"Learning while producing" is the International Polytechnic approach to education. IPoly's college preparatory program is project-based: students work in interdisciplinary, collaborative groups to apply learning to real-world situations.

THE IPOLY LEARNING APPROACH
Inquiry, International, and Interdisciplinary Education Traditional educational institutions maintain a system where ideas and information are separated, and assessment takes place in groups. These individual strands of facts and figures remain largely ‘unquestioned and uncombined’ because they are not deliberately woven together. At IPoly, students learn by asking and pursuing critical questions, exploring global issues and events from different perspectives, and making connections among subjects. This approach to learning is the thread upon which a multi-textured, truly durable fabric of knowledge is woven.

INQUIRY LEARNING

Through inquiry, students take ownership of both knowledge and the knowledge-gathering process. At IPoly, class assignments, discussions, essays, journals, case studies, and group and individual projects are frequently presented with essential questions that students are asked to answer while being encouraged to investigate the question further. Students often find that questions have more than one viable answer. Instructors function as learning facilitators, guiding students along the path of inquiry, as opposed to dispensers of information.

While all IPoly instructors have specialties and present materials in specific disciplines, the school is structured so that instructors are also resource specialists, curriculum writers, workshop facili-tators, and more. They also bring in scholars and guest speakers from the university and the ‘real world.’ Additionally, instructors can utilize their knowledge and experiences in other subjects in class. Instructors learn and produce along with students, demonstrating that learning is for life.

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

During a four-year course of study, IPoly students will develop a sense of the world and their place in it, providing a basis for more specialized study after high school. However, there is more to understanding the world than names, dates and places. The goal of our curriculum is to inspire students to gain a desire to know why things happen rather than just knowing that they ‘do’. As students develop a global perspective on issues and events, they get closer to the ‘why’ of things. They become prepared for a complex world where people engage with each other through cooperation, competition, and conflict.

According to Robert G. Hanvey of American Fo-rum for Global Education, the five dimensions to the development of a global perspective are:

Dimension 1
Perspective Consciousness
One’s individual view of the world is not universally shared…others have views of the world that are profoundly different from one’s own.

Dimension 2
State-of-the-Planet Awareness
Students explore prevailing world conditions and developments, including emergent trends such as economic conditions, inter- and intra-nation conflicts, resources and health, migrations, environmental issues, etc.

Dimension 3
Cross-Cultural Awareness
Awareness of the diversity of ideas and practices to be found in human societies around the world, as well as within US society. Also, how such ideas and practices compare and contrast, and how one’s own society might be viewed from other vantage points.

Dimension 4
Knowledge of Global Dynamics
Knowledge of key traits and mechanisms of global systems (economic, ecological, political, technological, etc.) which directly impact how the world constantly changes. This approach produces deeper understanding of complex situations and helps students see their own roles in world events.

Dimension 5
Awareness of Human Choices
Heightened awareness of our own cultural perspective, of how others view the world, and of global dynamics and change, brings with it problems of choice. Individuals, societies and countries are constantly solving problems and making choices. How one makes choices, and the results of those choices, are an important element in global education. IPoly instructors have developed a course of study which provides these multiple global dimensions. Students become globalists through research projects, discussion, studying languages and culture, and exhibitions.

INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION 

As IPoly, students pursue questions and examine global challenges and events from different perspectives, they discover the inter-connectedness of people, systems and information. These connections are reflected in the IPoly curriculum, which is interdisciplinary. An interdisciplinary course of study breaks down many of the artificial walls between subject areas. Through the use of team teaching, interdisciplinary unit themes, projects and exhibitions, new and different demands are made on students which nurture their own curiosity and guide them towards a broader understanding of the world. Facts no longer remain ‘uncombined’. Research conducted by the Center for the Study of Evaluation at UCLA demonstrates that students enrolled in an interdisciplinary course of study have better attendance, more developed writing and thinking skills, and go on to four year, post-secondary education more often than their counter-parts in traditional classes. The IPoly instructors work cooperatively in teams to design and teach projects which meet state subject area standards and fulfill the vision of the school as a place of inquiry and international studies.

Each project is constructed to:

• Include a rigorous academic curriculum
• Incorporate Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
• Satisfy University of California & California State University course requirements
• Achieve school-to-career objectives
• Community service/service learning opportunities

The core curriculum at IPoly is based on California State Department of Education standards, and meets the UC A-G requirements. It prepares students for high school graduation and college entrance requirements.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECTS

These projects provide a forum for students to demonstrate their mastery of important concepts and skills through the practical and creative application of those concepts and skills, rather than rote memorization and testing. Projects range from the simple to the complex. Projects contain specific criteria and deadlines. Through the projects, students acquire important process skills, such as time management, personal responsibility, interpersonal communication, etc. All projects are ‘hands-on’, providing a bridge between the classroom and the ‘real world’.  Projects incorporate basic skills and higher-order thinking skills in ways which challenge students to take risks, make their own connections, and ultimately, take responsibility for their own learning.

EXHIBITIONS

Final presentations are special events at IPoly. They may include exhibitions, simulations, debates, stage shows, and other significant performances. Presentations generally have three major components including written, visual and live presentation/demonstration. Group-project presentations occur in all grade levels. Individualized culminating exhibitions occur at the twelfth grade level. Although components will vary from project to project, exhibitions afford students an opportunity to both demonstrate and celebrate their knowledge and talents.