Soutwest Center for Accelerated Schools Powerful Learning

What is Powerful Learning?

The education we now provide for so-called gifted children is what actually works best for all children. Powerful Learning incorporates the Accelerated Schools Philosophy to build a learning context that is meaningful to students, where connections are made among subject areas and that builds on strengths, experiences and cultural backgrounds.

In a Powerful Learning environment, students are thinkers, creators and problem-solvers. They realize there is more than one way to find answers and through this way of learning they begin to feel more comfortable accepting new challenges.

What does Powerful Learning look like?

Imagine walking into a classroom where students are busy with calculators, pencils and paper. These students are not hammering away at a worksheet, but using mathematics to predict strength of their geodesic dome they are building with rolls of newspaper.

Down the hall in a computer lab, a social studies class is analyzing census data and designing maps to describe their community in a web page.

At an elementary school second, third and fourth graders have put together a "Live Museum," where the students role play historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Rosa Parks and Albert Einstein.

The Powerful Learning Framework

The examples above describe a learning environment that is engaging and exciting for students. It requires application of essential concepts and skills from math, science, language arts and social studies.

The Powerful Learning Framework consists of five components (Authentic, Interactive, Learner-Centered, Inclusive and Continuous) that should be incorporated into powerful learning strategies.

The University of Texas at Austin - Southwest Center for Accelerated Schools ELITE
Bonnie Hamill, Director
4030 W. Braker Lane Bldg. 2, Room 243 Austin, TX 78759 Ph: 512.232.0700
Email Us: acceleratedschools@austin.utexas.edu