The SD42 Summer Learning Gets R.E.A.L. (Resilient, Engaged, Active, Learning) Program Receives Ken Spencer Award

The SD42 summer school program, Summer Learning Gets R.E.A.L. (Resilient, Engaged, Active, Learning), has received an honourable mention and an associated $1,000 prize from the Ken Spencer Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

As a part of the program, a team of eight teachers was challenged to reinvent the school district’s Summer School program to better connect with high-risk learners. The teachers focused on building resiliency over the course of twenty summer days. 149 Grade 8 and 9 students participated in an interdisciplinary inquiry project in a textbook-free environment.

This was summer school like no other that built relationships with community members, sparked individualized learning, citizenship education, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility and choice, and learning empowered by technology. These values and concepts are at the core of building the resilience of students, who can then apply these acquired skills upon their return to school in the fall.

“It’s encouraging to see education leaders who have made the courageous decision to address student engagement throughout their schools to tackle all of their students’ diverse learning needs,” says Canadian Education Association (CEA) President & CEO Ron Canuel.

Ken Spencer Award recognition ceremonies are being planned in the communities of each of the seven winners. This is the fourth year of this award, and CEA would like to thank all of the school and school district staff for their time and effort in the preparation of nomination packages.

For a booklet on all 15 Ken Spencer Award finalists, click the following link: http://cea-ace.s3.amazonaws.com/media/CEA-2013-Ken-Spencer-Award-Finalists-Booklet.pdf