Introduction
Discovery Learners Academy (DLA) is a small, innovative micro school in Chattanooga, TN that reimagines education through a whole-child approach, emphasizing creativity, critical thinking, and flexibility in learning. Serving fewer than 100 students from PK-12th grade, DLA embraces a flexible model that tailors learning to student’s developmental needs. Their focus is on nurturing an inclusive environment, especially for “artistic, wiggly, quirky, and inquisitive” learners who may not thrive in traditional classrooms.
To support its science curriculum, DLA sought a program that could deliver hands-on, critical-thinking-centered content—a search that ultimately led them to QuantumCourses.
Challenges
Prior to QuantumCourses, DLA faced a difficult and time-intensive challenge: building a project-based science curriculum internally.
“We had to do so much learning just to try to create the content for the kids, and it was incredibly time-consuming.” -Rachel Good, founder of DLA
“We decided as a team that we didn’t have the capacity or the skill set to be doing that.”
Rachel also shared the team’s initial concern about affordability, stating, “We really figured we couldn’t afford one because we were insistent it needed to be hands-on and critical-thinking-focused.” Fortunately, QuantumCourses was able to provide a solution that was well within their budget.
Solution
QuantumCourses offered DLA an affordable, hands-on science curriculum that suited their needs without the need for a fully equipped lab. “It’s very hard to find a hands-on science program that you can do if you don’t have a school district-supplied science lab—that’s extremely expensive to do as a microschool, and space prohibitive also,” Rachel shared. She noted the excitement among staff about QuantumCourses’ unique approach:
“The story element of QuantumCourses was so exciting for us because humans learn through stories. If we can take science, which also happens organically, and root it through story and context, then if a kid is scientifically inclined or not, they could access it. They could start to see themselves as a scientist.”
Implementation and Impact
DLA’s students quickly engaged with the hands-on and story-driven elements of QuantumCourses. “The kids love that they get to set up the experiments,” Rachel said. The program’s flexible design also provided room for experimentation and growth.
“I like that there’s iteration built into it, so it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t go a certain way. That’s information that we learn from just like every other scientist who has learned about the world.”
For mentors at DLA, QuantumCourses has provided an accessible, low-prep solution that allows them to support science education confidently, even without a science background. “It’s really nice for mentors who are not science teachers. To have all of that content makes it quick and very little prep for us,” said Rachel. “They’re able to spend 15 minutes looking over the labs for the next week. You don’t have to have a science degree to be able to understand what you’re putting down there.” QuantumCourses has even enabled more student autonomy, with Rachel noting, “By the end of the year, they know how to do it completely independently.”
Outcomes
Since introducing QuantumCourses, DLA has seen a noticeable shift in students’ attitudes toward science.
“We see them more willing to try things, more willing to engage, more willing to guess or be wrong. They start to see science as more accessible to them.”
QuantumCourses’ streamlined approach has also simplified the science instruction process, as Rachel highlights: “You don’t have to pull from eight different sources like you do for math or reading, just go buy QuantumCourses. You don’t have to be a science teacher. You don’t have to prep. You do not need to have a state-of-the-art lab, and your kids can actually learn the science.”
Conclusion
For Discovery Learners Academy, QuantumCourses has proven to be a transformative addition to their curriculum, making science both accessible and engaging.
“I learned nothing from high school or college chemistry that I could recall six months later, but when I led a group through QuantumCourses chemistry, I finally understood it.” - Rachel Good
This hands-on, story-driven approach has not only fostered a love of science among students but also empowered mentors to confidently lead science education, solidifying QuantumCourses as a valuable, enduring component of DLA’s learning experience.
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