FLEX Classes
Middle School FLEX Program Overview
Each semester (twice a year), students in Grade Five through Grade Eight have the opportunity to provide input into special enrichment clusters/coursework they want to experience here at Avon School. These special classes are developed and instructed by Middle School and Related Arts teachers and are called FLEX Classes (as in: flexible, meaning student choice).
Enrichment Clusters are:
"...non-graded groups of students who share common interests, and who come together during specially designated time blocks during school to work with an adult who shares their interests and who has some degree of advanced knowledge and expertise in the area." (Reis & Renzulli, 2010)
The vision for these elective enrichment experiences is to provide students with an authentic opportunity to learn and grow both academically and socially in a co-curricular experience based on their own interests, talents, and readiness. The coursework is simply for the love of learning, is ungraded, and provides an opportunity for students to participate in academic enrichment experiences that complement and expand upon school curriculum and programming and advance their life and career readiness.
FLEX experiences are designed and coached by Avon School teachers based on their own interests and talents. Check out what Scott Swaaley from High Tech High and GRITLab has to say about these types of teacher-facilitated experiences: