How students learn better.

Every XQ Learning Experience is built around six design principles — the characteristics that separate meaningful, engaged learning from traditional curriculum. They're not abstract ideals. They're what we look for in every project we design and every classroom we work with.

High-interest — Students engage when learning connects to what they care about and feels worth doing.

• Anchors in what students care about: their community, interests, or real challenges
• Gives students choices that make the project feel like theirs
• Sustains curiosity through the full experience — not just a flashy start

In A Gene Tale, students produce a video about someone they know living with a health condition and the role genes play in shaping it. Because the work centers on someone they care about, curiosity and care power the inquiry.

Project-based — Students learn by making or creating — applying knowledge, not just recalling it.

• Builds, designs, or solves for a challenge that is tangible with real purpose
• Tackles open-ended problems with multiple solutions
• Revises and improves work through feedback and iteration

In Story XP, students create an original storyreel — a narrated, illustrated film prototype — through structured cycles of drafting, critique, and revision that mirror how Pixar professionals actually work.

Multi-dimensional — Students develop content knowledge and essential skills together — each reinforcing the other.

• Targets 2-3 essential competencies the project requires
• Teaches skills explicitly through modeling, coaching, and practice
• Applies competencies to strengthen the work and deepen learning

In Echo of Voice, students analyze speeches from social movements, study their rhetorical power, then create a "remixed speech" connecting past struggles to present-day questions of belonging. Historical analysis, creative expression, and persuasive communication are woven into a single experience.

Authentic — Students do work that mirrors real roles and reaches audiences beyond the classroom.

• Reflects genuine problems and practices from the world outside school
• Serves clear purposes beyond "this is the assignment"
• Presents to real audiences who provide meaningful feedback, not just grades

In History in Layers, students research primary sources, analyze bias, and engage with community knowledge keepers to document Indigenous histories. Their final projects are shared with local audiences, honoring stories that have been overlooked or erased.

Rigorous — Students are consistently challenged through hard work and cognitive lift.

• Constructs understanding through investigation, not passive absorption
• Receives scaffolding that maintains challenge while allowing accessibility
• Builds mastery through practice, feedback, and revision

In Power Play, students think and act like Cold War diplomats — analyzing events, weighing trade-offs, and adapting strategies as global crises evolve. The cognitive work lies in navigating complex historical and ethical tensions, not following a script.

Expansive in time and space — Learning extends beyond classroom walls and bell schedules.

• Moves between class, the community, and digital spaces as the work demands
• Connects with experts, organizations, and real contexts beyond school
• Adopts flexible time frames for deep inquiry, iteration, and public sharing

In Story XP, students connect with Pixar professionals, join a global community of young creators, and submit finished work for public recognition — experiencing how creative work circulates across networks, audiences, and time.