If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.
“Within you lies the pattern of the cosmos; discovering it is awakening to your true nature.”
“The mind becomes wise not by one discipline, but by discovering how all disciplines illuminate one another.”
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t find the answers you seek please contact us.
General TODI
TODI (The Orange Door Institute) is a learning system designed to help people explore the world through curiosity and mental models. Instead of following a fixed curriculum, learners investigate meaningful ideas through cycles of exploration, creation, and reflection. TODI was made for homeschool, unschool, and worldschool families, but it can be used by anyone who wants to learn how to learn.
Traditional, standards-based education often organizes knowledge into separate subjects with little to no learner sovereinty. TODI focuses on exploring systems and relationships, helping learners see how ideas connect across many domains of knowledge.
No. TODI is a learning spiral, not a fixed curriculum. It provides a learning spiral and mental models that help guide exploration. Parents/Learners choose their own learning paths.
Mental models are structured ways of exploring and understanding ideas. They provide frameworks that help learners recognize patterns, organize information, investigate complex systems, and make better decisions.
Getting Started
Most parents/learners start by exploring the Learning Spiral and selecting a mental model such as the Nova: Systems Thinking mental model. From there, you can choose a system or idea that interests you and begin your first exploration.
A Learning Spiral can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending on the depth of exploration, the amount of curiosity explorations added, related discussion, and captsone projects selected.
Nova is the systems thinking mental model used within TODI. It helps learners explore real-world systems and understand how their components interact to produce patterns and behavior.
Any topic. This is what soverign learning feels like. Learners often explore natural systems, biological systems, technological systems, social systems, or ideas that reveal interesting relationships and patterns.
Using TODI
TODI is designed for curious learners of all ages. Many families use it for homeschooling or enrichment, but the framework can be used by anyone interested in autonomy in learning and mental models.
The framework can be adapted for many ages. Younger learners may focus on simple observations and basic relationships in play patterns, while older learners can explore more complex systems and analysis.
No. TODI is designed to support co-exploration. Parents and learners often investigate systems together, asking questions and discovering patterns along the way. It can also be used for independent learning as well.
The tiers are designed to build on one another, so most learners explore them sequentially. However, the framework is flexible and learners may revisit systems or tiers as their understanding develops.
No. We often just use the Keystone System Evaluator and/or Keystone System Path Creator and use them as outlines for socratic type discussions and capstone projects.
Our mental model tools are currently Custom GPTs so you will need a ChatGPT account to use them.
Most of the core tools and guides are freely available. Additional community resources may be introduced as the project grows.
No prior knowledge is required. Explorations begin with observation and curiosity, allowing understanding to develop naturally as learners investigate a system.
TODI is flexible. Some families explore systems for short sessions a few times a week, while others build longer projects around a topic. The framework is designed to adapt to the learner’s pace.
Assessments are optional tools that help learners reflect on their understanding before progressing to deeper tiers. They are meant to enforce learning, not measure performance.
Yes. The framework can be adapted for classrooms, homeschool environments, or independent learners. Please contact us if you’re interested in using TODI in your microschool.
You can join the TODI community group to discuss explorations, share ideas, and connect with other curious learners.
Using AI is a family choice. Some people have strong beliefs around never using AI and we respect those beliefs. We encourage people to follow their beliefs and intuition. You can read our reasons for using AI in this post: The John Conner Approach to AI.
We have built additional safeguard into all of our AI, but we do not manage the AI models that we use and cannot guarantee 100% safety. We always recommend that young learners are monitored and guided through explorations for safety and overall learning reasons. Only humans can teach us to be human.