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Page Topics: 1 Hub Days | 4 E-DaysOutcomes | Program | Staff

Weekly Activities: 1 "Hub Day", 4 "E Days"

 During Hub meetings, students work together on interdisciplinary projects which involve members of their community (through parent and other local connections). These "cognitive apprenticeships" provide ways for students to observe and practice necessary skills for leading adult lives in their communities. Students teams will take on roles such as town planners, law clerks, productivity consultants, customer survey administrators, field engineer assistants, etc. Hub meetings will be times for them to meet with their mentors, review work, get new tasks, and study interdisciplinary skills associated with those tasks.

Four "E-days": On the other four days a week, students will be under the supervision of their parents or on their own, meeting with other students or taking other courses individually if they wish. Work with the E-School will take place over the Internet (except when phone calls or remedial visits are needed). Students will check bulletin boards and contribute postings daily, send assignments in and receive feedback by email, and create web pages of their project work. They will also serve as peer tutors for each other, relying on the extensive resources of the Internet (including those created for projects by E-School teachers). Click here for an example of how an E-School project emerges and how it meets the academic needs of its students. Click here for the answers to some frequently asked questions about the E-school.

Outcomes: As they collaborate on Hub projects, sudents master the skills of research, interpretation, expression and presentation, gaining masterful command of electronic communication. Motivated by their own interests, their relationships with community mentors, and the power of the Internet, they will develop the academic, productivity and technology skills called for by colleges and today's workplace. They will also have a lot of fun together.

Program Features

The E-School experience-based educational program emphasizes:

• College Entrance Preparation
• Workplace Skills Development
• Student Group Work
• Interaction with Local Mentors
• Community Participation
• Portfolio-based assessment
• Parent participation in design of educational program and projects

Students in the E-School develop:

• Attention to detail
• The capacity to envision the full scope of a project
• Knowledge of how things work in business and local government
• Group decision-making skills
• Computer-based communication, production and management skills
• Field and Internet research skills
• The ability to self-monitor and follow through on agreements
• The ability to personally balance multiple projects
• Resourcefulness in many settings
• Self-confidence and accountability
• A portfolio of project work useful in applying to colleges

Co-Directors

Bram Moreinis (M.A., M. Ed) has worked in educational technology and classroom teaching for thirteen years. A Columbia Teachers College graduate, Bram has developed and managed many Internet-based educational programs in Ulster County and New York City.