Academics

Program Description

Eden Academy is a small experiential learning school in Eustis, FL. Eden Academy serves students who have been determined to be at risk in their academic performance for a variety of reasons including learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, processing disorders, Autism, or other learning difficulties. Providing an experiential classroom for students with learning challenges allows students who would otherwise be academically frustrated, learn how to overcome and or compensate in order to find success in school.

The conditions needed to ensure that experiential learning is effective have been identified by the Association for Experiential Education:

• Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis.

• Experiences are structured to require the student to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results.

• Throughout the experiential learning process, the student is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, and solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning.

• Students are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic.

• The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning.

• Relationships are developed and nurtured: student to self, student to others and student to the world at large.

• The instructor and student may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and uncertainty, because the outcomes of the experience cannot totally be predicted.

• Opportunities are nurtured for students and instructors to explore and examine their own values.

• The instructor’s primary roles include setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries, supporting students, insuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the learning process.

• The instructor recognizes and encourages spontaneous opportunities for learning.

• Instructors strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the student.

• The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes and successes.