Hollywood Media+Arts structures its learning on the Smart Schools principles for good education, developed by Howard Gardner, David Perkins and colleagues at Harvard's Project Zero.

• Learning is a consequence of thinking, and good thinking is learnable by all students.
• Learning should include deep understanding, which involves the flexible, active use of knowledge.

The Seven Principles

Education and Empowerment Through the Arts

There are seven key teaching principles at Hollywood Arts.

Generative knowledge
Relevant skills = Profitable skills.
We believe in teaching content that will most benefit our students.

Learnable intelligence
Hands-on challenges = Creative mastery.
We believe that intelligence is a not a fixed quantity but is found in creative ways of thinking.

Focus on understanding
Doing projects you care about = Revolution in learning.
We believe in education that builds and demonstrates deep understanding of an idea, not strictly defined outcomes.

Teaching for mastery and transfer
Learn from arts models = Real world preparation.
We believe in helping students bridge arts learning to the larger world.

Learning-centered assessment
Pursue your personal goals = Personal responsibility.
We believe students are responsible for their own work and learning.

Embracing complexity
Appropriate challenges = Personal empowerment.
We believe in embracing complexity and the excitement found in new challenges.

Create a learning organization
Your feedback and participation = Everyone’s success.
We believe in a dynamic educational system that changes as our needs and vision change.