The curriculum that is used by Turning Winds Academic Institute stretches the mind of the student and enables them to apply skills and knowledge which they have learned. Curriculum is created by teachers with the help of Prentice Hall published textbooks.
Turning Winds Academic Institute provides several programs and activities that are designed to reach all students. All programs offered at Turning Winds Academic Institute are designed to enhance the students’ educational experience. Students are able to participate in activities that will encourage them to excel and achieve to their full potential.
Turning Winds Academic Institute provides students with many enrichment activities: service projects, fieldtrips, physical training, recreational sports, outdoor education courses and life skills courses. These activities provide students with the opportunity to gain community based knowledge.
Instruction
The Academic Institute focuses on personalized instruction to reach all students and to best meet students’ various learning levels. Cooperative learning activities are used to engage students as active learners and promote deeper understanding of concepts. The teachers’ main goal is to help students become self-directed learners. Students are responsible for their own learning; teachers act as academic coaches which allow students to reflect on their own work.
Technology
At Turning Winds Academic Institute, students are taught to be technologically literate, life-long learners. Students and teachers use the most current technologies for improving the teaching/learning process. Students graduating from Turning Winds Academic Institute possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex, global, information-based society.
Turning Winds Academic Institute’s philosophy is that students must be computer literate to succeed in their careers. In order to increase computer literacy students are regularly required to apply their knowledge and use computer programs to present their understanding of concepts across the curriculum. Students regularly create spreadsheets in math, movies in technology education, PowerPoint presentations in social studies, and use word processing for all writing assignments.
Professional Development of Teachers
Teachers are supported in their efforts to participate in professional development activities, which include: graduate school, professional association, and attending professional conferences.
Teachers at Turning Winds Academic Institute are Montana state certified teachers with a lot of experience and from various backgrounds. They are members of professional organizations such as: National Science Teacher Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and National Council for Social Studies. They routinely attend professional conferences for professional development.
