LearnSTEAM is served in three phases:

1st: Cognitive Cleansing Bootcamp

Small groups of students work their way through these explorations to increase self-awareness and wash away self-defeating beliefs. These videos, and related study guides, are a critical first step toward success in the LearnSTEAM program.

2nd: GED prep

For those that survived bootcamp, LearnSTEAM staff guide you toward GED success. Your pretest results will include topics to be studied. Your bootcamp success will give you the mental strength to tackle each GED exam over time.

3rd: Constructing for Life: Youth Builders or MakerSpace

After you pass your first (of the four) GED exam’s, you are qualified to begin the 6 month long paid training program in either Youth Builders or the MakerSpace.

Youth Builders

Learn the construction trade of carpentry. This training consolidates 4 years of high school wood shop into 6 months of intensive preparation to enter the building trades through Klamath Community College. In the afternoons, students get paid on-the-job training only if they continue attending and making progress in the morning GED prep sessions. Earning a GED qualifies for the financial support of Oregon Promise to pay tuition at KCC (or other selected colleges).

Maker Space

After surviving the Cognitive Cleansing Bootcamp, and passing a GED exam, students are qualified to enter the MakerSpace program. This LearnSTEAM specialty allows students to be trained in technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters, videography, sewing, welding, microcontrollers, and other fabrication and production tools. In addition, there may be opportunities to gain culinary skills and other life enhancing experiences ranging from archery to zip lining. Of course, to remain qualified, students must attend and make progress on GED preparation.


Phase One: Prepare your Brain

A welcome from the LearnSTEAM principal

Summary: I don’t care about your high school grades. I care about your grit. If you are brave enough to make painful changes in order to became a gift to your future friends, family, and community, then LearnSTEAM is ready for you.

Related Material: See LearnSTEAM culture and learn more about the LearnSTEAM team.

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Bootcamp Table of Contents

  1. Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
  2. How Extrinsic Rewards kill Intrinsic Motivation
  3. Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination
  4. Goal Setting and Time Management
  5. Effective Communication Skills
  6. Resilience and Coping Strategies
  7. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
  8. Self-Discipline, Motivation, Fail Forward Fast
  9. Delayed vs. Immediate Gratification
  10. Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Skills: Take the stairs
  11. Peer Pressure, Conformity and Compliance
  12. Healthy Relationships, Boundaries, verses Trauma Bonding
  13. Perspective Framing and Stress Reduction
  14. Importance of Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition
  15. How to Learn: Spaced Learning, Recency Effect, etc.
  16. Memory Types, Storage and Retrieval
  17. Learned Helplessness, Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
  18. Power of Labels, Confirmation Bias, Belief Perseverance
  19. Fear of Success vs. Fear of Failure
  20. The Addiction Cycle: Reward Pathway, Diminishing Returns, Downregulation of Dopamine
  21. Cannabis, Vaping, and the Adolescent Brain
  22. Caffeine on the Adolescent Brain
  23. Social Scripts and Mirror Neurons influenced by Porn and Video Games
  24. Gradual Exposure Therapy: Embrace Frustration, Overcome Anxiety
  25. Habit Stacking and the 5 Second Rule
  26. Faith, Hope and Love: The Hero’s Journey, The Human Condition
  27. Comparative Religions and Judeo-Christian Work Ethic
  28. Comparative Economics: Capitalism vs. Socialism
  29. Math as the Language of Science
  30. Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Literary Power
  31. Emotional Misattribution and Fundamental Attribution Errors
  32. Common Cognitive Errors and Irrational Thinking
  33. The Limits of Scientism: Other Ways of Knowing What Can’t Be Quantified
  34. The Power of Forgiveness vs. Bitter Self-Defeating Grudges

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

Summary: A fixed mindset believes abilities are static, while a growth mindset sees them as achievable through effort, persistence, and learning from failure.

Related Material: Carol Dweck’s book Mindset, TED Talks on growth mindset.

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How Extrinsic Rewards kill Intrinsic Motivation, The unintended consequences of K-12 schooling.

Summary: Extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation by shifting focus from personal satisfaction to external approval, leading to reduced engagement and creativity in K-12 schooling.

Related Material: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us* by Daniel H. Pink.

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Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination

Summary: Explain the psychology behind procrastination and provide strategies to overcome it, such as breaking tasks into smaller steps and using reward systems.

Related Material: Timothy A. Pychyl’s Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, TED Talks on procrastination.

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Time Management and Goal Setting

Summary: Provide strategies for effective time management and setting SMART goals to enhance productivity and focus.

Related Material: Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, TED Talks on goal setting.

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Effective Communication Skills

Summary: Highlight the importance of communication skills in personal and professional settings. Teach active listening, assertiveness, and clarity.

Related Material: Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, TED Talks on communication skills.

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Resilience and Coping Strategies

Summary: Explore how to build resilience and cope with stress and adversity through positive thinking, support networks, and adaptive strategies.

Related Material: Angela Duckworth’s Grit, TED Talks on resilience.

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Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Summary: Discuss the components of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Related Material: Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, TED Talks on EQ.

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Self-Discipline and Motivation

Summary: Explain the importance of self-discipline and intrinsic motivation. Provide techniques to enhance self-control and sustain motivation.

Related Material: Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, TED Talks on motivation.

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Delayed vs. Immediate Gratification and Marshmallows

Summary: Discuss the concepts of delayed gratification vs. immediate gratification, using the famous marshmallow experiment as an example. Explain how delaying gratification can lead to long-term success.

Related Material: Walter Mischel’s The Marshmallow Test, TED Talks on delayed gratification.

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Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Skills

Summary: Explore effective decision-making and problem-solving strategies. Emphasize critical thinking and logical reasoning.

Related Material: Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s Decisive, TED Talks on decision-making.

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Peer Pressure, Conformity and Compliance Studies

Summary: Explain the psychological concepts of peer pressure, conformity, and compliance. Use classic studies such as Asch’s conformity experiments.

Related Material: Solomon Asch’s research papers, TED Talks on peer pressure.

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Healthy Relationships and Boundaries

Summary: Discuss the importance of healthy relationships and setting personal boundaries. Provide strategies for effective relationship management.

Related Material: Henry Cloud and John Townsend’s Boundaries, TED Talks on relationships.

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Perspective Framing and Stress Reduction

Summary: Perspective framing involves viewing stressors from different angles to reduce their impact, helping individuals reframe challenges positively and manage stress more effectively.

Related Material: Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are, TED Talks on mindfulness.

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Importance of Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition

Summary: Highlight the critical role of sleep, exercise, and nutrition in overall well-being and academic performance.

Related Material: Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep, TED Talks on health and wellness.

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How to Learn: Spaced Learning, Recency Effect, etc.

Summary: Explain effective learning strategies, including spaced learning, the recency effect, and the importance of review.

Related Material: Benedict Carey’s How We Learn, TED Talks on learning techniques.

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Memory Types: Storage and Retrieval

Summary: Discuss different types of memory, such as short-term, long-term, and working memory, and how they function in storing and retrieving information.

Related Material: Daniel Schacter’s Searching for Memory, TED Talks on memory.

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Learned Helplessness, Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Summary: Explain the concepts of learned helplessness and self-fulfilling prophecies, and how they impact behavior and motivation.

Related Material: Martin Seligman’s Learned Helplessness, TED Talks on psychology and motivation.

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Power of Labels, Confirmation Bias, Belief Perseverance

Summary: Discuss how labels and biases affect perception and behavior, including confirmation bias and belief perseverance.

Related Material: Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson’s Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), TED Talks on cognitive biases.

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Fear of Success vs. Fear of Failure

Summary: Explain the concepts of fear of success and fear of failure, and how they can hinder personal growth and achievement.

Related Material: Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, TED Talks on overcoming fear.

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The Addiction Cycle, Reward Pathway, Diminishing Returns, Downregulation of Dopamine

Summary: Discuss the addiction cycle, how the reward pathway functions, and the concepts of diminishing returns and dopamine downregulation.

Related Material: Gabor Maté’s In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, TED Talks on addiction.

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Cannabis, Vaping, and the Adolescent Brain

Summary: Explain the impact of cannabis and vaping on the adolescent brain, including cognitive development and mental health.

Related Material: Kevin Sabet’s Reefer Sanity, TED Talks on adolescent brain development and substance use.

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The Impact of Caffeine on the Adolescent Brain

Summary: Discuss how caffeine affects the adolescent brain, including potential benefits and risks related to cognitive function and sleep patterns.

Related Material: Research studies on caffeine and brain function, TED Talks on health and wellness.

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How Social Scripts and Mirror Neurons are Influenced by Porn and Video Games

Summary: Explore how social scripts and mirror neurons impact behavior, referencing Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment and discussing the influence of porn and violent video games.

Related Material: Albert Bandura’s research on social learning, TED Talks on media influence on behavior.

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Overcoming Social Anxiety, Gradual Exposure Therapy

Summary: Discuss the factors that influence evidence based self-esteem and strategies to accomplish achievable goals , while avoiding counter productive positive self-talk.

Related Material: Nathaniel Branden’s The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, Jordan Peterson’s advice on self-confidence building. Ellen Hendriksen’s How to Be Yourself, TED Talks on social anxiety and exposure therapy.

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Habit Stacking and the 5 Second Rule (Atomic Habits)

Summary: Explain the concept of habit stacking from James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule for overcoming procrastination and building positive habits.

Related Material: James Clear’s Atomic Habits, Mel Robbins’ The 5 Second Rule, TED Talks on habits.

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Faith, Hope, and Love: The Hero’s Journey, The Human Condition

Summary: Discuss the Hero’s Journey archetype and its representation in classic literature, exploring how these stories reflect the human condition and can inspire personal growth.

Related Material: Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1 Corinthians 13, TED Talks on storytelling and the Hero’s Journey.

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Comparative Religions and Judeo-Christian Work Ethic

Summary: Explore the basic tenets of major world religions and the Judeo-Christian work ethic, discussing how these beliefs can influence values and behaviors. Contrast the Hindu caste system versus Max Weber’s observations on the protestant work ethic.

Related Material: Huston Smith’s The World’s Religions, Weber’s, …the Spirt of Capitalism.

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Comparative Economics: Capitalism vs. Socialism

Summary: Discuss the fundamental principles of capitalism and socialism, comparing their advantages and disadvantages in promoting economic and social well-being.

Related Material: Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom, Ben Shapiro and Victor Hanson Davis on economic systems.

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Math as the Language of Science

Summary: Explain the importance of mathematics in scientific inquiry and discovery, emphasizing how mathematical concepts underpin scientific principles.

Related Material: Roger Penrose’s The Road to Reality, John Lennox on mathematics in science.

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Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Literary Power

Summary: Discuss the art of rhetoric and persuasion, exploring how literary techniques and powerful language can influence thoughts and actions.

Related Material: Aristotle’s Rhetoric, TED Talks on rhetoric and persuasion.

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Emotional Misattribution and Fundamental Attribution Errors

Summary: Explain the concepts of emotional misattribution and fundamental attribution errors, and how they affect our understanding of others’ behaviors.

Related Material: Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness, TED Talks on cognitive biases.

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Common Cognitive Errors and Irrational Thinking

Summary: Discuss common cognitive errors and irrational thinking patterns, and provide strategies to recognize and correct them.

Related Material: Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, TED Talks on cognitive errors.

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The Limits of Scientism: Other Ways of Knowing What Can’t Be Quantified

Summary: Explore the limitations of scientism and discuss other ways of knowing, including philosophical and experiential knowledge that can’t be easily quantified.

Related Material: Thomas Nagel’s The View from Nowhere, TED Talks on philosophy and other ways of knowing.

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The Power of Forgiveness vs. Bitter Self-Defeating Grudges

Summary: Discuss the psychological and emotional benefits of forgiveness compared to the negative impact of holding grudges.

Related Material: Desmond Tutu’s The Book of Forgiving, TED Talks on forgiveness.

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