HTHflex Introduction

High Tech High’s mission is to develop and support innovative public schools where all students develop the academic, workplace, and citizenship skills for post-secondary success.

Academic:  61% of universities offer online courses

Workplace: 48% of employers are offering telecommuting options

Citizenship: online technologies increasingly connecting the world

HTH Mission

Built on an outdated “teacher-centered” model

Read the screen, take the quiz

No real-world connection

No flexibility or social connection

Lack of current social technologies

HTHFlex:

-personalized

-innovative

-real-world connection

-uses current technologies

Challenges of Online Education

High Tech High Flex is an independent learning program based on the design principles of personalization, adult world connection, and a common intellectual mission. Flex blends home-based independent study, online learning, and face-to-face experiences.

Flex Overview

Unlike more traditional schools, HTHflex stretches the academic experience beyond the walls of the conventional classroom. A typical school day in the life of a Flex student consists of the following activities:

A Day in the Life

● Real-time small group project activities● One-on-one coaching between teacher and student● Live online class session● Tutoring sessions with intelligent software● Independent project work and research● Self-paced posting/ commenting/ peer critique● Peer coaching

Flex students take advantage of self-paced online intelligent tutoring systems. Online research, traditional reading, and independent writing are core components of any successful learning program. Finally, students in Flex contribute to an interactive online social network, posting their work, responding to others, and frequently providing collaborative feedback.

Independent Activities

Students will collaborate on group projects in real time, both online through Instant Messaging or video conferencing, and face-to-face at a students' home, local library, or coffee-shop.

Group Projects

Each day, students will participate in real-time, online class meetings. These daily check-ins will allow students to discuss the class content, practice core concepts, and share their learning experiences.

Teacher Led Sessions

In addition to these distance learning activities, students will attend weekly face-to-face classroom experiences. These will serve to help facilitate hands on projects, community building, and athletic activities.

In Person Activities

Each flex student will engage in regular one-on-one coaching with their teachers and peers. These coaching sessions assess individual progress, address concerns, and challenge students to deepen their knowledge and application of class concepts. These conversations occur online through video and voice conferencing as well as face-to-face.

Coaching Sessions

Education does not stop on the weekends, but extends into students real world experience. Each week, students will engage in a connection encounter focusing on the four C's: College, community, career, and culture.

Connection Encounters

Service learning immersionEach student will partner with a local non-profit or community organization in a monthly hands-on experience to make an impact on the local community through service learning.

Connection Encounters

Job shadowingEvery Flex student will intern in multiple career fields over the course of their high school experience. Internships allow students to walk in the shoes of practitioners in the field, trying out the occupation for themselves, while creating connections with local businesses and corporations.

Connection Encounters

Arts/Cultural experienceOnce a month, the entire flex community will participate in or attend an arts or cultural experience. These will include gallery shows, arts and cultural festivals, and live theatre performances.

Connection Encounters

College encounterIn addition to participating in college preparatory courses, flex students will visit university campuses, partner with university professors in research, and make connections with college admission counselors.

Connection Encounters

Flex students will engage in High Tech High's unique learning experiences including:

Project-Based LearningStudent Led ConferencesPresentations of LearningExhibitionsCommunity Meeting

A High Tech High Education

Project-Based LearningStudents will create personalized, authentic projects in collaborative teams, making real-world connections and presenting their learning.

A High Tech High Education

Student Led ConferencesInstead of parent/teacher conferences, High Tech High students take part in mid-semester student-led conferences where they discuss their learning progress and define areas to improve as they finish the semester.

A High Tech High Education

Presentations of LearningAt the end of each semester, instead of final exams, students present their major projects to a panel of community members, parents, and fellow students.

A High Tech High Education

ExhibitionsPublicly displaying students projects is an important component of the learning process. Students display their projects on their online digital portfolios, as well as presenting them to the community during exhibition.

A High Tech High Education

Community MeetingsOnce or twice a month, the entire school community meets together to present projects, discuss important issues, and build the school culture.

A High Tech High Education

Advisory ProgramEach Flex student will have an advisory who will serve as the first point of contact with High Tech High Flex. This connection starts with a personal home visit over the summer, allows the student and advisory to connect, set up the home study space, and establish an individualized support system. Throughout the year, the advisor will continue to monitor both academic and personal progress with weekly check-ins through instant messaging, video chats, and face-to-face time.

Personalization at Flex

Personalized Learning PlansAs an independent study program, Flex partners with parents to offer students an individually tailored educational plan. The advisor will serve as the “Teacher of Record” to support students in their language, art, and other exploratory courses by establishing learning goals, benchmarks, and authentic assessments.

Personalization at Flex

Truly Personalized EducationAt High Tech High Flex, our strategies and tools for personalization result in Flex students receiving extended individualized teacher conference time each week. These interactions occur both face-to-face and through video conferencing, instant messaging, and personal phone calls.

Personalization at Flex

High Tech High Flex is an independent learning program based on the design principles of personalization, adult world connection, and a common intellectual mission. Flex blends home-based independent study, online learning, and face-to-face experiences.

Flex Overview