School may be out for the next couple of months, but Summer Training has just begun for the 2,700+ educators joining the Summit Learning community!
If you’re joining the Summit Learning Program this year as a new school or teacher, you share at least one thing in common with the educators convening this summer from 40 U.S. states: a motivation to redesign teaching in a way that truly personalizes learning for all students, empowers teachers to meet individual student’s needs, and builds stronger relationships between students, families, and educators.
Summit Learning’s Curriculum and Professional Development teams have worked this year to integrate past participant feedback and lessons learned into Summit Learning’s third summer training experience for partner schools. This year’s training sessions include some exciting developments, including:
- New and veteran mentors who have been trained by the Summit Learning Fellows, a group of experienced Summit Learning educators who are leaders in their fields;
- An expanded Summit Learning Platform with new tools and resources for teachers and students; and
- An updated, digital toolkit of teacher resources, including an individually created plan for helping all students leverage project-based learning experiences.
To help provide context for this year’s summer trainings, here’s a sneak preview of what to expect and look forward to in the weeks ahead.
What is the Purpose of Summer Training?
Summer Training brings together full grade-level teams and school leaders to train with Summit’s experienced mentors, in preparation for implementation of Summit Learning in their individual school communities.
When is Summer Training Happening?
Each school and grade-level team will participate in a week-long training session with other Summit Learning schools in their local region:
- Northern California in Richmond, California
- Southern California in Los Angeles, California
- The Midwest in Chicago, Illinois
- New England in Providence, Rhode Island
- The Mid-South in Burlington, Kentucky
- Texas in Pasadena, Texas
- Oklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- The Mid-Atlantic in Arlington, Virginia
- The West/Rockies in Denver, Colorado
- New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania in Newark, New Jersey
- The Gulf in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas
- The Pacific Northwest in Spokane, Washington
The first trainings kick-off on Tuesday, July 11 and the last session ends on Friday, July 28. Full-team trainings follow on the heels of the school leaders training session, which took place at the end of June in northern California.
What to Expect in Summer Training
The Summit Learning team has assembled a comprehensive schedule that includes whole-group informational and break-out learning sessions with grade-level teams and regional mentors. While there is plenty of new information to absorb, don’t expect passive learning!
Plan for collaboration with fellow educators and your mentor as school teams work through the logistics of how best to prepare students for success throughout the Summit Learning implementation journey. Summer training highlights include:
- An introduction to the Summit Learning instructional vision, including core values and the importance of mindset. Schools leaders have already received a full day’s worth of vision immersion — it’s that important!
- Facilitated “team time,” during which full teams work alongside their Summit Mentor to consider school logistics (such as bell schedules), establish team norms, ensure curriculum aligns with local standards, and plan how to introduce students and families to Summit Learning
- Immersion into teaching and facilitating the Summit Learning curriculum, from how to lead skills-based, real-world projects, to facilitate students’ learning experience via the Summit Learning Platform
- Modeled practice with 1:1 mentoring — one of three transformational pillars of the Summit Learning approach
- Time to reflect on individual and team experiences and expectations, as well as an opportunity to mingle with your team and other Summit Learning educators during Monday evening’s community dinner
Who to Look for During Summer Training
- Your school’s regional and dedicated Summit Learning mentor
- Summit Learning educators from participating schools in your region
- Other Summit Learning team members, who will be doing everything from shadowing trainings to answering questions at a dedicated “help desk” for teachers
On behalf of the entire Summit Learning team, we can’t wait to meet you and be a part of your journey in preparing every student to lead a fulfilled life!
Header image courtesy of Summit Learning mentor Alex Pelletier