A 21st Century Learning Environment combining innovative skills-based curriculum with entrepreneurial incubators.
META24 Program
What is META24?
A META24 learning center is a place where students not only learn essential skills and earn credits, but where they also proactively prepare for successful futures. Imagine a state-of-the-art learning center combining an innovative skills-based curriculum — the Inquiry Bridge Learning System — with individual entrepreneurial incubators known as METALABS.
Engaged in the Inquiry Bridge Learning System, students master skills through an inquiry-based curriculum designed for metacognitive growth. Their progress is documented on a success board which allows for individual pacing.
The META24 Approach
Make It
Students work in labs to create useful, salable products while developing practical skills.
Enterprise It
After learning to write business plans, students launch their own enterprises.
Teach It
Working collaboratively, students teach each other essential skills.
Achieve It
Experience success, reflect on accomplishments, and build confidence for future endeavors.
METALABS
METALABS are designed with the end product in mind to help students develop business acumen while being self-directed by the inquiry model of skills-based learning.
Hi-Tech Lab
Coding to Robotics
Industrial Design Lab
3D to Laser Printing
Finance Lab
Accounting, Billing, Market Research
Media Production Lab
Video Marketing, Journalism, Shows
Cultivation Lab
Aquaponics to Bioresearch
Drafting Lab
AutoCAD to Building Models
Trends Lab
Design Posters, Clothes, Booklets
The META Cafe
Student-Run Culinary Operation
The Office
Executive Skills & Interviews
The Board Room
Inquiry Bridge Game Board LMS
Why META24?
META24 is a true 21st century learning center with a unique instructional model and design. The program is designed to attract students who have dropped out of school, failed to graduate, or are on track to graduate well below grade level. These students need to re-engage in learning, but because they often equate school with failure, they need a different kind of learning environment with an innovative and stimulating approach to curriculum.
META24 offers these unique students an innovative new learning environment. Students will master skills in active ways that challenge their abilities to think critically, problem-solve, and collaborate in a student-centered curriculum that includes essential, foundational skills, courses required for graduation credit, and challenging STEM-based subjects.
Opportunities for Success
- STEM Job Growth: The U.S. Dept of Commerce shows that in the past ten years, STEM jobs grew 3 times the rate of non-STEM jobs, a trend likely to continue and accelerate.
- Skills Gap: The U.S. Dept of Labor notes that companies have reported more than 3 million job openings since February 2001 because of an absence of applicants with skills to fill these positions.
- Post-Secondary Education: By the end of the decade, 60% of U.S. jobs are predicted to require some form of post-secondary education.
- Dual Enrollment: Many META24 students will obtain dual enrollment in nearby Community Colleges, furthering their college-ready capabilities while earning their high school diploma.
Curriculum & Learning Management
META24's overarching goal is to promote the use of higher level thinking skills as students master both foundational and challenging skills. The use of higher-level thinking skills provides development and practice in problem-solving and leads to metacognition. Students not only know what they have learned but know how they have learned it.
The underlying framework for this form of studying is the Inquiry Bridge curriculum model. It serves as a roadmap for both teachers and students as they move together through 24 separate but interrelated skill clusters. A colorful, computerized Success Board plots individual student progress which aids students in monitoring and reinforcing their progress.
Results & Impact
Skills-Based Learning
Increases in effort, academic performance, and graduation rates through Inquiry Bridge's model.
Entrepreneurship
Advancement in entrepreneurial skills, relevant learning, and relational trust when students start their own businesses.
Critical Thinking
Gains in commitment, independent learning, and critical thinking through STEM lab experiences.
Innovation
Growth in innovativeness, accountability, and responsibility through hands-on projects like urban gardens.
Self-Direction
Rises in contentment, confidence, and awareness when students choose their educational paths.
Organization
Improvement in organizational skills, pride, and proactiveness through the BlendMyClass Learning Management System.
Learn More
META24 is a division of Banner Learning Corp, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Visit the official META24 website for more information about this innovative program.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact Arkansas Baptist College to learn more about the META24 program and how it can help you achieve your goals.