Best practices emerge when caring and creative educators combine their own know-how, solid research and fresh thinking to help students achieve more. In that spirit, the A+ Best Practices Center is launching a new blog series to feature innovative programs and practices emerging in the schools and districts involved in our Powerful Conversations, Key Leaders, and Superintendent Leaders networks.
Our first entry shares a summer brainstorm that took place in the Auburn City Schools, where Debbie Brooks, principal at Cary Woods Elementary School, teamed with teachers to offer a summer literacy camp that emphasized high student engagement through project learning. Here’s the interview:
How did the summer school idea come about?
Debbie Brooks: Last year we could see a common thread running through the professional discussions at our school. It was a concern for children who are lacking verbal/written language skills or don’t yet have that “spark” to love learning.
We had already embraced the project-based learning approach through our science and social studies themes, and we’ve worked as a school family to integrate learning so it makes sense to the students. But we felt our most challenged students needed even more. These are children who are still struggling after nine months in school – who often lack motivation and self-esteem. Placing them in a traditional school setting during the summer and expecting different results didn’t make sense.
After reading Linda Darling-Hammond’s book Powerful Learning, I became convinced that we could create a summer school experience that would tap into the power of projects to excite students about learning, while we also strengthened their literacy skills.
How did you design the experience?
We had four main objectives: (1) to build confidence and self-esteem; (2) to spark a love for learning through active engagement using PBL strategies; (3) to increase student ownership for learning, thus creating life-long learners; and (4) to strengthen social, verbal and written skills through interaction.
We changed the name from “summer school” to “Camp Cary.” Instead of just targeting strugglers, we also targeted students who needed a self-esteem boost or who needed to get that “spark” or love for learning ignited.
We were able to serve 48 children this past summer, using a combination of Title I funds and local dollars. The students were rising 2nd-6th graders, who came to a three-hour morning program for three weeks. We had four teachers (2 special ed, 2 regular ed) and we arranged for an outside agency to provide someone for social skills.
We added a parent component: parents were invited to a brown bag lunch before Camp Cary and we talked about what to expect. And then on the final day of camp, parents were invited back in to see the finished product. The students’ excitement about the experience rubbed off, and our parent participation increased greatly.
What was different about the experience for students?
From Day 1, students drove instruction. We had students complete a survey about their perceptions of school. They also completed a writing activity and a web to show what they might already know about the topic being studied. At the end of camp, students completed another web to show how much they’d learned – and they are completing a survey after the first month of the school year to see if their perceptions of themselves or of school have changed.
I hired two special education teachers who specifically targeted verbal and written language skills. Some students were in a daily 30-minute pull-out group and worked on these skills using the Wilson program. We also enlisted the assistance of a character building program called “Second Steps” and students who needed it were pulled for 30 minutes daily to work on social skills. We collected data for these areas.
Like a good recipe, all the ingredients mixed together formed a successful recipe for learning- each ingredient dependent upon the other for flavor and variety.
Tell us about the projects the students did.
The students were divided into 2 groups- 2nd/3rd graders in one and 4th-6th graders in the other. The younger students studied the country of Spain and their end-of-camp project was a tri-fold board with examples of research and artifacts collected on topics about Spain. The older group had more choice. They picked a continent, and zeroed in on a country in that continent. They also constructed a tri-fold board with examples, artifacts and real food samples from their country. On the final day of Camp Cary, visitors were invited in to hear and see all of the wonderful things the students learned! They were all so proud of their finished products.
How did the students react to the change in instruction?
The students LOVED it! I visited rooms daily and the response from children made me smile. They were engaged, confident and vested in the project. There was reading, writing, conversation and problem solving. Technology certainly became a component as students visited the lab to do research.
How did the teachers react to changing their instruction?
The teachers embraced the philosophy, which was key. Finding the right teachers who “got it” was so important. In April, they began collaborating – meeting and discussing what they wanted the summer experience to look like. Just like giving students ownership is important, it was equally important to trust the teachers’ decisions.
Were there any surprises along the way?
We found we needed more time with them daily, and a fourth week if possible. We’ll be looking at that for next summer. We also discovered that some of our students who might have appeared disengaged during the year really needed to be more empowered and put in charge of their learning to reveal their true talents and strengths.
How has your summer school experience influenced teaching and learning this year at Cary Woods?
We’ve discussed, both as a summer school committee and as a faculty that we know PBL is reflective of good, solid teaching and learning by actively engaging learners. Camp Cary confirmed the importance of giving students a sense of ownership in the learning process.
We also know that portfolio assessments like those that grow out of the PBL process provide a better picture of a child’s mastery and their ability to apply what they’re learning. This year, teachers at CWES will use a variety of strategies that give parents examples of their child’s progress not only through traditional pencil-paper assessments but through work samples and other methods.
What advice would you give to another school that wanted to try this?
Find teachers who embrace the project learning philosophy and support their efforts during the year to integrate these kinds of teaching strategies in their curriculum. Start having conversations early about how such a “summer camp” might look and allow those teachers to meet and plan during the year. Read the book Powerful Learning edited by Linda Darling Hammond! Visit a school that embraces this philosophy so you might get an idea of how this looks, how it works, and how to manage the whole experience.
Final thoughts?
We have one fourth grade student who was not motivated at all, made D’s on his report cards and did not like coming to school. Since Camp Cary, his grades are up, and he smiles and hugs everybody when he walks through the door. His mother told us that Camp Cary was a blessing to her son.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to share our experiences. We are truly convinced that what we did was an excellent use of time and resources, and most of all, that it will have a lasting effect on the children we served!
Deborah Brooks is Principal of Cary Woods Elementary School in Auburn City. She can be contacted through the school website.
