Instead of attending traditional classes, each learner earns Knowledge badges by exploring our world-class curated resources, completing challenging hands-on tasks, and dreaming up their own independent projects.
Learners earn Real life learning badges by attending live video discussions and workshops, picking a skill and practicing it regularly, and going out in their community to volunteer and gain career skills.
Instead of learning from traditional teachers, Prisma cohorts are led by a local “Learning coach.” Prisma coaches are education professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds who have been top-rated public and private school teachers, counselors, youth mentors, and more.
Coaches don’t give lectures, grade tests, or develop curriculum, freeing up their time to develop a personal relationship with every learner. They help kids set goals, track their progress, and provide lots of one-on-one help and feedback.
Every child and family is different and has unique routines, schedules, and priorities. Our daily schedule allows ample opportunities for learners to interact with and socialize with their peers, while maintaining flexibility and the ability to customize their day to best fit their interests, needs, and learning style.
During September through June, Prisma learners experience three learning cycles, with breaks to recharge in between. We don’t believe that learning should stop in the summer, but we also know that summer is often the best time for kids to take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunities. So our summer learning is designed to be flexible, encompassing any growth opportunity the learner is interested in exploring.
Within each trimester, Prisma cohorts schedule myriad activities, trips, and events to connect in person and virtually.
All learning at Prisma is through the lens of our Prisma Learning Framework. Learners build a base of foundational knowledge and high-school-ready academic skills by following their personalized Learning Routines and develop essential 21st-century skills like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration through exploring Prisma Themes, earning Prisma Badges, and attending synchronous Workshops.
Learning Routines: Each child is given an updated custom learning plan every five-week cycle based on their academic knowledge gaps, strengths, and goals. We utilize adaptive learning technology to give each learner exactly what they need—whether your child wants to accelerate several grade levels ahead in one subject while catching up to grade level in another, or simply wants to move at their own pace, on their own terms. Most learners spend 90 minutes per day working on their Learning Routines.
Themes: Learners explore a new theme during each 5-week learning cycle. We develop themes to be engaging, interdisciplinary, and rooted in urgent questions facing the world. Each theme comes with new Badges, new synchronous Workshops, and a resource library of the best texts, videos, games, and podcasts available. Upcoming possible themes include Cities of the Future, Prisma Newsroom, and All About Food.
Badges: Learners can earn Badges related to the theme each cycle. Kids choose from a library of project-based Badges based on their interests, get feedback on their work from their peers and learning coach, and develop a rich portfolio of creative work. Past Badges have included Sportscasting, The Chemistry of Baking, and App Design. Learners also earn one Mastery Badge per year by engaging in deliberate practice to develop a skill of their choice—anything from Italian cooking to classical piano to basketball free-throws.
Workshops: Learners engage in 90 minutes of daily group learning time over live video. Instead of delivering lectures, coaches lead Workshops focused on the Practices above that take the following formats:
Educational content is delivered via a variety of resources and mediums. Group time is primarily facilitated by live video, and we use a curated selection of apps and websites for uniquely paced, self-directed, and collaborative learning, as selected by our curriculum team. We will also offer in-person components that will enhance our program (once it is safe to do so respective to COVID-19).
We believe that time is precious, so we don’t ask kids to get together without a valuable purpose. Thankfully, fantastic resources exist for learning math, languages, and all sorts of topics independently. As such, learners’ time together focuses on collaborative experiences that are enriched by a community environment, such as current events discussions, presentations of individual passion projects, debates ranging from ethics and history to politics and philosophy, experiential, multi-month group projects, community service learning, and more.
At Prisma, we leverage modern technology to facilitate meaningful, rich social connections, and our network of Prisma cohorts allows learners to to form social clubs and plan virtual activities to make new friends around the country based on common interests. We are also committed to frequently getting kids away from their screens and out in their communities. Part of what makes Prisma exceptional are the community-focused elements of our program. We are global and local citizens who create, debate, problem-solve, and play together.
Prisma’s model draws inspiration from project-based learning, inquiry and problem-based learning, interest-driven learning, social-emotional learning, and deeper learning theory. Each of these approaches has empirically proven positive results for learners including increased academic performance, critical thinking, creativity, long-term motivation, and love of learning.
Our flexible, online learning environment allows learners to deepen their understanding of content that interests them by learning to be independent researchers, confident digital citizens, and skilled project and time managers. Instead of being limited to the resources available inside four school walls, learners have the freedom and guidance to follow their curiosity wherever it leads, to destinations virtual and physical. Our interactive components allow learners to collaborate authentically with their peers, rather than listening to dry online lectures or conversing in dull discussion forums. Our coaches are highly trained in using technology to enhance their ability to educate, rather than trying to poorly reproduce traditional classroom methods online.
Academic rigor is highly prioritized at Prisma. Learning just happens differently here, for the better! Instead of checking boxes to meet externally derived educational standards, we encourage learners to follow their curiosity to excavate their interests and passions. This fuels learning that’s fun and engaging while facilitating whole-person development. Learning this way, along with the skillful support of our Learning coaches, enables the achievement of academic mastery while allowing the love of learning to flourish. Much of the recent wave of innovation in education focused on acceptance to highly ranked colleges and high test scores as the gold standards of success. We believe that mastery of ‘core’ content and exceptional educational outcomes can be achieved without test anxiety, without dry lectures delivered to students, and without adults directing a child’s every move. We also know that now more than ever, top colleges are looking for well-rounded students with a rich portfolio of projects, a resume of real-world experiences, and the ability to express themselves with originality and confidence. Learners who partner with Prisma will be far ahead of their traditionally-educated peers in this respect.
Prisma operates on a year-round schedule, with a lighter summer session and other breaks ranging in length from one to four weeks. Learners spend September through June working on self-paced academics and live, facilitated Life Skills and Worldview badges during three twelve-week learning sessions. Each session ends with an Expo Day, where families come together to celebrate students’ hard work on their self-directed projects. In July and August, learners can pursue an Experience badge by completing a summer opportunity of their choice. The summer session schedule is highly flexible to accommodate family travel and other summer fun.
Learners who choose Prisma generally expect to spend 5-6 hours per day learning. Each day starts with a 10 am Stand up meeting with other members of their cohort and their Learning coach. Learners then participate in working toward either their Life skills or Worldview badge, during which they debate, discuss, and work in small teams to solve problems and create solutions to real-world problems. Learners are then free to structure their time in the way that works best for them, be it working independently on self-paced academic apps, practicing for their Mastery badge, joining one of our clubs or social groups, or working with other Prisma learners on a group project.
Prisma cohorts generally engage in morning live group learning with afternoons reserved for independent work (offering greater flexibility later in the day). Because our goal is for your child to have a rich educational experience, including contributing to a collaborative group environment, we ask learners to consistently participate in synchronous group time. That being said, we're willing to consider your family's flexibility needs, and missing a day here and there is totally fine!
Prisma's calendar is comprised of three 12-week sessions with breaks around the winter holidays and a flexible summer session that focuses on experiential learning. In 2021, our Early spring session will run from January 11th to March 25th, and our Late spring session will be from April 12th to June 24th.
We believe that learners are more than a test score and that depth of knowledge cannot be assessed via traditional assessments. Learners are given rich written and verbal feedback on their contributions to their cohort in Worldview and Life skills badges, on their improvement in their Mastery badge, and on their self-paced, app-based academic learning progress.
That said, we perform a small amount of pre-testing in Reading and Math to understand where each learner is coming from in terms of academic skills. We also administer regular survey-style assessments (not like traditional school tests) to measure learner well-being, skill acquisition, and achievement.
No, kids who learn with Prisma earn badges and move through mastery-based apps that gauge their understanding of content. They also receive frequent written and verbal feedback from their Learning coach and peers.
Prisma’s badges and learners' 3rd party app progress can be translated to create a mastery-based transcript that would be recognized by any traditional school. We help each learner maintain a cumulative portfolio containing their Prisma documentation, writing, projects, and coach feedback that families can include when applying for admission to selective schools and programs.
In order to participate in Prisma, learners need a strong internet connection and consistent access to a computer with a camera and a microphone - which can be built-in, like on a laptop. We also strongly recommend that learners have access to a quiet and private learning space that’s free from distraction.
If your family doesn’t have a computer that can be designated to your child’s primary use, please contact your local school district to see whether your child’s local school allows homeschoolers to check out laptops (one-to-one laptop programs), access the school library, etc. While we are investigating how to connect learners with technology resources, we are not presently able to include a technology bundle within Prisma’s pricing.
Learners who partner with Prisma should be able to independently navigate online resources such as live video, learning websites, Google Docs and PowerPoint, etc. While we provide each new learner with the tools to navigate the platforms that everyone at Prisma uses, if your child does not yet know how to type or independently navigate online resources, we may ask your child to complete personalized digital literacy training before starting Prisma.