DISCOVER → EXPLORE → DESIGN → CREATE → LEAD → REFLECT

1. Discover & Be Curious

Learning begins with a meaningful question, challenge, story, community issue, or real-world experience that sparks curiosity.

Students ask:
What do I notice?
What do I wonder?
Why does this matter?

2. Explore & Investigate

Students gather information through reading, research, observation, interviews, experiments, field experiences, and discussion.

Students practice:
Inquiry • Research • Critical Thinking • Communication

3. Design & Innovate

Students use what they have learned to generate ideas, solve problems, make decisions, prototype, test, and revise.

Students practice:
Creativity • Design Thinking • Problem-Solving • Persistence

4. Create & Communicate

Students produce something that makes their learning visible.

That might include:

• A prototype

• Presentation

• Model

• Business idea

• Performance

• Digital product

• Artwork

• Community proposal

• Research product

• Public exhibition

Students are encouraged to communicate understanding in ways that recognize their strengths while maintaining clear learning expectations.

5. Lead & Collaborate

Students work with others, take responsibility, make decisions, solve conflicts, and contribute to a shared goal.

Leadership is not reserved for older students or elected positions.

At ILA, leadership is something students practice through learning.

6. Reflect & Grow

Students examine their work, use feedback, identify growth, revise their thinking, and determine what they are ready to do next.

Reflection helps students understand not only what they learned, but also how they learn.