In many schools, the ā€œsubjectsā€ students study when they start 11th grade are determined by their higher education goals, which also determine the prerequisites they must have completed in grades 9 and 10. In other words, young minds need to start choosing which subjects to study by the time they are 14.

This forced specialization into specific disciplines is problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly, in a world of accelerating change where new industries are being born and old ones are being disrupted, this is a false sense of choice. Add to that the AI-led disruptions in the workforce and the fact that the , and we are confronted with an inevitable uncertainty about the future. In such a world of flux, young people and their families canā€™t possibly predict the roles and jobs they will be doing in the future. The only real choice here is focusing on transferable skills across disciplines and careers.

That aside, many young people are not ready to specialize, nor will they ever want to. At ĢĒŠÄAPP, our community is filled with young people who love pursuing more than one discipline, whether it be combining the arts with politics, pursuing activism, bringing together engineering and literature in Science Fiction, or applying economics to design space habitats. Many traditional counsellors may treat this as an illusion of confusion, or not ā€œknowing what you want to be when you grow upā€. But for us, this interdisciplinary lens is a natural way of understanding the world.

After all, ā€œsubjectsā€ or ā€œdisciplinesā€ exist in our imagination as a helpful way of structuring the growing knowledge of our world. But making sense of reality and tackling pressing challenges often requires an interdisciplinary or even transdisciplinary lens. The most pressing challenges facing our world, whether it be Climate Change or AI governance, require leaders who can think across the humanities, sciences, and the arts. By forcing young people into narrow academic boxes at 14, we’re not preparing them for the world they’ll actually inherit; we’re handicapping them for it.

So whenever a young person expresses concern, confusion, or fear around not knowing what to study, I always encourage them to consider Interdisciplinary universities. I remind them that their feeling of uncertainty isnā€™t a problem to be solved; itā€™s a sign of a different intellectual set of interdisciplinary interests.

Interdisciplinary universities validate this way of thinking and learning, rather than trying to pathologize it. These are pioneering accredited colleges and institutions globally, where instead of choosing one major or degree, learners develop transdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and capabilities across different disciplines.

Here are 7 interdisciplinary universities learners may consider.

1. London Interdisciplinary School

Located in London, (LIS) operates on a radically simple principle: education should be organized around problems, not disciplines. Rather than declaring a major, students shape their own degree by selecting from interconnected “challenges”, real-world problems that demand input from multiple fields.

A challenge on urban housing, for instance, naturally pulls in architecture, economics, social policy, and community engagement. Another on pandemic response weaves together epidemiology, public health communication, ethics, and behavioral science. This approach forces students to ask “which disciplines do I actually need?” instead of memorizing a predetermined curriculum.

The model works because it mirrors how professionals actually solve problems in the real world, no epidemiologist works in isolation from economists and communicators. LIS’s first graduates are already making waves: graduates have gone on to roles in social impact organizations, tech companies, policy think tanks, and creative industries, many reporting that their interdisciplinary training gave them a distinctive edge in synthesizing complex challenges.

2. University College Roosevelt

Located in the Netherlands and operating as an honors college within the University of Utrecht’s degree-awarding framework, (UCR) organizes its curriculum around seminars rather than lectures, with small discussion-based groups where students grapple with fundamental questions across disciplines.

Instead of siloed courses, UCR uses “themes” that pull together history, philosophy, literature, science, and social inquiry, so a single semester might explore “Power and Resistance” or “Knowledge and Truth,” naturally drawing connections across what traditional universities keep separate.

This model works because it treats interdisciplinary learning not as a special offering but as the default way humans make sense of the world.

3. Minerva University

Based in San Francisco and fully accredited by WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges), represents a global take on interdisciplinary education.

Rather than organizing around traditional departments or even broad themes, Minerva structures its entire curriculum around the development of cognitive skills, critical thinking, creative thinking, effective communication, and complex problem-solving. Every student takes the same rigorous core, which means a computer science student sits alongside a future social entrepreneur in seminars on economics, ethics, psychology, and history, all designed to build transferable intellectual tools.

What makes Minerva unique is its global model: students spend their first year in San Francisco, then rotate through different cities, San Francisco, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Seoul, studying how the same challenges play out in different cultural and economic contexts.

This works because it forces students to see that interdisciplinary thinking is inseparable from a global perspective; the problems worth solving rarely fit neatly into one discipline or one country.

4. Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences

Located in Berlin and accredited through Germany’s education system, (TUAS) takes “applied” seriously; its interdisciplinary degrees aren’t theoretical exercises but direct preparations for solving real problems.

Students can pursue degrees such as “Technology with Focus on Impact,” combining engineering with systems thinking and social responsibility; “AI & Sustainability,” which merges artificial intelligence development with climate and environmental management; or “Sustainability Management,” blending environmental science, policy, economics, and organizational strategy.

This approach works because many of today’s most pressing challenges, especially climate change, categorically refuse to be solved within a single discipline. Climate breakdown isn’t purely a physics problem; it’s entangled with economics, psychology, policy, justice, infrastructure, agriculture, and culture.

5. Brown University (Open Curriculum)

Located in Providence, Rhode Island, and accredited as one of America’s premier Ivy League institutions, stands out among top-tier research universities for its radical commitment to student agency through the Open Curriculum.

Unlike peer institutions that impose general education requirements, Brown trusts students to design their own interdisciplinary paths with minimal institutional constraints.

A student might combine neuroscience with philosophy, or blend computer science with art history and music composition; the only requirement is intellectual coherence and serious engagement. This model works because it treats undergraduates as capable designers of their own education rather than passive recipients of a prescribed path.

6. Leiden College

Located in Leiden, the Netherlands, and operating as an honors college within Leiden University’s degree-awarding structure, (LUC) takes a problem-based learning approach to liberal arts education.

Rather than organizing around a single major, students design their own interdisciplinary pathways while engaging with core seminars that span philosophy, history, literature, science, and social inquiry, ensuring breadth alongside depth.

The college structures its curriculum around “colloquia,” small discussion-based seminars where students encounter foundational texts and questions across disciplines, training them to think critically across domains from the outset.

7. Zayed University College of Interdisciplinary Studies

Based in the UAE and accredited through the UAE’s higher education system, ‘s College of Interdisciplinary Studies explicitly names itself around the principle that today’s leaders must think across boundaries.

The college offers degrees in “Business Transformation” (combining innovation, organizational change, and strategic thinking), “Computational Systems” (merging computer science with systems design and human-centered problem-solving), “Social Innovation” (blending social entrepreneurship, community development, and policy), and “Sustainability” (integrating environmental science, economics, and organizational strategy).

This model works because Zayed’s mission is deliberately focused on preparing students for “professional leadership in the rapidly changing global environment,” emphasizing “seminal skills that can be transferred across contexts and applied in novel ways.”

The illusion of the singular path, that you must choose one thing, one discipline, one career to pursue, dies hard in our education systems.

But it’s an illusion nonetheless.

Interdisciplinary universities exist precisely because the world has moved on from this way of thinking: the most interesting problems, the most meaningful work, the most innovative solutions emerge at the intersections of fields, not within them.

If you love both design and social justice, you don’t have to choose. If you’re drawn to technology and philosophy, or sustainability and the arts, or business and activism, those aren’t contradictions; they’re the raw material of an interdisciplinary way of viewing the world. And the universities that recognize this are the ones truly preparing learners for the future.

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“Will universities accept my child if they’ve attended an online school?”

Fortunately, this is one of the easier conversations to have.

Yes.

As ĢĒŠÄAPP’s Pathway Advisor, I spend my time helping learners and families navigate everything from university admissions and career exploration to building personalized pathways that reflect each learner’s interests, strengths and long term goals. Conversations like this have become increasingly common as more families explore alternatives to traditional schooling.

Universities around the world accept learners from online schools every year. As long as a learner has completed a recognised qualification and meets the admissions requirements for the course they’re applying to, studying online isn’t, in itself, a barrier to university admission.

University admissions are more transparent than ever

In many ways, this part of the process has become much easier to understand than it was when I first started working in university admissions. Universities are generally very clear about their entry requirements, prerequisite subjects and admissions processes. If additional academic rigour is needed, there are recognised ways of demonstrating it through AP examinations, A Levels, Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs), admissions tests and other externally benchmarked qualifications. Standardised tests such as the SAT or ACT continue to play an important role for some universities, while portfolios, interviews and subject specific assessments remain important for others.

The point isn’t that every learner needs to complete every one of these qualifications or assessments. It’s that admissions no longer feel quite so mysterious. We understand the benchmarks, we understand the evidence universities are looking for and, more often than not, we know how to help learners build towards them. With careful planning and enough initiative, meeting minimum admissions criteria is entirely achievable, including for learners studying online.

At ĢĒŠÄAPP, we don’t treat university admissions as something that suddenly begins in a learner’s final year of school. Every learner’s pathway looks different, so we work backwards from where they hope to go and identify exactly what they’ll need to demonstrate along the way. That might include subject selection, APs or A Levels, SAT or ACT preparation where appropriate, EPQs, independent research, portfolios, internships, extracurricular experiences or university specific admissions requirements. There isn’t a single formula because universities don’t all ask for the same things. Our role is to ensure learners are academically prepared while also building a profile that genuinely reflects who they are.

Once admissions becomes a planning exercise rather than a guessing game, it frees us to ask much better questions about education itself.

If we already understand what universities expect academically, how should learners be using the years before university?

A bigger question than admissions

I’ve found myself thinking about that a lot recently after reading about changes to higher education policy in the United States. Universities will increasingly be judged, in part, on the earnings of their graduates, reflecting a much stronger emphasis on employability and return on investment than we’ve perhaps been used to seeing.

I wasn’t particularly interested in debating whether the policy itself is right or wrong. What caught my attention was what it seemed to signal. Education, employers and governments are all beginning to look much more closely at what happens after graduation. The conversation is moving beyond gaining admission and towards whether education is preparing people for careers that remain meaningful and sustainable over time.

I don’t think that’s an unreasonable question. The difficulty is that the world learners are entering doesn’t stay still for very long.

For a long time it was possible to become highly specialised, build expertise within a particular profession and expect that knowledge to carry you through an entire career. Today, expertise still matters enormously, but very few professions operate within the boundaries they once did. Engineers work alongside behavioural scientists and designers. Doctors increasingly work with AI systems and data scientists. Lawyers are grappling with emerging technologies that didn’t exist a decade ago. Climate scientists collaborate with economists, politicians and engineers because the problems they’re trying to solve don’t belong neatly to a single discipline. Equally, the specialisation you choose no longer isolates you from the wider context in which you work. Instead, it creates opportunities to engage with adjacent fields, collaborate across disciplines and bring together ideas that might once have remained separate. I find that an exciting shift because some of the most interesting careers are now emerging in those intersections rather than within the traditional boundaries of a single profession.

I’m not sure any specialisation can reasonably be expected to carry someone through the next forty years on its own. The habits we develop alongside that specialisation probably will. Curiosity, paying attention, remaining engaged with what’s happening around us and being willing to keep learning long after we’ve become competent are becoming just as valuable as expertise itself. The goal is no longer simply to produce specialists, but specialists who are comfortable stepping outside their own discipline whenever the problem demands it.

High school is no longer just preparation

It changes the way we think about the role of high school and how intentionally those years should be used.

High school learners no longer need to wait until graduation before they begin exploring the fields they’re interested in. A learner fascinated by software engineering can begin writing code, building projects and learning from people already working in the industry while they’re still completing their school qualification. A learner interested in psychology can interview practitioners, undertake independent research, volunteer or begin noticing how psychology influences everything from marketing to public policy. The purpose isn’t to race ahead academically or replace university with self-directed learning. It’s to allow curiosity to mature alongside formal education instead of waiting for permission to begin.

The same principle applies after high school. I’ve become much less interested in asking whether university or industry should come first because I don’t think there’s a universal answer.

University and industry are complementary

University still offers something that is incredibly difficult to recreate elsewhere. It creates space to think deeply, to immerse yourself in ideas, to learn from people who have spent decades advancing knowledge and to become part of a network that often shapes careers for years afterwards. We talk much more openly now about the value of university networks than we once did, and I think that’s healthy. The people learners meet there frequently become collaborators, colleagues, mentors and lifelong friends.

Industry develops different capabilities. It teaches context. Ideas stop existing only on paper because decisions have consequences. Customers respond. Colleagues challenge your thinking. You begin to understand how organisations actually function and why certain problems persist despite everyone’s best intentions. There’s enormous value in simply paying attention, being street smart enough to notice where friction exists, honing your intuition by observing why certain people progress, what customers genuinely need and where opportunities naturally emerge. Before trying to change an industry, it helps to understand it well enough to recognise where meaningful change is actually needed.

The more learners I’ve worked with, the more convinced I’ve become that these experiences don’t compete with one another. They’re different chapters of the same education.

The sequence, however, won’t be the same for everyone.

Learning isn’t one size fits all

Some learners flourish in academic environments because they genuinely enjoy spending long periods immersed in ideas. They’re patient with complexity, fascinated by difficult questions and quite happy following a line of inquiry simply because understanding something more deeply is rewarding in itself. We still need those people. They become our researchers, scholars and lecturers, expanding knowledge and teaching the generations that follow.

Other learners seem to learn most effectively once their knowledge starts changing something outside themselves. Their understanding deepens through building, contributing, testing and seeing ideas take shape in the real world. For them, earning their first income from a skill, helping solve a genuine problem or contributing to a meaningful project isn’t a distraction from learning. It’s often the point at which learning becomes most powerful.

Neither approach is more valuable than the other; they’re clues to where our jet fuel lies. They tell us where learners naturally gain energy, confidence and momentum, and that’s often where the most thoughtful pathways begin.

Just like the questions learners keep asking, the projects they choose when nobody has assigned one, the people they admire and the environments in which they seem most energised, they help us understand how that learner naturally engages with the world.

Rethinking success

I sometimes wonder whether we inadvertently create a hierarchy around ambition as well. We celebrate entrepreneurs, founders and people who want to build the next billion-dollar company, and there’s every reason to celebrate those achievements. At the same time, I hope we never stop celebrating the learner who wants to dedicate their life to scientific research, become an exceptional teacher or spend decades mastering a discipline because they simply love the pursuit of knowledge. I’ve worked with learners whose ambition was to improve access to education in countries where opportunities barely exist, and others whose vision of success was a meaningful career, financial security, a family and enough space for a tennis court one day. None of those ambitions deserve to be ranked against one another. They simply provide different guiding principles from which equally thoughtful pathways can be designed.

The conversation I’d rather be having

So when parents ask me whether universities accept online school students, my answer remains exactly the same.

Yes.

The conversation I’d much rather spend time having with learners and families is how we build an education that continues serving them long after they’ve met the admissions requirements. ĢĒŠÄAPP is increasingly something we can plan for. Understanding the learner is where the real work begins. If we can help young people remain curious, engaged with the world around them and willing to keep learning long after they’ve specialised, we’re giving them something that no qualification can provide on its own: the ability to keep adapting as the world changes around them.

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The EPQ helps learners take their project development and management skills to the next level. It helps learners further develop the skills they built through the termly challenge projects in Grades 9 and 10. The EPQ involves a single sustained project completed over the course of a full year, allowing learners to explore ideas in greater depth and develop greater mastery.

As an approved Edexcel centre, we embed the EPQ into our challenge-based learning model. Each year, learners select a global challenge theme, such as Building Sustainable Futures or Ethical Technology, and choose a specific challenge within that theme to explore through their project, giving learners the flexibility to design interdisciplinary projects connected to real-world issues.

What Does the EPQ Project Journey Look Like?

The EPQ empowers learners to design, research, and execute a year-long project on a topic that truly fascinates them. Whether tackling a pressing ethical dilemma, exploring technological innovation, or creating an original artistic work, learners gain hands-on experience in research, critical thinking, project management, and communication. The journey unfolds across three terms, each with a distinct focus.

The EPQ journey is structured over the year around the Challenge Based Learning (CBL) framework’s three phases:

• Engage: where learners explore content and ideas to find what genuinely interests them.
• Investigate: where they research and build an evidence base around their chosen problem.
• Act:Ģżwhere they develop and implement their solution.

Term 1: Engage & Investigate phase

Learners begin by immersing themselves in a global challenge theme. Challenges like Building Sustainable Futures and Ethical Technology are intentionally broad. Building Sustainable Futures, for instance, spans planetary boundaries, systems thinking, and sustainable economics, while also developing inner capacity and resilience. This breadth gives learners the space to find what genuinely interests them before narrowing their focus.

From there, learners:

• Explore the challenge theme through the engage phase, developing familiarity with the landscape of issues, ideas, and debates within it
• Identify a specific problem they want to tackle and decide on a project type. There are four types of projects learners can choose from:
  • Dissertation: This is an in-depth research culminating in a structured written argument. Learners pursuing a dissertation go deep into the literature and develop a well-reasoned, evidence-backed argument in response to their research question.
  • Investigative Study: This is a data-driven research through experiments, surveys, or observations. Learners pursuing an investigative study design and carry out original research to answer their question empirically.
  • Performance: This is creative work supported by a reflective report. Learners pursuing a performance project channel their inquiry into an original creative output. This can be a short film, play, dance choreography, musical piece, an event or other performance.
  • Artefact: This is a tangible or digital solution supported by a reflective report. Learners pursuing an artefact project design and build something. This can be a product, tool, model, or digital solution in response to a real-world challenge.
• Define a research question that will anchor their project. For example, Sofia asked: Is the shift to renewable energy in public transportation a feasible strategy for reducing carbon emissions?
• Submit a project proposal outlining their objectives, motivation, work breakdown structure, Gantt chart, contingency plan, and resources, which must be approved before they can begin.
• Begin the investigate phase by researching their chosen problem in depth, building a strong evidence base through structured literature reviews before moving into solution development.

Term 2: Act phase

With their research foundation in place, learners move into the act phase where they develop and implement their solutions. During this time, they also receive mentorship from industry experts aligned to their topic and project type.

From this point, learner journeys diverge and become even more personalized depending on the type of project they have chosen ā€“ with all roads leading to presenting their final projects at the Global Showcase.

Term 3: Share & Reflect phase

In Term 3, learners enter the Share & Reflect phase. Projects are presented at a global showcase, giving learners the opportunity to share their work with a global audience at the Global showcase. Alongside this, learners complete a project review cycle where they reflect on their experience, what went well, and what they would approach differently next time. It is this final phase that brings the full arc of the EPQ together: from a question, to a tangible solution, to celebration.

How It Fits Into the Advanced Curriculum

At the advanced levels in Grades 11 and 12, learners work toward credits within the Human Literacies Framework ā€” defined areas of learning, each with learning outcomes that learners work toward. With 30+ advanced credits to choose from, ranging from Advanced Biological Sciences to Mind & Behaviour to Venture & Product Building, learners plan at the start of the year which areas they want to explore.

EPQ work contributes directly to this. Projects often count toward the Advanced Written Communication credit, where learners develop academic writing and research skills through inquiry. Depending on the nature of their project, learners can evidence a range of their chosen credits through their EPQ work, with credits spanning science, design, social inquiry, and more. Alongside their EPQ, learners complete skill units across their chosen credits, which in turn support their project development helping them build the knowledge and technical skills needed to bring their ideas to life.

Beyond knowledge in their chosen areas, learners receive additional support through targeted workshops tailored to their projects that cover everything from literature reviews and argument structuring to product design, UI/UX, ethical research methods, statistical analysis, scripting, storyboarding, and prototyping.

Global Recognition

The EPQ at ĢĒŠÄAPP is an opportunity to explore, experiment, and expand. It equips learners with the independence, confidence, and transferable skills they need for higher education and beyond, all while allowing them to pursue projects that are personally meaningful and socially relevant.

The EPQ develops skills that universities and employers value: independent research, critical thinking, time management, project management and effective communication. It carries up to 28 UCAS points, helping learners stand out in competitive university applications.

Learning in Action

Our learners have been tackling real-world challenges with creativity and rigor through their EPQ projects.

In 2025, 75% of our learners received either an A or A* grade in their EPQ.

Dissertation: Ellianaā€™s Project

Elliana explored gender biases and stereotypes in primary education.

She began by building a robust literature review, critically analysing sources to identify key themes, tensions, and gaps that helped her uncover how teacher interactions, academic materials, and classroom literature contribute to differing outcomes for girls and boys.

From this, she established her central argument: that gender biases and stereotypes within the education system itself significantly reinforce learning inequalities between students. Her counter-argument examined the external factors such as culture, parental influence, and peer dynamics that also shape these outcomes, ensuring her discussion was balanced and credible.

Throughout the year, Elliana logged her development process at each stage, documenting decisions, reflections, and feedback received at multiple checkpoints to create a polished dissertation.

Investigative Study: Katie-Graceā€™s Project

Katie-Grace explored the link between teens’ empathy and their behaviour toward others at school.

Driven by a personal belief in the need for greater kindness in society, she began by reviewing existing research on empathy and prosocial behaviour to build the foundation for her own investigation.

Setting out to investigate whether teens with higher empathy levels would be more likely to intervene in instances of rudeness, she designed an original experiment where participants were observed responding to escalating rude behaviour in a group discussion.

From there, she made considered decisions about methodology, participant selection, and data collection instruments, all while ensuring her research was conducted ethically.

She learned how to conduct textual analysis and interpreted her data in relation to existing literature, acknowledged her study’s limitations, and used them to propose meaningful directions for future research.

Performance: Keoniā€™s and Aliaā€™s Projects

Keoni created a short film exploring how to achieve fulfilment and happiness.

He began by building a literature review that drew on philosophy, psychology, and film, developing his ability to critically engage with diverse sources and synthesise them into a coherent creative direction.

From this research foundation, he developed his concept: a film that challenges the idea of happiness as something to be chased, and instead presents it as something to be created from within.

From there, Keoni moved into pre-production, creating mood boards, building a production schedule, and going through multiple rounds of scripting before arriving at his final narrative. This iterative process developed his skills in creative decision-making and project planning, learning to refine an idea rather than settle for the first version of it.

During production, Keoni made deliberate choices around composition, lighting, and direction. He drew on film references from his literature review to inform his visual style.

During post-production, he worked through editing, colour grading, and sound design, and sought feedback from an experienced film professional to refine his final cut.

Performance projects can take many forms. Any live, audience-facing experience qualifies, and Alia’s project is a great example of that.

Alia organized an in-person event in her local community examining what drives sustainable community action and civic engagement.

Motivated by a personal frustration with feeling powerless in the face of climate change, she began by building a literature review that examined grassroots movements, community resilience, and the role of inner transformation in leadership whilst developing her ability to engage critically with interdisciplinary research before shaping her project vision.

From her research, Alia identified that community resilience is built not just through knowledge and resources, but through connection, collaboration, and shared values. This became the foundation for her project: organising a one-day hybrid event called ā€œSustainability Confestā€ that brought together farmers, activists, researchers, and storytellers to share ideas and inspire local action in North Wales.

What followed was a masterclass in real-world project management. Alia secured funding through a combination of institutional donation and a crowdfunding campaign, collaborated with local organisations for venue and logistics, designed a bilingual marketing strategy, coordinated a volunteer team, and curated a full programme of panel discussions, workshops, and live music.

Every decision, from sliding-scale ticket pricing to sustainable catering, was grounded in the values her research had identified as essential to inclusive community engagement.

After the event, she gathered feedback through surveys and evaluated her outcomes honestly against her original goals, acknowledging limitations and identifying what she would do differently for her next event!

Artefact: Brielleā€™s Project

Brielle explored sustainable furniture design by tackling one of modern urban living’s most practical challenges: how to make the most of limited space without compromising on environmental responsibility.

She began by building a literature review that examined the history of furniture design, existing space-saving solutions, and sustainable materials before shaping her own design direction.

From her research, Brielle identified bamboo, cork, recycled steel, and tempered recycled glass as her materials of choice, grounding each decision in evidence about sustainability, durability, and cost.

She then moved into ideation producing multiple rounds of perspective sketches, refining her drawings through tutorials, and developing a detailed design brief before arriving at a final concept: an expandable dining table that folds out from a compact cabinet, with integrated storage for both chairs and crockery.

Brielle chose to build a physical mini prototype first to test her expansion mechanism, then moved to a full-scale cardboard model.

She conducted load and user testing, incorporating feedback into her refinements. She also used AI prompt engineering to visualize her final design across multiple perspectives before committing to construction.

Looking Ahead

The EPQ is, at its core, an exercise in intellectual honesty. Learners choose a question they don’t yet have the answer to, spend a year genuinely grappling with it, and produce something that reflects the depth of that process.

These projects reflect personalized exploration, interdisciplinary learning, and meaningful impact, but by the time our learners complete their EPQ, they have navigated ambiguity, revised their thinking, and learned to defend their ideas ā€” skills that translate directly into university and beyond.

The projects featured here are a snapshot of what that looks like in practice. Each one began with a question and ended with something real ā€” a film, a prototype, a dissertation, a study. And each one tells us something about what becomes possible when learners are given the space and the trust to pursue what genuinely interests them.

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Nearly are strongly interested in pursuing alternative education options for their children, with ā€œā€ in homeschooling demonstrating demand for alternatives to traditional schooling. Yet, a perception that alternatives are socially less legitimate represents a common barrier to action.

Stories have the power to change this. Narratives of real families, real learners, and real impact shift the way we think about education, transporting us from theoretical alignment to tangible action.

Implementing innovative educational approaches is not enough. Changing the global education system requires a new narrative of what education means in todayā€™s world.

Letā€™s start at the beginning

What comes to mind when you think of alternative schooling?

Be honest, itā€™s okay – Iā€™m not judging you.

If you imagined the stereotypical homeschooler – sheltered, awkward, or unsocialized – youā€™re not alone. Despite consistent research indicating the opposite to be true (), and an estimated homeschooling in the US alone, a found that negative stereotypes remain.

If research has repeatedly rendered such views as unfounded, why do these beliefs remain ingrained?

Put simply, people often fear change. Thereā€™s fear in doing things differently, in paving a different pathway. Following a literature review of decades of research into homeschooling perceptions, Watson commented that homeschooling is subject to stigmatization and stereotyping due to it being non-normative and unfamiliar.

Weā€™ve seen this in practice too. Krithika, a parent at ĢĒŠÄAPP, recently told us that a friend, upon seeing Krithikaā€™s daughterā€™s enjoyment at our innovative school, commented, ā€œI wish we could do what youā€™re doingā€, to which she replied ā€œYou canā€.

I can only imagine how many times homeschooling families have heard similar statements: ā€œYouā€™re so braveā€¦ā€, ā€œI just couldnā€™t do what youā€™re doingā€¦ā€, the list goes on. Youā€™d think they were sending their children to school on Mars (which, by the way, I imagine would be a pretty fascinating learning experience!), rather than simply seeking an alternative to a system that no longer works for them.

ā€œIf it ainā€™t broke, donā€™t fix itā€

But is the current education system really so bad? Why do families need alternatives in the first place?

There is a plethora of research underlining global dissatisfaction in the traditional education system. From declining learner and parent satisfaction, to outdated curricula, critics argue that we are stuck with a system designed for an entirely different era. It is difficult to imagine that a system premised on memorization, standardization and exams would be developed today, amid a changing world of personalization, emerging technologies and a need for human skills.

How do parents feel?

In 2025, Parentkind and found that 2 million children feel unhappy at school. That represents 20% of children. Interestingly, they found that the likelihood of children being unhappy doubles when children move from primary to secondary school, ā€œbecause they donā€™t feel what they are learning is relevant to their futureā€. Their research found that over half of parents want schools to prioritize teaching life skills, and nurture creativity and independent thinking.

Similarly a found that 75% of the emotions learners associate with school are negative, with the most common emotions cited being ā€œstressedā€ and ā€œboredā€. According to a , K-12 education satisfaction in the US is at an ā€œall-time lowā€, with being dissatisfied with the A-Levels.

These feelings have been reflected on a global level, with the Global Education Monitor (), finding people across 29 countries are more likely to describe the education system in their country as poor than good.

It strikes me as an interesting paradox, then, that despite such negative perceptions of traditional schooling and a general agreement that exams feel outdated, stereotyping of alternative schooling remains commonplace among parents. Is this resulting in a lack of action? Are families remaining in traditional schools simply for fear of change?

Innovative Schooling

You may be surprised to learn that innovative schooling has existed for decades. These are schools that reimagine traditional curricula, pedagogy and learning environment to offer a different way of learning. While each innovative school is unique, common characteristics include:

• Mastery-Based Learning: learners progress at their own pace. A philosophical focus on ability, not age.
• Interdisciplinary Learning: subjects are not taught in silos. Instead, learners develop skills through multi-disciplinary projects or challenges.
• Project-Based Assessment: learning is not assessed through exams. Instead, learners learn through applied projects and hands-on activities.
• Holistic Curriculum: academics are not placed ā€œaboveā€ soft skills and emotional development. Instead, learners embark on a holistic curriculum combining knowledge, skills and mindsets for future-readiness and whole-human growth.

Letā€™s take a look at some of the pioneers in this space:

Scaling Innovative Schooling Globally

These pioneering brick-and-mortar schools have paved the way for fully virtual models like ĢĒŠÄAPP. Overnight, access to alternative schooling has shifted from specific regions to the homes of families all over the world.

ĢĒŠÄAPP, Virtual: Established 2022

ĢĒŠÄAPP is an innovative online school where learners learn by doing and making the world a better place. Instead of exams, our learners learn through real-world projects. Instead of standardization, each learner has a personalized curriculum.

Drawing inspiration from pioneering innovative schools, ĢĒŠÄAPP not only reimagines the learning model and curriculum, but the learning environment and community itself, offering a full online learning experience: our school community now spans 40+ families across 6 continents. Our Founding Class have received 130+ university offers across 3 continents, and received $6M+ in higher education scholarships.

Results from regular parent surveys indicate that 97% of our learners like or love learning at our school (ĢĒŠÄAPP, 2026), a sharp contrast from research on traditional schooling, where parental satisfaction is at a ā€œā€. We provide an accredited alternative to the traditional education system, and weā€™ve proven success with higher education pathways around the globe.

So, whatā€™s the problem?

I contend that while dissatisfaction with traditional education is felt on a global scale by parents, stereotypes around alternative schooling currently prohibit mass market change.

Despite decades of innovative brick-and-mortar schooling boasting Ivy League acceptances, entrepreneurial alumni and clear evidence of learner and parent satisfaction, families pursuing alternative paths are still likely to encounter similar conversations to Krithika, or face some form of social judgment (well-intentioned as it might be).

The good news is, I believe stories have the power to change this.

Storytelling has entered the chat

When we launched ĢĒŠÄAPP, one of our early questions was how to best communicate with families seeking alternatives to traditional schooling. We hypothesized that initially, our audience would likely be homeschoolers, or those already outside of the traditional education system. We were wrong.

Following monthly experimentation cycles, we had one consistent finding: people loved stories. Interviews with our learners deep diving into their passion projects, conversations with parents, sharing their experiences with traditional schooling, even our Founderā€™s story of imagining a school where she would not have gotten in trouble for reading at the back of the classroom instead of paying attention to a lecture.

We repeatedly found stories to be the most effective way to communicate our mission to the world, and connect with parents frustrated with traditional schools. Intentionally placing storytelling at the core of our growth strategy has allowed us to scale from 20 learners in 2022 to 160+ learners, spanning 40 countries across 6 continents, and win 2 awards in the education space.

Now, this is not a novel conclusion, I am aware. In Diffusion of Innovations (1962) Rogers described this phenomenon as follows:

ā€œObservability is the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others. The easier it is for individuals to see the results of an innovation, the more likely they are to adopt it.ā€

Similarly, Meadows (Thinking in Systems, 2008) explores how systems change requires paradigm shifts, noting ā€œall it takes is a click in the mind, a falling of scales from the eyes, a new way of seeingā€. Applying this to todayā€™s context, I truly believe that stories hold the key to shifting global narratives around what education means, and in turn, generating tangible action.

With that in mindā€¦

Meet Ayrton

Ayrton is a learner at ĢĒŠÄAPP with a dream of becoming ā€œa man of The Artsā€. He hosts his own podcast, The Everything Exchange, where he interviews industry experts across fields spanning Cybersecurity, Education, and more. In his own words, ā€œthe goal is that there is something on there, for everyoneā€. He is a passionate movie reviewer and loves acting, hoping to balance acting projects alongside his online learning at our school. He recently attended the 1billion Summit in Dubai where he met entrepreneur Simon Squibb, and shared his dream to Simonā€™s 5.5M+ followers online.

Meet Alia

Alia is a learner at ĢĒŠÄAPP passionate about sustainability and the impacts of climate change. For her Advanced project, she coordinated a Sustainability Confest – a conference-festival hybrid event for her local community, designed to explore the impacts of climate change. She invited local storytellers, musicians and keynotes speakers to explore connection to land, with an attending participant noting ā€œwe were not only talking about community, but it felt like community.ā€

Meet Hamza

Hamza is a learner at ĢĒŠÄAPP passionate about engineering. Throughout his time at our school, he has developed a range of impactful projects in this field, from redesigning a space rover to improve durability in harsh environments, to exploring the sustainability of hybrid and electric powertrains compared to traditional combustion engines. He has recently been offered a place at University of Washington to study mechanical engineering after he graduates from our school.

Rome wasnā€™t built in a day

While it is nice to imagine an almost dream-like scenario where an understanding and trust for innovative schooling is built overnight, the likelihood is more nuanced: it takes time.

Of course there are certain hurdles that families quite rightly explore when seeking to understand alternative schooling. Socialization is of course top of mind for many parents (especially those exploring the online space), and global recognition of alternative school diplomas without exam-based qualifications is also important for families to consider.

In order to provide space for mindsets to shift, it is essential to build alternative systems to address such concerns. For example, we have found that homeschooling community groups, in-person extracurriculars and meaningful time with family and friends have proved key for learners moving into the alternative schooling space. Through our online parent community channels, we have seen parents coordinate their own in-person activities, with current parent-led trips in the works for families in North America and Europe.

Similarly, we have been intentional about our curriculum rigor, benchmarking certain advanced credits against the AP to give learners the option to prepare for these if required for higher education pathways. Alongside this, many universities (especially in the US) are becoming test-optional, and many exciting innovative higher education options are coming to the fore around the world (see: Minerva University, LIS & Tomorrow University).

Accreditation is another important factor for families, an area which in our experience has been highly supportive of our innovative model. We are fully accredited from WASC (as are many other alternative schools), and NCAA-cleared.

In short, changing perspectives requires a wide range of stakeholders, including schools, universities and regulators, with a shared passion for reimagining the education system for todayā€™s world.

Where do we go from here?

To generate meaningful change in education, it is not enough for innovative schools to exist. Despite global dissatisfaction with traditional schooling, for many families the societal pressure of conformity to a ā€œprovenā€ system is a real barrier to exploring alternative educational options. Sharing stories of real families, learners, schools and impact has the power to shift the way we think about education, replacing unfounded stereotypes with real action.

Iā€™d like you to think about alternative schooling again: what do you envision?

Its story is just getting started.

The post Can stories change the education system? first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

ManyĢżfuture-oriented schoolsĢżaround the world offer a more holistic, fair and student centered way to assess rather than usingĢż

Instead of following a fixed schedule that does not match their pace, students only move forward in the curriculum after demonstrating a full understanding of an academic concept or a competency.

Instead of learning about subjects that are disconnected from each other, students dive into interdisciplinary projects that mimic real-world challenges.

Instead of exams and grades, students work on developing portfolios that better represent their growth, skills, interests and learning.

At Schools for Purpose, we are documenting innovations like this so that designing a future-ready school becomes more achievable for educators everywhere.

This article features a discussion with Raya Bidshahri on how ĢĒŠÄAPP uses a mastery-based approach, steps away from exams and grades, and centers learning around real-world, challenge-based experiences.

Q: What does assessment mean at ĢĒŠÄAPP, and how does it differ from traditional methods?

Raya:ĢżBecause our curriculum focuses onĢżskills, knowledge, and mindsets, we canā€™t rely on narrow measures like closed-book, paper-based, time-bound exams. Those approaches simply donā€™t capture skills like creativity, systems thinking or scientific inquiring. So we use aĢżmastery-basedĢżandĢżchallenge-based model, containingĢżprojectsĢżwhere learners tackleĢżreal-world problems.

This allows learners toĢżapplyĢżandĢżdemonstrateĢżwhat they have learned.

All of this is structured around our curriculum:ĢżTheĢżHuman Literacies Framework. When developing the curriculum, we asked: What does the world need, and what skills will future generations require to thrive?

Our curriculum outlines eight core literacies:ĢżAction, Creativity, Discovery, Flourishing, Quantitative Skills, Society, Technology, and Thought.

Each with clearĢżcredit areas and outcomesĢżthat guide how we assess progress. This gives us consistent standards across the school.

The two main ways to earn credits at ĢĒŠÄAPP are through our interdisciplinary term-long or year-longĢżChallengesĢżand our more disciplinary-focusedĢżSkill Units. Both are fully project-based and introduce learners to key life and academic skills. This also allows them to develop aĢżportfolioĢżto evidence their growth and learning process.

Q: Without exams, how do you track progress and prove learning over time?

Instead of exams, learners apply theories to real case studies. So theyā€™re still engaging deeply with academic content, but throughĢżapplication rather than recall.

At theĢżunit level, learners receive a score based onĢżsingle-point rubrics. All criteria roll up into a number, giving us a quick snapshot; for instance, 10 out of 20 equals 50%.

Then at theĢżschoolwide level, every learner has a Human Literacies dashboard. It consolidates their progress across all challenges, units, credits, and literacies.

These two layers together help us see where learners are excelling or falling behind.

Learners are frequently given feedback on their work and often have the possibility to resubmit it to improve their score if needed.

Q: How do you translate your assessment model for universities or parents who expect numbers?

Raya:ĢżWe convert unit scores into a GPA. If you score 70% in a unit, that might translate to a C on the GPA scale.

This gives universities the number they expect and helps parents coming from systems with grades.ĢżUniversitiesĢżalso look at the Human Literacies percentages, which provide a quantitative view of progress.

Raya: Mastery-based learning ensures learners only move forward once theyā€™ve mastered the previous outcome. It prevents gaps from compounding, which is what often happens in traditional systems. I lived this myself: missing a few math lessons in high school created a ripple effect that lasted years. Mastery-based design avoids those psychological and academic consequences for learners.

Our skill units follow this model and are fully paced by the learner within the broader graduation timeline. In middle school, we useĢżĢżfor a fully competency-based approach in Quant, Action and Discovery (complemented by our projects). While challenges run as cohorts, about half the learning in skill units or IXL plans is self-paced so learners can progress through the Human Literacies at their own pace.

Q: Can you explain the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) and how you use it?

Raya:ĢżTheĢżĢżis a network of mastery-based schools using a portfolio-based transcript. There are no grades just competencies that are either in progress or mastered, each linked to a project.

The transcript is digital and interactive, organized like a spider chart with categories. This makes it easy to track a learnerā€™s progress and competencies.

Over 400 universities already recognize it, mainly in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Q: How do educators manage learners working at different paces?

Raya:ĢżYou need the right systems. Tools likeĢż,Ģż, andĢżĢżcan generate diagnostics, personalize learning plans, and give teachers real-time visibility.

The teacherā€™s role shifts: instead of direct instruction, they facilitate, unblock challenges, support groups at different levels, and guide learners individually. Itā€™s easier in person, but possible online with the right tools.

Q: What are the main challenges with this assessment model?

Raya:ĢżItā€™s time-consuming for educators because project-based work takes much longer to evaluate than multiple-choice tests.

Thereā€™s also the challenge of subjectivity, so we run regularĢżmoderation cyclesĢżevery term to ensure consistency and academic integrity.

And scalability is an ongoing challenge; weā€™re actively solving for that.

Q: What advice would you give to a school wanting to start using more holistic, human-centered assessment?

Raya:ĢżLook at how theĢżworkforceĢżassesses skills. Adults are evaluated through 360 reviews, case studies, real-world tasks, and interviews.

Mirror some of those practices in the classroom, even in small ways. It gives learners an authentic sense of how their skills will be evaluated in the real world.

The post Reinventing Assessment through Real World Challenges and Mastery-Based Learning first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

This NCAA approval stands alongside our international accreditation from WASC as another recognition of the academic rigor of our innovative schooling program. It truly is a testament to our commitment to supporting athlete learners and ensures a smooth transition from ĢĒŠÄAPP to college.

In this article, weā€™ll dive deeper into the NCAA clearance, what this means for our learners, and why is is essential for our athletes applying for college.

What does NCAA Clearance mean?

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is the organization that governs most sports in the US. It sets rules for college athletics, oversees competitions and championships, and establishes the academic eligibility standards that high school student athletes must meet to participate in NCAA Division I, II or III sports.

To become NCAA-cleared, schools submit a list of all their academic courses (known as ā€œā€). The NCAA evaluates whether each course meets their definition of ā€œcollege-preparatoryā€, and is taught at an appropriate level. They will explore factors including content level, facilitation, materials, assessment, and credits gained towards graduation.

Alongside this, schools typically also share supporting documentation around their curriculum, course outlines, examples of assessments, accreditation details and school policies.

In short, the NCAA clearance is a recognition that a schoolā€™s academic courses meet their standards for college-bound athletes.

Why NCAA Clearance Matters for K-12 Athletes

For learner athletes, academic preparation is essential alongside their athletic skills. Having access to NCAA-approved courses ensures that they can be competitively eligible for college sports. Learner athletes must complete a specified number of NCAA-certified courses and maintain a core GPA, meaning that a schoolā€™s NCAA approval directly influences their ability to play at the college level.

What NCAA Clearance Means for ĢĒŠÄAPP Learners

For learners at ĢĒŠÄAPP who are also aspiring athletes training at competitive levels, NCAA clearance opens up valuable opportunities to access sports scholarships at NCAA-participating colleges and universities in the United Statements. Many of our curriculum components, particularly in English, math, science, and social studies, are already NCAA-certified, with more in the process of being approved. This ensures that learners meet the academic requirements necessary to qualify for recruitment and scholarship eligibility.

What sets our model apart is that learners donā€™t have to choose between athletic ambition and a real-world education. Instead of a rigid, traditional timetable that often forces young athletes to compromise, our personalized, project-based, and interdisciplinary approach gives them the flexibility to balance training schedules with future-ready skills.

Case Studies: Student-Athlete Success Stories at ĢĒŠÄAPP

We are proud to have a diverse cohort of learner athletes spanning multiple countries:

Emily, Chilean National Rowing Team

One of our Founding Cohort members, Emily has been with ĢĒŠÄAPP since 2022. In that time, she has been selected for the Chilean National Rowing Team and competed in the Panamerican Games, winning all 3 races she competed in.

ā€I have been rowing since I was 11. It has been the only sport I have ever really committed to and I am really glad ĢĒŠÄAPP is fully supportive.ā€

Hursh, Tennis Player based in UAE

Hursh has been playing tennis since he was 4, and has won 9 under 14 tournaments, 5 under 16 tournaments, 2 under 18 tournaments and 1 adult tournament (and counting!).

ā€My experience with ĢĒŠÄAPP has been the most comfortable form of schooling for meā€¦the facilitators have been extremely supportive in regards to my learning journey and tennis journey.ā€

Deyana, Snowboarder based in Bulgaria

Deyana is a snowboarder based in Bulgaria, and recently achieved third place in two BorderCross races: the ā€œBoard Ryderā€ cup and ā€œOsogovoā€ Cup.

ā€œĢĒŠÄAPP has helped me so much to balance my snowboarding training and to actually be able to do my work. I have been to a couple of races, and they have been so supporting of helping me and also cheering me on.ā€

A New Chapter for Student-Athletes at ĢĒŠÄAPP

Receiving NCAA approval is a major milestone for ĢĒŠÄAPP. The recognition confirms our core courses meet the NCAAā€™s rigorous academic standards, giving our learner-athletes the foundation they need to pursue higher education and college athletics.

We are so proud of our learners, educators, and team for making this possible. Whether youā€™re a current learner or a prospective family exploring different options, our NCAA approval ensures learners are prepared academically for their sporting journey.

The post ĢĒŠÄAPP Receives NCAA Clearance first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

To date, weā€™ve served families in over 30 countries across 6 continents. We offer interdisciplinary learning journeys, where we learn by doing and having a positive impact on the world. We replace exams with project-based assessments.

Along the way, we were pleasantly surprised not just by the reception from families but also from other schools. From the moment we launched ĢĒŠÄAPP, schools began reaching out, asking how they could do what weā€™re doing. I would speak to school principals and educators who would share the challenges faced by learners in their school and express the need for alternative pathways. We would meet with other school teams to present our curriculum, pedagogy, and operations in the hope of learning how to do what we do. It was clear there was a shared hunger for change across the education systems.

Becoming Schools of Humanity

As interest grew, we began exploring partnerships with both governments and private school providers. At first, these collaborations focused on extracurricular and enrichment programs, offering our interdisciplinary challenges as a supplement to traditional schooling. But the demand quickly evolved. Schools wanted more than an add-on; they wanted a full-time alternative pathway that could exist within their own systems.

Today, weā€™re making that possible. We are kicking off a series of pilots with schools around the world to expand our offering, allowing partner schools to offer a ĢĒŠÄAPP pathway within their schools.

How it works

Partner schools gain access to our complete model and curriculum, including our interdisciplinary challenges, project-based skill units, and Flourishing program, which develops emotional, somatic and existential intelligence. The offering spans middle through high school, delivered through Voyager, our learning platform designed specifically for interdisciplinary, competency-based and project-based education.

We provide educator training, ongoing mentorship, and a community of practice that connects partner schools worldwide.

Each school becomes part of an ecosystem of educators reimagining what schooling can look like, not someday, but now.

Case Study: GIA Micro School, Seoul

One of our first partners is GIA Micro School in Gangnam, Seoul, a forward-thinking school that shares our belief that learning should be relevant, personalized, and future-focused.

GIA is now offering the ĢĒŠÄAPP Diploma, allowing their learners to experience the same interdisciplinary challenges and project-based curriculum as our global cohorts, but within an in-person micro-school environment.

Educators at GIA have been trained through our program and supported through the Voyager platform, which centralizes everything from projects and skill units to assessments and resources. Learners are building the same human literacies that define our model.

Hear from Philip directly about GIA Micro Labā€™s implementation of project-based learning through the ĢĒŠÄAPP curriculum:

Expanding our pilots

For schools, this partnership offers a meaningful alternative pathway within their own ecosystem, one that allows learners to embark on personalized pathways towards future-readiness. It gives them access to 100s of innovative interdisciplinary learning journeys combined with the technology and training to implement them.

For us, itā€™s a way to reach more learners, and do so in person or hybrid. Each partnership allows us to extend our mission beyond our digital campus, creating pockets of innovation around the world where learners are provided with more alternatives to traditional schooling.

Over the next year, weā€™ll be piloting additional partnerships with schools ready to rethink what education can be. If you represent a school or network exploring future-focused models, weā€™d love to connect and explore how we can collaborate.

Together, we can build a new generation of Schools of Humanity, where learning is driven by human progress.

The post Reimagining School Partnerships: Bringing Our Diploma to Classrooms Worldwide first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

Welcome to the art of time management, a skill as necessary as it is elusive. In this blog, we’ll look at time management techniques for students, providing you with practical advice and creative solutions to help you regain control of your academic and personal lives. Whether you’re juggling multiple courses, extracurricular activities, or a part-time job, learning how to organise your time can make the chaos manageable, even fun. Here’s a guide to mastering time management as a studentā€¦

Why do you need to know how to manage your time?

Time management is like having a superpower for students ā€” it helps you transform chaos into control and turns stress into success. Imagine trying to juggle school, extracurricular activities and a social life without a plan; I can tell you what will result from that ā€” chaos!

One of the most important lessons I learnt during the Summer School program at ĢĒŠÄAPP was time management. I completed half the programme while busy with school; so you can imagine how chaotic my life seemed then. I had to juggle my summer school work with my academic work and personal responsibilities and at some point, I thought I wouldnā€™t be able to finish everything in time. However, through learning essential time management strategies and following the guide Iā€™m about to share below, I was able to balance my academic work, summer school, extracurricular activities and my social life while still finding some time to relax and binge-watch my favourite shows. You can do this too by practising the following steps.

1. Understand your time

The first step towards successful time management is understanding how you’re currently spending your time. After all, you canā€™t change something without understanding it first. Spend a week tracking your everyday activities, including anything from extracurricular activities to social media scrolling. Determine where your time is going, how long you spend on different tasks, and when you are losing critical time.

For example, when I did this exercise I was surprised to find that on average I spend about 3 hours scrolling on social media. Can you imagine how much progress I would’ve made had I spent that time doing something productive? Doing this exercise really helped me identify areas of procrastination and I was able to adjust my schedule accordingly, and make sure that I use my time efficiently.

There are various tools you can use to help track your time. Iā€™d recommend time-tracking software like Toggl Track and Clockify; Calendar apps like Google Calendar and Notion as well as spreadsheets; ie. Google Sheets or Excel. Remember – Your main goal is to visualise your daily schedule and find patterns.

2. Set clear goals

Next, establish specific, attainable goals. The point is to set SMART goals; specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals that can be broken down into smaller, more doable activities. Instead of setting a generic objective like “write my English speech,” specify “begin drafting my English speech based on the points I’ve outlined.” This strategy makes your goals more attainable and increases the likelihood of achieving them.

3. Create a detailed and prioritised to-do list

Next, take an empty sheet of paper and list all of the tasks you need to complete, along with the deadlines. Once you’ve finished, take a new sheet of paper and begin prioritising jobs based on urgency and importance.

The Eisenhower Matrix, discussed in detail by , is a useful resource for this. It entails categorising your duties into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent or important. Prioritise things that are urgent and important, and schedule the remaining tasks around them.

Hereā€™s an example of how you can apply this resource to writing an English Essay:

• Urgent and Important – Writing the first draft and submitting it on time.
• Important but not urgent – Developing an outline to organise your thoughts and arguments
• Urgent but not important – Proofreading and fixing format or grammatical errors.
• Neither urgent nor important – Additional reading of articles or papers that may not directly impact the essay

As students, we are sometimes assigned multiple tasks at the same time, and attempting to complete them all at once can be difficult and overwhelming ā€“ I know it was for me. I spent more time going over each item that needed to be completed and worrying that I wouldn’t have enough time to finish it all on time than I did actually doing anything productive. Organising my tasks based on urgency and importance allowed me to prioritise work that needed to be completed immediately, and because I was focussing solely on those tasks, I was able to accomplish them with enough time to focus on other tasks. You can do the same by integrating the Eisenhower Matrix technique into your planning.

4. Use a planner or calendar

Use planners, digital calendars, or scheduling tools to plan out your daily and weekly activities. provides a more descriptive look on how to use your calendar but Iā€™ve outlined the basics for you.

Set aside specific time periods for studying, attending classes, tests, completing assignments, and any extracurricular activities you select. This should be easier to do once youā€™ve taken the time to understand your daily schedule and routines. Make sure to schedule rest intervals and breaks. It is recommended that you utilise a digital calendar or planner to receive notifications about upcoming tasks and deadlines.

A few apps I would recommend would be Google Calendar and Todoist. Not only do you have full access to edit your calendar as much as you please, scheduling everything to the tee, the platforms allow you to sync your calendar with other relevant apps, eg. emails, messages, notionā€¦ all to ensure you never lose track of your to do list.

Using a planner not only allows you to visualise and map out your schedule, but it may also help you organise your day and stay productive without burning out.

5. Implement time blocking

Time blocking, described well by , is a time management technique in which you divide your day into different blocks dedicated to specific tasks and activities. To get started, make a list of all your tasks and obligations. Then, give specific time blocks to all of your duties and obligations, ensuring that you allow enough time for each job and breaks in between.

For example, when I was working on my English essay, I set aside an hour between 16:00 and 17:00 to draft my essay, took a 15 minute break then set aside 30 minutes from 17:15 to 17:45 to check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Focusing on one thing at a time reduced distractions and increased my productivity, allowing me to handle my workload more efficiently. I’d recommend you use this technique so that you can experience the same benefits. You should also regularly examine and update your time blocks to reflect any changes in priorities or deadlines.

6. Implement the Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is a time management strategy that ā€œutilizes fixed time intervals for focused work, usually 25 minutes, followed by short breaks. To use it, choose a task and set a 25-minute timer. Work on the task until the timer rings, then take a 5-minute break to rest and refuel. After four sessions, take a 15-30 minute break.

Let me demostate how I used this technique when writing my English essay. I used the first 25 minutes to work on the first 2 paragraphs, took a five minute break then used the next 25 minutes to work on the next 2 paragraphs and so on. I continued with this routine as I went through editing my final draft.

This strategy improves focus and productivity while minimising burnout by combining work with frequent rest periods. Iā€™d recommend reading , published by The Pomodoro Technique for further insight.

7. Learn to say no

Distractions and unanticipated responsibilities contribute significantly to our inability to manage our time properly. Be mindful of how much time you have in a day as well as the things you need to do. Learn to say no to any task or favour that will consume too much of your time, especially if you have major assignments due or a long to-do list.

It is critical that you learn to say no to yourself and your impulses. Identify what usually distracts you, such as social media, constant notifications, noisy locations, or talks with friends, and develop techniques to reduce these distractions. You can use internet blockers, mute your phone, arrange certain check-in times, or find a quiet study location.

Time management is futile without self-discipline and introspection.

8. Reflect and Adjust

Time management isn’t a one time cure, it’s a continuous process. Review your schedule and goals on a regular basis to determine what is and is not working. Be adaptable and open to change your strategies as necessary. If you discover that particular approaches or strategies are ineffective, try out new ones until you find what works best for you.

9. Practice self-care

Effective time management is about more than just productivity; it is also about your overall well-being. As said by Amherst College, ā€œItā€™s easier to get things done when youā€™re healthy.ā€ Make sure you’re eating well, getting enough sleep, and scheduling time for physical activity. A healthy body and mind provide energy and a productive mindset, which significantly improves your ability to manage time. Personally, I love jogging and meditating to clear my head and reset. Usually after a good 20 minute jog and about 10 minutes of meditation, I feel relaxed and confident enough to tackle any tasks I have for the day. Make sure that whatever practices you implement in an effort to practice self care, help you clear your head and release any tension you might have so that you gave enough energy to focus on your duties and responsibilities.

10. Seek support and resources

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re struggling with managing your time or your workload. Whether it’s talking to a mentor, joining a study group, or utilising university resources, seeking help can bring vital insight and relief.

Mastering time management isn’t only about creating a schedule, but also developing habits and routines to increase productivity and reduce stress. Understanding your time, creating clear goals, and using effective techniques will help you build a healthy and balanced student life. Start utilising these strategies today and see how your approach to time management transforms your academic path.

The post Mastering Time Management: A Studentā€™s Guide to Success first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

Were you looking for a more personalized learning journey for your child? Perhaps you were dissatisfied with the traditional style of teaching and learning? Or, what about preparation for the future?

In a recent survey commissioned by , researchers found that 80% of learners feel high school has not or will not prepare them with the skills they need for the workforce. While learners felt confident to enter college and university, they expressed concern for the application of their skills beyond higher education.

Couple this with the and emerging technologies like AI, and it is clear that ā€œThe Futureā€ for learners today is uncertain, and rapidly changing.

So, how can we expect the traditional education system (which has gone unchanged for the last century) to cover the skills learners need today?

Why future-ready learning matters

At ĢĒŠÄAPP, we have seen the impacts of learning outside of the traditional education system. Our curriculum is designed for the skills needed for the jobs and industries of the future, along with tools for whole-human flourishing, and human progress. We see education and learning as a way of life, not a checkbox system prioritizing grades.

Weā€™ve seen learners learn through real-world challenges, and develop meaningful projects which tackle problems they are passionate about. When the motivations for learning shift beyond memorizing for an exam, we see our learners love of learning and curiosity flourish.

Rethinking homeschooling: From textbooks to real-world learning

As homeschoolers, you too, likely share our mission. Thatā€™s why weā€™ve prepared a brochure for homeschooling families covering 15 future-ready ideas to complement your homeschooling journey.

Whether youā€™re already a homeschooling family, or if youā€™re looking to begin your journey, we hope that this guide serves as a starting point with tangible ideas and projects for you to get started.

Before diving into the guide, we thought weā€™d share four of our favorite ideas for you to explore:

Idea 1: Challenge-Based Learning

Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) is a pedagogy , wherein learners learn by tackling a real-world challenge, and developing a meaningful project which solves a problem they are passionate about.

As Apple describes it:

ā€œChallenge-Based Learning [CBL] is an engaging multidisciplinary approach…that encourages students to…solve real-world problems. CBL is collaborative and hands-on, asking students to…solve challenges, take action, share their experience, and enter into a global discussion about important issues.”

How it works

In CBL, learners are set a broad interdisciplinary challenge. Some examples from our curriculum include Protecting our Oceans, Maintaining Global Peace, Ethical Technology, and Activism through The Arts.

Learners will then explore three main phases, as they engage, investigate and act on the challenge:

Application for homeschoolers

Homeschoolers can use CBL by turning everyday interests or local issues into projects – starting with a big theme, defining a challenge, researching it, and designing real solutions like prototypes or campaigns.

Idea 2: Systems Thinking

Systems Thinking helps learners see the bigger picture, and understand how things connect. Why does solving one problem sometimes create another? Why are some issues tangled and hard to fix?

How it works

Learners move beyond isolated facts to explore how different parts of a system interact. Where itā€™s an ecosystem, an economy, or a social issue, they identify they cause-and-effect chain, feedback loops, and unintended consequences.

Learners reflect on their assumptions and refrain problems by asking: whatā€™s really going on here?

Application for homeschoolers

Homeschoolers can use systems thinking to enrich science, civics, sustainability, or social studies. It can also shape how learners reflect on current events or even family dynamics. With more time for deep exploration, learners can untangle complexity instead of rushing to quick answers.

Idea 3: Learning through Storytelling

From ancient cave paintings to modern-day podcasts, storytelling has always been how humans make sense of the world. Itā€™s how we remember, connect, and learn.

How it works

Whether fiction or nonfiction, stories can introduce new ideas, cultures, perspectives, and emotions. Instead of answering test questions, learners narrate what theyā€™ve learned, experienced, or imagined through writing, video, voice or performance.

A good story can blend history, science, ethics, and personal experience, naturally connecting different areas of knowledge.

Application for homeschoolers

Storytelling fits beautifully into a homeschooling rhythm. Families can use daily reflections, oral storytelling, or even collaborative writing projects to capture learning in meaningful ways. Whether recounting a science experiment as a narrative or retelling a historical event through a personal lens, storytelling adds depth and creativity to any subject.

Idea 4: Building Emotional Agility

Emotional agility is the ability to recognize, understand and navigate emotions with intention. Coined by psychologist Dr Susan David, itā€™s about being open to your inner experiences and responding to them wisely, not reacting impulsively.

How it works

Emotional agility involves four key steps: Show up, Step out, Walk your Why and Move on.

Application for homeschoolers

Homeschoolers can integrate emotional agility into daily routines through journaling, reflective conversations, and mindfulness practices. It can also be embedded into project reflections, conflict resolution, or response to failure. Parents can model agility by sharing their own emotional experiences constructively.

Looking for more ideas?

Curious to dive into more future-ready ideas?

You can check out our full homeschooling guide below

Wishing you and your family all the best in creating inspiring learning journeys at home.

The post Future-ready topics you should be covering with your homeschooler first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.

The factory model of education operated much like the industries and their manufacturing processes. Since the idea was to produce identical outcomes for everyone, the systems relied on fixed schedules and timetables, a standardized curriculum for everyone to follow, and teachers as the primary holders of information with students being passive recipients of knowledge.

While the model served its purpose brilliantly, its drawbacks became increasingly apparent as societies evolved. The rigid schedules leave no room for adjustment based on individual needs, lead to teacher burnouts with no time to form meaningful connections, and the ā€˜one size fits allā€™ curriculum ignores the varied needs and interests of learners. However, the uncomfortable truth is that despite being aware of the limitations, we continue to rely on this system because of familiarity. It is time to reimagine what education should look like in a world that is constantly evolving.

What is flexible education?

Imagine this – a learner is still part of a school system, but attends only a few hours of classes, then decides on their own asynchronous learning time based on when they feel most engaged, while also having time to pursue their hobbies. Instead of having to learn what everyone else is learning, they have the freedom to choose what they study based on their interests and goals. They can dive into the structures of earth because their dream is to explore space, or they can spend time exploring ethical journalism because they are a passionate writer. All this while building a sense of community, and acquiring essential skills.

This is what flexible education looks like. It is a multifaceted approach that recognises the need for differentiation in learning. Rather than having learners fit into a rigid mould, the model moulds itself to adapt to learnersā€™ needs across multiple dimensions, such as:

• Time – When they choose to learn, respecting their natural rhythms and commitments to other activities
• Path – What themes and curricula they are drawn to based on their interests and goals
• Pace – How they move through their learning journey
• Projects – What they choose to do to demonstrate and showcase their learning

It seems promising, but does it work?

While flexible education may sound like it is too good to be true, it works simply and beautifully. Hereā€™s how:

• Promotes agency and accountability while providing support. When learners have the freedom to make meaningful decisions about their education, they become more invested and interested. While exploring their options with regard to their learning journey, they develop crucial decision making skills. However, this does not mean that they have to navigate it all alone as they receive consistent support from their facilitators and mentors through regular check-ins and collaborative working sessions.
• Makes space for life outside of school. The flexible approach to education acknowledges that learners have lives beyond the classroom. It makes space for interests that fuel passion, respects that some learners support themselves or their families through part-time work, and understands that learning does not mean having to constantly worry about exams or immovable deadlines.
• Eliminates comparisons. The model moves beyond standardised assessments to recognise that each learner has a personal journey, which allows learners to focus on their growth and mastery rather than having to compete with each other or against benchmarks that do not reflect their strengths or growth.

It works, and hereā€™s proof.

If you are still wondering if this approach works or is merely a concept, you donā€™t have to look too far for proof. As we moved into the COVID 19 pandemic, the need for flexible models of education became more apparent, forcing us to rethink conventional approaches to schooling. Various forms of flexible education are already serving learners from all around the world.

Here are some examples:

• Homeschooling – Families choose to have their children learn at home instead of traditional school settings. This approach promotes John Holtā€™s philosophy of self-directed learning, and allows families to have their voice while customising curriculum based on their childā€™s needs and interests.
• Alternative schooling – These programs serve learners by moving beyond traditional approaches, such as promoting learner agency through democratic decision making, and project-based learning environments that enable children to tackle real world challenges. These programs use flexible schedules that provide various learning pathways.
• Online Schooling – As technology has made high quality remote learning more accessible, online schools have become cohesive learning environments that allow children to learn from anywhere in the world. These schools offer various pedagogies that combine self directed learning with alternative methods, while maintaining structure and a sense of community through online workshops, collaborative discussions, and group projects.

It is important to know that learners who opt for any of these approaches can still take standardised tests or apply for universities, proving that choosing flexibility does not mean isolating oneself or sacrificing academic credibility.

But, letā€™s be honest. It is not a cakewalk.

While flexible education works effectively, implementing it comes with challenges that we must address.

• The paradox of structure. It is often believed that flexible education would mean ‘no structure’. However, in reality, designing the right structure requires more time and commitment than traditional systems, as it must be tailored to each learner’s needs. The challenge lies in creating intentional and balanced frameworks that provide enough structure so learners donā€™t feel overwhelmed, while maintaining the flexibility that makes this approach valuable.
• Resistance from stakeholders. Moving away from familiar education models is not easy, and often faces a pushback from stakeholders. For instance, parents are worried about academic credibility. and educators might feel uncertain about their role, due to the constant learning and unlearning that comes with this approach. It is crucial to understand that adapting to these models can take time.
• The myth of self motivation. Not every learner thrives with increased autonomy due to years of being conditioned to external direction. In fact, most of them need time to get used to the system, and develop open ended learning and executive functioning skills. Patience is key.
• Resource and accessibility concerns. Since flexible education often requires technology, self-exploration of resources, and access to mentors, families in under-resourced communities may find these approaches less accessible and more draining than traditional schooling. Additionally, parents may lack the time or knowledge to support their children’s self-directed learning.

While these are crucial challenges, they are not unsolvable problems when approached with thoughtful planning and intentional collaboration. At ĢĒŠÄAPP, we approach flexible education with both enthusiasm for its potential as well as a plan to overcome challenges.

Case Study: Flexible Education at ĢĒŠÄAPP

We are both cheerleaders and champions of flexible education, and our experience has taught us some invaluable lessons. Here are some key realisations that have informed our approach:

• Flexibility needs structure. We offer a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning hours that respect individual schedules as well as different time zones. This means that learners attend a few hours of live sessions, while having the freedom to organise the rest of their learning time independently. However, we do not leave them to navigate this alone as we offer regular check-ins to ensure that they have the support that they need to manage their time and stay on track.
• Grades are not set in stone. If learners want to improve their work, we encourage resubmissions based on our detailed feedback. This approach leads to an intrinsic motivation for continuous improvement, while reducing the burnout and anxiety that often come with traditional grading systems.
• Learners want agency over their education. Each learner gets an opportunity to book a personalised call with our in-house curriculum specialist, who helps them understand their options. Together, they map out the learnerā€™s needs, interests, and goals. As a result, every learnerā€™s journey is personalised in its true sense.
• Essays are not for everyone. While we have a thoughtfully designed curriculum that enables learners to meaningfully engage with content, we also incorporate open ended projects that are led by learners. For instance, during our ā€˜Activism through the Artsā€™ challenge, one learner might want to demonstrate their understanding about the impact of censored works on people’s perceptions, while another might create a digital platform for activists and artists to share their work.

We embrace flexibility in countless other ways, such as recognising the need for personalised flourishing journeys, inviting learners to share their experiences from outside of school in their portfolios, connecting them with experts and industry mentors, providing financial aid options, and offering fully asynchronous schedules for those who travel, work, or simply need a break without discontinuing their learning.

Conclusion

When we create educational systems that commit to seeing children beyond the role of students and as individuals with complex lives, varied needs, and the ability to make crucial decisions – we are believing in them to be custodians of an ever evolving world. While saying this, we also recognise that the shift to a flexible approach to education is not an easy one as it requires us to let go of familiar structures and trust an entirely new process. However, the question is not whether we can afford to make this shift to flexible education, but whether we can afford not to.

The post Moving beyond the 8 ā€“ 3 Schedule: Making a Case for Flexible Learning first appeared on ĢĒŠÄAPP.