Mama Zaia

Coming from a long lineage of Vikings this mama raises her fluffle of young warriors.

We don’t teach for grades. We don’t even have a classroom or a grading system.
We build mastery through real work, tested in the field at real businesses.
State and Federal offer a secondary assessment systems that kids enjoy beating.
Most universities in the world offer a formal entry exam either private or public.
Here, at Gervi Héra Vitr, kids have office, shop, and lab space; tools, machines, and toys.
Most importantly, here kids have freedom to learn, to create, to make mistakes, and grow.

Overview

The Gervi Héra Vitr curriculum is interdisciplinary, iterative, adaptive, and incremental.
All learning is contextualized in real work on real assets and is completely salf-paced.
There are no semesters, quarters, periods, school years or any other superficial timeframes.
As in colonial times kids learn continuously regardless of "vacations" because life is continuous.

Our kids keep a diary of their learning activities and reflections.
Gervi Hера Vitr kids keep a diary
Figure 1. Reflection and self-introspection are key to progressive development.

 

Each student progresses through high-agency "learning trails" that tightly combine:

  • Core Scientific Theory[1] (i.e, math, science, philosophy, etc.) — the fundamentals of thinking;

  • Maker Practice[2] (i.e, projects, experiments, µSaaS production, etc.) — science in motion;

  • and, Reflection[3] by introspection and retrospection (journals, essays, feedback, etc.).

Core Domains

  • Philosophy[1] — logic, ethics, decision theory, Stoicism ← the foundations of science:

    • Mathematics — from arithmetic to calculus and proof;

    • Physics — from Newtonian mechanics to quantum mechanics and relativity;

    • Chemistry — from acids and bases to organic chemistry and biochemistry;

    • Biology — from microscopic life to macroscopic ecosystems and evolution;

    • Astronomy — from the Sun to the Universe and beyond;

    • Psychology — from cognitive psychology to social psychology and neuroscience.

  • Applied Sciences[1][2] — software engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics ← civilization:

    • Business — entrepreneurship, marketing, commerce && finance and personal finances;

    • Law & Government — herding structures, government forms, ethics, justice, lobbying;

    • Leadership & Ethics — volunteering, supporting democracy and independence fighters;

    • Engineering & AI — robotics, machine learning, component printing, circuit design.

  • Humanities[2] — language, literature, poetry, history, and performing arts:

    • Systems & Society — law, civics, leadership, impact of innovation and adoption curve;

    • Languages — linguistics, language families and language learning, theory and practice;

    • Literature — poetry, prose, fiction, selected works of American and world authors;

    • Performing Arts — composition, improvisation, choreography, comics, and drama.

Methodology and Philosophy of Pedagogy

Mind is a temple. Treat it as one.
Preparation is the key to the next successful day of learning
Figure 2. Preparation is the key to the next successful day of learning.

  • No lectures. No tests. No busywork.

  • Lifelong continued learning is not an achievement but a fundamental necessity.

  • There’s no such thing as specialization or preferred focus:

    • A real world objective is selected and the asset for it is created;

    • Both theoretical and practical learning is applied together to create the asset;

    • Progress is proven through the quality of the assets, not any "assignments."

  • Every day uses the 80/20 rule to learn to optimize running productivity.

School Year Concepts

  • Learning never stops in real life — no such things as a vacation from thinking.

  • Breadth of knowledge trumps the depth of knowledge, especially for young adults.

  • Social development trumps intellectual development, this is also more difficult for home schooled kids.

Considering these factors we use a "learning trail" approach to learning:

  • Satisfy just the minimum amount of time state required for children to learn each week;

  • Prefer immersive learning integrated with social activities over formalized sit-down study;

  • Make all learning activities fun, interesting, and objective based on real world assets.

Curriculum Artifacts

All learning trails and work artifacts live in the GitHub curriculum folder:

→ /sindri-labs/tree/main/curriculum

1. Daddy R!dd13r as the principal theory mentor
2. Mama Zaia as the principal practice mentor
3. Captain Lugaru as the first prodigy