Q2L is an american school for students from 6th to 12th grade, which provides a game-based learning approach

1. Quest to learn Case study Giantommaso D’Astolto NEST project Alta ScuolaPolitecnica VII cycle

2. What is it? American learning system school, which aims at creating critical thinking and respect for someone else’s point of view It currently serves students in 6th and 7th grade, but the goal is to involve students till the 12th grade The main teaching approach is “learning by doing”

4. Checking the curriculum

5. Applying for a position (student/ teacher)

6. Downloading material

7. Browsing the calendar

9. Strengths/1 Students are supposed to create their own tools, thus challenging their critical thinking and learningfrom what they are doing

10. Strengths/2 The game-based learning approach is very stimulating, with students pretending to be professionals in different scenarios. This kind of approach usually increases problem-solving and choice-making skills

11. Strengths/3 The school also offers subjects related to topical issues, such as Health and Wellness. This kind of topics are something that kids perceive as involving and linked to their daily life

12. Weaknesses The service is mainly provided “on site”, therefore students need to be physically present in order to attend lectures We can guess that all the provided material, the facilities and the staff that operates are quite expensive, which makes the systems hard to replicate in public schools with budget constraints.

13. Business model It is a private school, therefore parents pay fees Moreover some contributors voluntarily donate money to the school Finally there is a support team composed by non-profit organisations, universities, private companies and foundations

14. Conclusions and take-aways The school prepares students to enter the world of work and colleges with an open-mind and proactive approach Great focus is given to learning by doing and team-working However, the model generates some costs that we should cut if we want to replicate it in public schools