At Acton Academy, Guides play a unique role distinct from traditional teachers, focusing on fostering a learner-driven environment rather than delivering conventional instruction. Their primary responsibilities include: 

 

Inspiring a Hero’s Journey: Guides encourage students, referred to as Eagles, to view their education as a personal Hero’s Journey. They inspire each Eagle to discover their unique gifts and pursue a calling that can impact the world, emphasizing character, curiosity, and purpose.

 

Acting as Gamemakers: Guides design and propose engaging, real-world challenges or “quests” that resonate with students. They set boundaries, provide frameworks, tools, milestones, and world-class examples, and invite Eagles to participate, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving through Socratic methods rather than direct instruction.

 

Never Answering Questions: A core principle is that Guides do not answer questions directly. Instead, they encourage Eagles to seek answers through peer collaboration, independent research, or exploration, promoting self-directed learning and resilience.

 

Facilitating Self-Governance: Guides help Eagles create and uphold studio contracts or covenants that govern behavior and community standards. They gradually transfer responsibilities to students, empowering them to lead their own communities and take on roles such as facilitating discussions or resolving conflicts.

 

Documenting and Simplifying Processes: Guides record and streamline processes to enable Eagles to become “gamemakers” themselves, with the ultimate goal of making adult presence in the studio unnecessary as students take on more leadership.

 

Providing Feedback, Not Grades: Guides avoid assigning grades or ranking students. Instead, they offer growth mindset praise, ask probing questions like “Is that the best you can do?” and encourage students to reflect on their progress through peer feedback, badges for mastery, and self-assessment.

 

Supporting Individualized Learning: Guides create a prepared environment with resources, such as mastery-based software and project-based quests, allowing Eagles to learn at their own pace in mixed-age studios. They focus on fostering independence, time management, and goal-setting skills.

 

Stepping Back: Guides aim to be unobtrusive, acting as coaches, cheerleaders, and advocates rather than authority figures. They avoid lecturing, nagging, or offering parenting advice, trusting students and parents to take responsibility for their respective roles.

​

By adhering to these principles, Guides at Acton Academy empower students to take ownership of their education, develop critical life skills, and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery.