Nova Classical STEM Academy, opening in the fall in Fort Myers for to serve students in kindergarten through seventh grade, is holding an open house on Saturday. It claims to be the first in the world to combine classical education with STEM learning in a tuition-free public charter school.
What sets a classical STEM education apart from traditional teaching? Ken Flanagain, Nova Classical STEM Academy’s director of teaching and learning, said there’s more emphasis on critical thinking rather than rote memorization and on learning from original documents versus through a textbook interpretation. He offers an example.
"Instead of having someone tell them about the Declaration of Independence from a textbook, we want them to read and analyze the actual declaration with their understanding of both American history and Western civilization has brought us to this point. What does that document mean for our nation? What does it mean moving forward, and how is it truly crafted to express the ideals of the United States?"
Like other classical education models, Nova will incorporate Latin into studies and engage in what it calls project-based, hands-on learning. It will concentrate on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
What does "project-based" mean? Again, Flanagan offers an example.
"Let's say you're in a science STEM class, and they are learning about robotics. … Instead of just a theory of okay, well, this is how robots work. This is how we do coding. Students would actually interact with robots. They would code robots to complete tasks."
Character education is also a facet of classical education, which at Nova will mean reading about historical figures to contemplate ethical and moral dilemmas and also the qualities of leadership. Nova Classical STEM Academy is managed by Discovery Science schools with six in the Orlando area.
Open House hours are 1 to 3 p.m. at the Fort Myers campus at 7101 Banway Road.
Families attending will be able to meet the Nova team and learn more about the school's philosophy.
Although the school is opening to grades kindergarten through seventh in the fall, plans are to expand annually to serve grades through 12th.
For more information, go to NovaClassical.net.
