A Place for Youth

Geyser

Programs

Group Tutorials

General Information

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Group Tutorials expose youth to school-type academics in a non-threatening and experiential mode. Emphasis is placed on process over product, on reasoning versus grasping for quick answers, on respecting the developmental level of each young person and on promoting a positive and collaborative social atmosphere. Each multi-age, multi-level group is an excellent format for fostering varied levels of intellectual development, because every child is both a peer and a mentor to fellow students. Group Tutorials also place a strong emphasis on the value of developing all areas of one’s self, and therefore provide youth ample opportunities to develop their Multiple Intelligences (see Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner.)

Group Tutorial I/Open Program II - 7-8 year olds

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This hybrid full-day program offers youth two types of programs in one day. The morning portion is a Group Tutorial, which provides youth with the opportunity to be introduced to academic activities in a nonthreatening, non-competitive, age-appropriate atmosphere (see description on Page 8 for more information on Group Tutorials). The afternoon portion is an Open Program II. The same general principles of the Open Program apply to this group. The major difference is that the environment is stocked with materials and activities that are developmentally appropriate for an older audience. The process is still largely youth-initiated. The woodshop, art studio, and kitchen are some of the spaces in which youth can tackle projects of their design. The main program room will have available such materials as Lego Mindstorms, science equipment, take-aparts, a sewing machine and math manipulatives. For folks who are ready to work with such materials at a more advanced level, and who are also ready for longer-term, more sophisticated projects, this program would likely be a match.

Group Tutorial II/Open Program II - 9-11 year olds

View our slide show with audio

This hybrid full-day program offers youth two types of programs in one day. The morning portion is a Group Tutorial, which provides youth with the opportunity to be introduced to academic activities in a nonthreatening, non-competitive, age-appropriate atmosphere (see description on Page 8 for more information on Group Tutorials). The afternoon portion is an Open Program II. The same general principles of the Open Program apply to this group. The major difference is that the environment is stocked with materials and activities that are developmentally appropriate for an older audience. The process is still largely youth-initiated. The woodshop, art studio, and kitchen are some of the spaces in which youth can tackle projects of their design. The main program room will have available such materials as Lego Mindstorms, science equipment, take-aparts, a sewing machine and math manipulatives. For folks who are ready to work with such materials at a more advanced level, and who are also ready for longer-term, more sophisticated projects, this program would likely be a match.

Group Tutorial - 11-13 year olds

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This full-day tutorial is designed for youth who are ready for collaborative group learning experiences. Activities will be planned to integrate a variety of academic areas and will include hands-on, project-based work. Some of these projects and topics will be one-time events while others will continue for a number of weeks and offer the opportunity for deeper exploration.

Participants in this program will also have the opportunity to present a Peer Facilitation/ Comprehensive Project. To underscore our belief that self-directed learning provides limitless opportunities to develop academic skills and inspire hidden abilities to blossom, Tutorial provides the framework for each youth to choose, research, develop and present a Comprehensive Project. Comprehensive Projects can reflect many of the Multiple Intelligences: study of a specific animal; a literary review of a favorite author; a documentary of sports behavior; the history of movie-making - the possibilities are endless. The philosophical goal of each Comprehensive Project is for youths to embrace the in-depth study of topics significant to them and to design culminating presentations that deepen their knowledge and share their passion with peers in an engaging manner.


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