The Prestans Difference
Why emphasize synchronous learning? Because relationships matter.
The experience of student growth and development is varied and complex. Algorithms alone cannot meet the needs of individual learners. Personalized learning pathways, access to challenging and engaging content, and community-building, problem-solving, and collaboration are all markers of a Prestans’ education.
Your learning is more than an algorithm.
Prestans' teachers foster those skills by meeting the needs of learners where they are. Relying on years of experience in independent schools they understand the complex learning environments students inhabit in the 21st century. Online instruction with Prestans feels different because students and teachers cultivate deeper learning experiences across an array of contexts. Our classes are alive with wonder, curiosity, introspection, and meaningful engagement. Through critical and creative thinking, collaborative discourse, and dynamic learning opportunities, Prestans Online Academy empowers students to actively shape their learning. Deliberate practice and personalized feedback lay at the heart of any successful learning experience. Prestans combines world-class online learning design with meaningful social learning opportunities, meeting the varying needs of students across an array of contexts.
Pedagogy
Prestans aims to meet learners and families across their range of educational needs.
Prestans academic program encompasses age and level appropriate curriculum implemented using best practices of digital pedagogy, blending synchronous and asynchronous hybrid learning experiences for students.
each individual’s learning journey is uniquely their own.
Seeking to leverage both human expertise and powerful learning technologies, Prestans aims to craft clear, growth-oriented processes for students, where each individual’s learning journey is uniquely their own. Informed by Universal Design for Learning guidelines, students at Prestans have access to meaningful, challenging opportunities throughout the entirety of the curriculum. Whether in live, face-to-face sessions over Zoom or in powerfully designed online environments via Canvas LMS and supporting technologies, the Prestans’ program is constantly evolving to reflect evidence-informed practices pertaining to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Blending an array of formative and summative assessment opportunities, visible thinking routines, and metacognitive reflection, students receive consistent, actionable feedback, ensuring achievement for all learners. Prestans aims to meet learners and families across their range of educational needs.
ACCREDItATION
With the rise in online schools, the accreditation “stamp of approval” is essential.
Accreditation is a way for families to understand that the educational option they’re considering has been closely vetted by an independent, officially recognized outside organization. Accreditors ensure that all schools, online or otherwise, put their students first and have thoroughly vetted strategic plans, educational outcomes, and the resources necessary for their teaching and learning to thrive.
Accreditors evaluate the quality of the teaching and coursework, assess student learning and determine whether the faculty have sufficient expertise in their content area. Prestans Online Academy has been awarded official Learning Services Provider accreditation status from one of the most reputable accreditation agencies in the United States, the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Educational Landscape
As remote learning becomes more familiar, so does our understanding of the value of human interaction within education.
The landscape of digital education has been shifting rapidly for some time now. With greater access to content, these changes bring daunting challenges and remarkable opportunities. Students now must negotiate the balance between unparalleled access to knowledge with issues of digital insularity. Effective online education equips learners with the capacity to recognize what is productive and fulfilling within the digital world. The result can be a transformative sense of empowerment, engaging a sense of curiosity and autonomy that older models of learning tend to ignore.
The role of the teacher is to help students gain critical thinking skills and establish effective, digital literacy. Instructors have become guides, helping young people to research, synthesize, and create with a series of online tools and resources. The vital points of connection have shifted as well. Classes can now meet across multiple time zones, providing exciting new opportunities to make connections spanning the globe. The flexibility of a digital classroom opens doors to travel or unconventional schedules. Instructors are essential in fostering online spaces where students can share and collaborate effectively. In addition to unparalleled access to content, online learning can enable robust discussion and project-based learning. The human component to education remains essential and central.