Our live online academy is a full time program for grades 1 through 12. We teach through zoom sessions, online and live, increasing the interaction between students and between student and teacher. At Lote Tree Learning we value such live interactions, so all of our online learning is geared to facilitate these. And through these live interactions, we uphold our unique system of learning, called IDEALS. (Learn more about our IDEALS approach here.) 

Live online interactions have many benefits. We have listed some of them below:

• Communication is direct

• Motivation increases

• Engagement through discussion

• Increased learning through reflection

All of these result in more effective learning.

If you are looking for teacher support in your homeschooling, please check out our Programs page.

We teach all core curriculum courses, according to the American homeschooling curriculums. In addition, we also teach Deen and Arabic. We integrate the Islamic topics throughout our school days, especially through social studies and science. We have a unique approach to teaching called IDEALS. All subject materials are aligned to the Common Core Standards of the USA. The materials for Social Studies grades 1-8 and Science for grades 1-4 are designed by Lote Tree Learning to integrate the Islamic topics into the contents.  We also place importance on skills training and independent learning, because we believe this fosters life-long learning. All of our programs integrate life skills and independent study skills. 

For high school (grades 9 through 12), we follow the American system with 26 credit points for graduation. High school students will take the core subjects and several electives, of which one is the Arabic language.  We offer specialization through electives and tracks. Learn more about our tracks.

We individualize the learning process for students, which is called Individualized Learning Pathways, or ILPs for short. Individualization means that a student can progress faster through a subject if he/she grasps the concepts well. The opposite is also true; if a student needs more time on a subject, we can assign more time to this particular subject without holding the student back in other subjects. 

We value students' ownership of their learning process, so we allow students to give input in how and when they wish to complete their tasks. Scheduling their work for the week is one of the important skills our students learn from early on. As a result, our students are engaged and involved in their own learning, and often suggest solutions for challenges and problems they may encounter. This develops life-long learners. 

Our classes are vertical classes, which means there are two grade levels (and sometimes more, like in high school classes) within one class. Having different grade levels in the same classrooms is very beneficial for students. When the teacher works with one level students and explains a concept, the older grades often pick up on this explanation and absorb it as a revision. Often, we find older students assisting younger students with their questions as well. This fosters responsibility in the older students. For younger students, they find an example and buddy for support in the older students. 

Every class has a homeroom teacher that teaches and supervises all subjects. This is similar to homeschooling, where the parent teaches the child all subjects. Having a homeroom teacher allows the teacher to view the student in a holistic manner: what are his/her strengths, weaknesses and talents. Subsequently, the teacher can individualize the program for each student. Since our curriculum is based upon the homeschooling programs, students learn in a highly independent manner. The higher the grade, the more independent the student becomes, allowing the teacher to function more as a facilitator.

All of our students attend their live daily sessions from Sunday to Thursday, from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm +2 GMT. Our Primary students have instruction time until about 12 pm, after which they work on small individual tasks or ahnds-on activities. For middle or high school students the day ends officially at 2:30 pm, but if they have completed their tasks for the day, students are free to sign off (with permission from the teacher). Usually, there is no homework after their school sessions, leaving them with more time to explore and excel in their unique talents. 

Our unique approach to learning is summed up in the acronym IDEALS which covers several methodologies and skills we believe should be covered in all educational programs whether for primary students or adults. IDEALS stands for 

• Inquiry Based Learning 

• Differentiated Learning 

• Experiential learning

• Aptitude Training

• Lens of Islam

• Social-Emotional Learning.

Learn more about our IDEALS approach here.

We offer several enrollment options for students. 

• Full time live online grades 1 through 12: Students will take all subjects according to our curriculum and attend live online sessions daily.

• Part time live online grades 1 through 12: For homeschoolers who love homeschooling but just not every single subject, we offer part time enrollment into our Live Online Academy. Students can enroll for a single subject, or two or three, or more... 

There are two different types of courses a Part Time student can enroll in. 

• Major courses are subjects that are taught minimal 3 times per week. These include Mathematics, all Language Arts topics and Science. 

• Minor courses are taught minimal twice per week. These include Social Studies, Deen and Arabic. 

A Part Time student will join the live online session according to his/her day and time, where he/she will work with the teacher on their subject. Grades and progress overviews will be given twice annually: mid -year and end of year. Teacher-parent meetings are scheduled roughly every 6-8 weeks throughout the year.  

There are several advantages of online learning. One of the advantages of online learning is the possibility to incorporate multimedia resources for students to make the online environment even more enagaging. This allows us to teach a multitude of 21st-century skills.

Other advantages include:

• Comfort: student learn in the comfort of their own home.

• Flexibility: students may find that studying online reduces the time spent on learning

• Less distraction: some students find there is less distraction when learning from home.

On the other hand, online learning has its limitations. For one, there is less face-to-face interaction with students and between students. Unfortunately there is as of yet no technology that lets teachers reach through the screens to make a student log in and be present. So when a student signs off, they are out of reach of the teacher. 

We have created our online learning to overcome these limitations. We crafted a specific form of teaching online that increases student-teacher interaction as well as student-student interaction. In addition, we are in frequent communication with the parent to assure smooth and beneficial learning. All of our teachers are specially trained in teaching online classes.