support?

Enter………RUNNING PARTNERS! 

At Acton, one of the most powerful aspects of our school is peer-to-peer learning. This week we stepped it up a notch and placed accountability and goal setting in the learners hands. Each learner has been paired and at the start of the work period sets their individual goals of what materials they will work with and how they will work towards mastery. Learners share and plan their goals with their running partner. Throughout the work period (core skills time) running partners check-in, keep one another on task, celebrate achievements with victory dances and COVID elbow bumps, and when they need help they first seek out their partner.

Learning isn’t a sprint, it’s a long marathon and what better to have a friend running by your side.