Educational Goals
TDA prepares students for the capabilities they will need in their academic life, personal growth, and future careers. The four areas below shape what we expect — and support — for every student.
Academic Foundations
The literacy, numeracy, communication, and thinking skills that anchor every TDA student’s academic life.
Reading & Writing Skills
The ability to read and comprehend texts containing complex sentences and paragraphs, and to prepare written materials for different purposes.
Essay & Computer Use
Learn to use labels, lists, signs, charts, and other tools. Build proficiency in using the computer as a tool for study and work.
Expression Skills
Speak and present easily in different situations, adapting tone and content to the audience and setting.
Numeracy & Financial Literacy
Apply arithmetic to monetary transactions — transfers, payments, budgeting, and basic accounting. Make the best use of money and time, and measure quantities, areas, volumes, and distances. Analyze and collect data using mathematical tables.
Ability to Think
Organize and plan one’s work in a structured manner. Apply relevant information to analyze, judge, and make independent decisions. Gather information from a range of sources — articles, the Internet, or consulting with people.
Work Habits
Daily habits that shape how students approach safety, collaboration, and shared responsibility.
Safety Awareness
Develop the concept of working safely. Consciously avoid injury to self and others at work. Report unsafe situations immediately, attend health and safety training, and use protective equipment correctly.
Teamwork
Develop a willingness to work with others. Show respect for the views and ideas of teammates, take responsibility for your own work in a team, and share information, resources, and experiences within the team.
Personal Effectiveness
How students manage themselves — owning their time, decisions, and growth.
Responsibility
Pay attention to details, use time effectively, and complete work on time.
Organizational Skills
Prioritize rationally when faced with multiple tasks. Break work down and complete it in order of priority. Revise plans in response to changing circumstances.
Working Independently
Independently select, evaluate, and use appropriate materials, tools, resources, and actions. Apply prior knowledge and experience to solve problems and make decisions.
Initiative
Actively begin and complete new tasks. Approach learning and work with confidence and a positive attitude. Know how to take initiative and ask for help when encountering difficulties.
Self-Advocacy
Ask questions and seek clarification in the right places. Identify and use appropriate resources and support. Take initiative where appropriate, in line with personal rights and responsibilities.
Professional Readiness
Forward-looking skills that prepare students for university, internships, and the workplace beyond.
Customer Service Awareness
Determine and meet customer needs through effective listening. Communicate clearly and interactively with collaborators or customers. Meet or exceed expected results through effort, and create a positive impression of the company or organization.
Entrepreneurial Readiness
Identify opportunities and act on them. Possess strong perseverance, a sense of innovation and creativity, and versatility and resourcefulness.