Arc focuses on nurturing the whole child, valuing the development of social and emotional skills along with academics. At different stages of their education an Arc student may study art, music, philosophy, and technology as well as the regular subjects in the BC Curriculum. Critical thinking, scientific literacy, and support for skills in reading and writing are emphasized.

There is supervised and varied physical activity every day. Activities include but are not limited to:

• Walking or running
• Playing games at the park
• Dance, rock climbing, and soccer
• Use of community facilities (such as ice skating and swimming)

Every day also includes time for play and rest, both of which are essential for children’s development. In all our programs, we seek to balance rich opportunities for intellectual growth with the time needed for children to absorb and integrate what they have learned.

Inquiry learning is a researched, proven instructional model that is engaging and meaningful for students. Instead of the teacher telling students what they need to know, inquiry-based learning asks students to construct their own knowledge through experiences and explorations.

There will always be a need for direct teaching, but overusing this instructional approach causes students to tune out or lose touch with their own agency. Inquiry-based learning can accomplish deeper levels of learning that build on student strengths and passions to actively discover knowledge.

With inquiry-based learning, students are guided through some or all of the follow activities:

• Formulating a set of questions
• Designing an investigation
• Identifying and collecting resources
• Developing explanations based on evidence
• Sharing investigation findings
• Reflecting on the learning process and outcomes

Our learning model motivates students to learn and advances their problem solving and critical thinking skills. Teachers monitor their inquiry process and provide guidance when they encounter difficulties.