What is Modular Education?

Pictured below: an Experiential Friday at our partner school, MANJ.

As we are figuring out our work-life balance during these new and uncertain times, students are searching for their school-life balance. Adolescents struggle to reach their full potential if trapped behind screens for days at a time with lecture-based instruction. The intellectual, social, creative and emotional development of students can only flourish if they are given the opportunities, challenges and support to truly learn, be it online or in-person.

Let’s consider modular education, a style of instruction based on modules — independent units made up of learning projects. Modular education is ‘consumption based’, meaning students can select the courses, activities or projects that are truly needed for their personal growth and/or academic needs. There is no one-size-fits-all mindset; instead, each student is respected as a unique individual and given the freedom to pursue the modules he or she wants. Quadrat has adapted a hybrid learning model to modular education in order to give all middle and high school students the chance to experience our experiential program.

For instance, if your student needs a break from online learning, we offer an experiential program where we support the community, help the environment, build up survival skills and create with our hands. If your student excels in academics, they may love our entrepreneurship program as an extra challenge; if the opposite is true, we offer math, logic, English and science courses as additional academic support. Homeschoolers who are looking for safe peer-to-peer interaction may benefit from our outdoor classroom, where we keep physical distance and wear masks to ensure student and guide safety, yet work on projects together. Modular learning looks different for everyone, and it is our goal to engage every student in the fullest way possible.

Implementing an instructional style like this takes dedication, hard work and creativity. The Quadrat approach adopts many elements of modular learning including self-study, self-pacing and individualized instruction. We also integrate entrepreneurship and outdoor learning to nurture students’ creative and playful selves. All the guides and students at Quadrat share an agreed-upon commitment to fun, dynamic and meaningful education. Our goal is to empower each student with all the available tools and let him or her choose how to learn. We believe everyone deserves an education that teaches them how to think critically and develop adaptable skillsets for life.

Information on our middle school, high school, and part-time programs can be found here.

References and Further Reading:

Agarwal, Anant. 2019. "How Modular Education is Revolutionizing The Way We Learn (And Work). Forbes, accessed online at www.forbes.com/sites/anantagarwal/2019/04/25/how-modular-education-is-revolutionizing-the-way-we-learn-and-work/#5e1f21c33a26.

Goldschmid, Barbara and Marcel Goldschmid. 1973. "Modular Instruction in Higher Education: A Review." Higher Education: 2, p. 15-32.