5 Guiding Principles of Quest Forward Learning

Our 5 Guiding Principles are drawn from decades of research in Education, Learning Sciences and Cognitive Psychology. While every student is unique and each student brings different abilities, interests and skills to the classroom, how we all learn best is similar. We learn by doing and actively thinking and creating, practising and collaborating with others. We learn not just in school, but everywhere. 

Each Quest Forward Learning course is designed using the 5 Guiding Principles. But the Principles guide much more than that, from how we design our learning spaces to how we design the software that supports our learning communities. 

The 5 Principles that guide the design of Quest Forward Learning are:

1. Learning Requires Action

We believe that to learn, we must be active and engaged, driving the process of discovery, the process of building understanding and the practice of skills. We learn by asking questions about the world and seeking answers, by testing potential solutions to problems, by making things and by iterative trial and error. Being a mere observer does not lead to capability; only active engagement with people and the world around us does.

2. Learning Improves with Practice

While knowledge can accumulate through discovery, skill-building requires dedicated, persevering practice. As lifelong learners, we identify skills we can improve, and then practice them over days, months and years to refine and advance the impact and outcomes of our work.

3. We Learn Better Together

It is impossible to gain skills and real insights without connecting to and receiving feedback from others. Peers, mentors, family members and subject-matter experts all drive learning and personal growth. Collaborating with others inspires creativity and innovative thinking. Similarly, sharing our discoveries and successes is an important impetus for learning.

4. Learning Happens Everywhere, and Always

This is evident from watching small children — they constantly learn, wherever they go, without formal instruction, classroom or learning materials. This pattern holds for all ages: We can learn wherever we are, but only if we possess the skills to seize those opportunities.

5. Learning Drives Personal Growth

Meaningful learning is not just concept acquisition. It is a personal process that changes how we understand ourselves, the world around us and our place in it. Quest Forward Learning broadens our understanding of the world, the skills we need to work in our communities and beyond, our sense of identity and our ability to solve various challenges. As we grow personally, we begin to define ourselves as lifelong learners, able to embrace and master new challenges and opportunities with curiosity, creativity and determination.

While each of these Principles is valuable in its own right, when they come together, real transformation occurs.