Educators and researchers who are interested in learning more about Hanahau‘oli School are invited to visit our campus for an Immersive School-Day Experience, which includes a personalized itinerary based on your goals, research questions, and the grade levels and progressive teaching practices of your interest. Beginning promptly at 7:30 am, and running through lunch to your desired end time, participants will have the opportunity to:

Observe our school-wide, daily community-sharing experience (Flag or Assembly)
Receive a brief introduction to Hanahau‘oli School’s history of progressive teaching and learning, and the work of the Professional Development Center
Embark on a tour of our 146,000 sq ft campus
Spend time observing our multi-age classrooms, the teaching approaches, and your specified areas of interest
Engage in dialogue with administrators and teachers throughout the experience
Enjoy a hosted lunch with the Director of the Professional Development Center, Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau.

The Hanahau‘oli PDC Experience is designed for groups of up to 20 people, and costs $200 for the first participant, $50 per additional participant.

To arrange an Immersive School-Day Experience for Educators, please first complete the request form on our website here. Once a date has been confirmed, use this registration form to finalize your visit.

School visits include the following loose agenda:

7:15 Arrive and check in at the Hanahau'oli School office

7:30 Meet at Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center + Introductions

8:00 Flag (whole school)

8:30 Introduction to Hanahau'oli School's History, Philosophy, and Pedagogy

Overview of philosophy
Thematic units of study
Multi-age classrooms/Team teaching
Other school structures, routines, and traditions

9:30 School Tour

10:30 Classroom Observations. For example:

JK: Indoor exploration with stations in the JK classroom
K/1: Kukunaokala (grades K and 1) classrooms enjoy ‘ohana time (a time for all three homegroups to come together to work and play)
2/3: Kulaiwi (grades 2 and 3) students split into small groups for specialist classes such as Music, Mandarin, and PE
4/5: Po'e Ka'ahele (grades 4 and 5) students split into mixed groups for Literature Circles

12:00 Reflection/Questions

12:30 Lunch (provided) with Dr. Makaiau and other faculty/staff, as avaialble

1:00 Optional additional Classroom Observations

3:00 School ends

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education Institute for Teacher Education Secondary Program. She is also the Director of the Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center and the Director of Curriculum and Research at the University of Hawai‘i Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. She is a dedicated practitioner of philosophy for children Hawai‘i who achieved National Board Certification while teaching secondary social studies in the Hawaii State Department of Education for over ten years. Her current projects include carrying out progressive, multicultural, social justice, and democratic approaches to pre-service social studies teacher education, using self-study research methodologies to promote international collaboration, and developing the emergent field of deliberative pedagogy.

Contact the host of '26-'27 Immersive School-Day Experience with the Hanahau'oli School Professional Development Center Hosted Visit