What is the Aphelion School? The Aphelion School is a unit of Charismagics ci learning systems. Aphelion School is an (e-) school in Ontario, Canada.
Are your instructors certified? We use certified teachers.
What grades will be offered? We currently offer grades 4 -12
How does the school work? Aphelion School is a combination of home schooling, distance education and the internet. This creates the "school without walls" that we talk about. In some ways it will look like a one room school where everyone is connected via telepresence. Our model of delivery allows the teacher to connect personally with the students and adjust the curriculum to their interests. Students negotiate delivery dates and options (like books to read) with the instructor. Aphelion offers a "multimedia" approach to learning. That means using traditional media (textbooks, workbooks and such) as well as new ones. The best mix of delivery is important to us. Not all the work will be at the computer. We do not intend to take students out of one "box" and put them into another. The internet is used for collaborative functions. Talking to staff and other students will be by e-mail, internet phone and other technologies. Research will take the student out into their community. Course materials will be available on the server any time of the day or night. They will also have, in hand, course materials that have been couriered to them. Students will be empowered over when they work, as long as they meet their deadlines and connect for "meetings" on the net.
What is a typical day be like? Our first student, Sarah Kurchak said that there isn't a typical day, but these are the basic functions. She looked to her e-mail each day for messages from her teacher. They may have contained advice, encouragement and lesson plans. If it was a lesson, she looked over the requirements (nature of the lesson, marking criteria and due date). If she thought of a better way of doing it, she negotiated the requirements with her teacher. This is an important life skill. It is also part of the way we can adjust the curriculum to the interests of the students while still meeting all Ministry criteria. Sarah then took a printout of the complete lesson plan and enters the information into her planner. When she did the work is up to her but the due dates are fixed. A reporter asked Sarah "Where was the most interesting place in which she did her school work." It was in a small restaurant in Toronto's Queen Street. That's the "bohemian" district the arts community frequents. She was working on a poetry assignment. Depending on the age of the student, we progressively work them into their community. For example, they might go the library, visit a museum or have lessons built on places while they are travelling. Later in the day, Sarah returned to e-mail or chat with other students and friends. We watched her writing an e-mail to one person and outputting messages to two live chat sessions simultaneously. To the students, this seems like a personal tutoring process. Our models are based on person to person contacts and we nurture the learning experience to create that feeling.
How are projects submitted and evaluated? Projects can be forwarded electronically or by mail, depending on their nature. Evaluations are continuous. Students and parents can easily follow student progress. There are traditional tests and exams as well. Report cards are the same as in traditional schools.
Will you still pass a student even if they really haven't completed the course at the required grade level? No. Uncompleted work is marked as "incomplete".
What about socialization? Sarah has perhaps the most experience with this. She says that "Aphelion was a welcome change from a bad social atmosphere." Like many students, she found herself marginalized at an early age in the regular system. Quite simply, her interests were different than other students and if you stand out in a class it makes you an object to be set upon. Dealing with that is not easy and it is no wonder that we get so many heart-rending letters telling the same story. Having migrated into this new system, she tells us that "I kept my closest old friends (from her days in a gifted program) and still talk to them and see them frequently. I have rekindled an old friendship in my neighbourhood since leaving the classroom, and made pen pals (for lack of a better term) over the internet. Mostly, though, I associate with adults, which is where I feel comfortable socially." While associating with adults comes naturally with these students, it illustrates the difference between the traditional and home based systems of education. Most of us are products of the present school system that segregates children by age. It is difficult for us to envisage what our lives would be like without the interactions that occur within that closed environment. In a classroom with one teacher and many students it's obvious that peer to peer interactions would be highlighted. Students who have their studies based in the home environment have a different balance. Since they have the ability to see adults working in their natural environment, they pick up behaviors and skills that work in the "real world." Regardless of the system however people (being people), do socialize. The difference in our system is that they tend to socialize by interest rather than by compulsion. Collaboration with other students is done online. We have been closely monitoring the nature of this form of socialization because it is the newest part of the process. The results are illuminating. We find teachers, students and parents are making remarkably close connections with each other. We all know about "first impressions." These represent the initial part of getting to know someone. By spending time with them, you get to know them better. What we have found during testing is that people jump to second part of the process because the "first look" is not there. This is an important consideration since it shows that online communication is not the sterile environment for personal contact that it was assumed to be. Students, staff and parents have been developing very traditional relationships with each other despite being so far apart.
Will you address all core or credit courses or are these enrichment courses? We will offer traditional credit courses in the Ontario curriculum. For advanced learners we offer gifted level courses.
Do students have a proper diploma upon completion of the program? Upon successful completion of curriculum requirements students will receive the same diploma as in traditional schools.
How do you handle studies like science and math, or languages? Studies that require immediate feedback use live chat, white boarding and internet phone. Sometimes we even use the telephone. Scientific packages like lab equipment, microscopes, slides, specimens and so on are sent out in kit form prior to the commencement of studies. Language teachers also pretape certain lessons for offline studies.
Can you show us sample assignments? Certainly. Here are two examples. First, an example from a grade 11 film course. Next, a poetry assignment for OAC English. Note that O.A.C. was grade 13 and is no longer offered in Ontario. Secondary School Grades are now 9-12.
Do students finish the program quicker than in the regular school system? Sarah,our first student completed her first semester 7 weeks early. Later she used that time to dig deeper into her studies. That seemed to be a common reaction.
How many students to a class? We don't teach classes. We teach individually. Each teacher has a roster of up to 17 students.
What are the parents' roles in your system? With your students studying at home, you will find that education blends into your family lifestyle. Parents act as facilitators in the process. We will ask you to have separate e-mail accounts for parents and students. This will enable an ongoing dialogue with you so that questions of progress and the administering of tests can be dealt with appropriately.
What kind of computer will we need at home? Although we can use any platform that can use Internet tools, we highly recommend an Apple Inc. MacBook and the iWork productivity suite. A high speed connection to the Internet is recommended but not necessary for standard functions.