It's our goal at Prenda to make it easy for you to create a learning environment for your students that meets these needs. There are currently very few learning approaches that put these three things together in an organized and easy-to-implement way. Here's how we do it... 

The 4 Learning Modes

Instead of separating our day by subjects like math or social studies, learning is organized into 4 modes. Let's review each of them together...

Connect mode 🤝

I am becoming an empowered learner.

Connect mode is all about building a class culture of empowerment. You'll set class agreements, talk about Prenda's core values, and rotate through the "empowerment principles" each week. This looks like 15-20 minutes of whole group time every day. 

What Connect Mode Resources are Available?

Prenda provides an initial student onboarding experience and daily activity plans that provide exploration opportunities for the four empowerment principles: Community, Autonomy, Mindset, and Purpose (CAMP). Students explore these categories through the provided discussions, videos, journal prompts, and games.

Guide Responsibilities for Connect Mode

Your main role in Connect Mode is to intentionally build a culture where students feel accepted, respected, and challenged. The provided CAMP resources can help you achieve this. 🎉

Conquer mode 🧗‍♂️

I can learn anything with courage and patience.

Conquer mode is all about individualized, self-paced, mastery-based learning. It's usually about 90-120 minutes of the day. The goal is for each student to learn at the level that is right for them. We call this their "learning frontier." It's the spot where lessons are doable but still challenging. They may struggle, they may cry, they may refuse to engage. Learning is hard, but during Conquer Mode, kids learn how to deal with frustration, keep themselves focused, and persist.

What Conquer Mode Resources Are Available?

Prenda curates core conquer curricula in math, English language arts, reading, and writing.

Students, parents, and guides then choose from this selection of learning tools to create each student's personalized learning path. Prenda's software makes it easy for students to set their own goals and monitor progress. Academic coaches are available to help you know how to support your students, and live math tutoring is available to students at any time. Optional benchmark testing tools help place students at the right learning level and measure growth.

Guide Responsibilities for Conquer Mode

During Conquer Mode, your main focus will be helping students accomplish their personal goals. This might include monitoring their academic data, noticing when they are struggling, and helping them

use all their resources as they learn how to learn. You may also find yourself helping students through the inevitable emotional ups and downs that come with the learning journey. You won't need to do any lesson planning or instruction. 

Collaborate Mode 👨‍🔬

I am an important part of something bigger than myself.

Collaborate Mode is a time for students to come together by engaging in inquiry-led research, debates, Socratic discussions, experiments, service-learning, and problem-solving. Together, they think deeply about the world around them and how they interact within it. This part of the day usually lasts about 60 minutes. 

What Collaborate Mode Resources Are Available?

Prenda provides a wide variety of inquiry-based Collaborate experiences in social studies and science. We curate quality online reference resources – like encyclopedias, tutorials, and videos – embedded within each Collaborate learning experience, ensuring safety while using online tools. Experiences are designed to be open-and-go, with minimal to no guide prep required. After students participate in a collaborative experience, they log their work into their portfolios as a record of their learning.

Guide Responsibilities for Collaborate Mode

Guides of younger students lead each Collaborate session and encourage student curiosity by ho

noring their students' choices about which Collaborate experiences and topics to study.

Guides of older students model leading Collaborate with the eventual goal of encouraging students to step up to lead. They also support students as they select, plan, and lead their chosen Collaborate experience. Your goal as a guide during Collaborate Mode is to ask questions, get kids thinking, and encourage them to develop their skills and interests.

Create mode 🎨

I can use my learning in real and meaningful ways.

Create mode is all about getting students to explore their passions and interests in hands-on, real-world ways. Learners Create through projects in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) as well as in history, research, writing, music, performance arts, life skills, and mindset development. They create businesses, products, service opportunities, websites, galleries, events, performances, and more. It's typically about 60 minutes of the day. 

What Create Mode Resources are Available?

Prenda provides ready-to-go Create activities and projects for students to pursue their interests and experience real-world applications of all they are learning in Conquer, Collaborate, and Connect. Each project walks students through a research, design, iterate, and share process that scaffolds deep learning and hands-on experiences. 

Guide Responsibilities for Create Mode

Your main role during Create Mode is to invite students to explore new areas of interest, deepen their

knowledge through application, and help students discover their passions. If you choose to guide younger students, you'll be responsible for leading most Create activities. Guides of older students coach students as they select, plan, and iterate on their projects. You are responsible for helping students have access to the materials they need, sometimes providing the materials and other times assisting the student to obtain them. 

Want to see how all of this comes together? 

Join Walter, a Prenda 4th grader, for a little tour of Prenda World. To see what specific learning tools and experiences Prenda provides, check out The Curriculum Guide (like seriously though, if you haven't seen the curriculum guide yet—now's the time!)

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