SIBE Lab

Microschool

Embracing the Opportunities of the Future

SIBE Lab

Since 2016, the mission of SIBE Lab is to recognize and value each learner’s individuality, to develop self-awareness and agency, and to build the foundational skills of a lifetime: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Compassion. Through these, our learners will leave SIBE Lab ready for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Our approach is competency- and project-based. Learners and mentors alike are guided by Driving Questions to create projects that answer them. As a vital part of this process, students--along with their parents and mentors--identify areas they want to improve, and they reflect on their work throughout. We integrate social-emotional, academic, and practical skills in every project, rather than working primarily on one or the other.

How to SIBE

SIBE Lab uses the SIBE Venn to create an individualized educational framework for, and with, every learner. Using their own unique interests and curiosities, every student creates a curriculum to develop skills and knowledge . The framework remains flexible since the Venn changes as interests change. From dinosaurs and trains to marine biology or architecture, interests evolve, build, and represent who we are at a moment in time. The SIBE Venn captures these moments, propels learners through their educational journey using interest-driven deep dives. When their interests are satiated, evolve, or alter - we simply modify their SIBE Venn and framework to reflect this.

Creativity

Collaboration

Communication

Critical Thinking

Compassion

The 5Cs at the heart of the Venn are Communication, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity, and Compassion. These never change, but how we develop them depends upon the individual and their interests. Example projects may involve public speaking or vlogging, or perhaps creation and development using coding or wood working. Everyday new opportunities arise in the field of education. Technology makes it possible to adapt and stay.

PROJECTS

Robotic Arm on the Moon "Mission to the Moon" is a NASA designed immersive mock space station and mission control simulation experience featuring a science station with three robotic arms controlled by visitors to perform specified tasks. A major problem for the museum is that the robotic arms often fail to operate and are prohibitively expensive to replace. To solve this real life problem, students were given a budget of $100 and asked to work as a team to design, fabricate	Cubes in Space NASA Sounding Rocket: How Vibration, G-forces, and Spin Affect the Durability of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Launch June 24, 2021 from Wallops Island, VA.	Zero Gravity Scientific Balloon NASA Zero Pressure Scientific Balloon: The Effects of Space Radiation Upon the Energy Output of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Launch August 2021 from New Mexico.
Underwater Robot Resue This project, modeled after the Thailand soccer team children cave rescue, challenged students to build an underwater robot that can navigate through the twists and turns of a cave system while carrying critical supplies.	Schoolfixers An innovative idea and plan to make project-based learning commonplace for all students.	Young Filmmakers Challenge 2020 An international competition inviting young people to produce and submit a short film based on the theme: What if “school” as we know it didn’t exist?
Meangreen A robots project combining actuators, sensors, power sources, effectors, and fabrication! Based upon Ottobots.	Mythology Mosaic To demonstrate and communicate their knowledge of Egyptian Mythology, this team of students opted for a single mosaic panel interweaving the many gods and stories.	Dragon wearables Wearables are always a hit - so why not combine English class and robotics as this student did.
Mythology Bloopers As a final project for Mythology, one team wrote a play - and instead of submitting the final version of the play, they edited a blooper reel for submission.	Save Marine Life Fashion For their Marine Biology final project, one team chose to highlight the plight of marine life suffering due to plastic pollution through fashion design