IVA’s Advisory Program

Central to IVA’s educational mission and vision is a one-hour Advisory period, during which students explore their growth in intellectual virtues under the guidance of an Advisor. In many schools, advisory time is for finishing homework and chatting about personal interests or implementing social emotional learning curriculum. These experiences tend to be unrelated to thinking or learning. At IVA, the goal of the advisory program is to help students grow as thinkers — to help students grow in our nine master virtues. Students are given weekly opportunities to practice thinking about things they are naturally curious about — things they’d like to learn and talk about.

There are no grades, no tests, and no real homework in Advisory. Rather, students get to decide the sorts of things they will talk about. It’s a time for intellectual exploration and adventure, led by staff and volunteer advisors who undergo an application and training process and are selected by the principal.

Advisory groups, which meet 8:20 to 9:20 a.m. every Thursday throughout the year in groups of around 8-10 students with their assigned Advisor, a trained adult mentor who creates opportunities for the practice of intellectual virtues. Curriculum developed for Advisory includes direct instruction in the nine master virtues, opportunities for play, self reflection and exploring big questions together. Advisory is led by big questions and each students gets the opportunity to explore, in depth, a topic of specific and intrinsic interest to them. Devoting time to self-initiated study helps develop students’ natural curiosity, a master virtue, and gives students a practical way to grow in this capacity with their peers. We protect our Advisory hour in order to protect the development of students’ curiosity.

Moreover, Advisory offers a safe environment for students to discuss their personal development of intellectual character through the weekly check-ins and conversations. Students are guided to bring what they are curious about to the group for intellectual exploration and play. Advisors teach students how to create a big how or why question, choose a Thinking Routine or protocol for exploring the question together, and choose a text, which can be a podcast, Ted Talk, video, article, or other selection.

Practices like Advisories create, “… a dynamic group of people who feel that they are learning together and creating something greater than that which any individual might produce. It feels good to be a member of a culture of thinking…A culture of thinking produces the feelings, energy, and even joy that can propel learning forward and motivate us to do what at times can be hard, and challenging mental work.”

– Ron Ritchhart, Creating Cultures of Thinking

What past Advisors have said about their experience:

  • Advisory is a place where Advisors and students can routinely practice self-awareness. A place to be fully seen and asked to participate.
  • Advisory provides opportunities for students to form and sustain a small learning community which promotes students’ sense of belonging to the school and allows students to be engaged and to take risks.
  • In advisory, students are encouraged to ask questions and wonder. It’s a place where learning and questioning together can create community with people that might not ever have had an opportunity to connect. The virtues guided us into deeper thinking about learning, about ourselves and about where we are going in life.
  • My students inspired me with their questions to continue being a learner myself.
  • Tackling big, unanswerable questions together gives us an opportunity to engage with each other like very little else can. I have enjoyed getting to know the minds of my advisees through our discussions.
  • This is such a unique opportunity for the students to come together with caring adults and learn in a different and more in depth way. It adds to our collaborative and caring approach to education.

Who are the Advisors?

Every member of IVA’s faculty and staff serves as an Advisor but we can not implement this meaningful connection with small groups of students without the commitment of eight additional community members each year! After 5 weeks of intro explorations where Advisors and students think deeply about the values of learning, struggle, and growth mindset. IVA uses that time to intentionally select groups of 8 students and matches them with one Advisor. Advisory groups form a year-long commitment to each other as they learn explicitly about the intellectual virtues and explore what students are curious about together. With training, connection and care our volunteer Advisors are invested in the hearts and minds of students at a time when that care is especially important to their formative development. IVA Alumni have made some of the most thoughtful Advisors and are able to reflect on their own experience while walking alongside our middle schoolers.

Seeking BIPOC Advisors especially!

Advisory is a chance for students to experience greater racial, ethnic, and gender educator representation than our adult staff offers. As a predominantly white-passing staff, especially with white school leaders it is important to us that our students get to enter into conversation, to wonder, grapple, and consider with greater racial, ethnic, and gender diversity and leadership than our adult staff offer. Read about IVA’s Commitment to Equity. **Note – According to the U.S. Department of Education’s the State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce, “educators of color account for less than 10% of all public-school teachers across the country. Black males represent 1.9% of that total.” We are seeking support from our racially diverse families – consider Advisory.

Interested in being an Advisor?
Contact our office at info@ivalongbeach.org