LIHU‘E — Summer workshops started Tuesday in the Mid-Pacific Kupu Hou Academy’s 11th Pedagogies in Authentic Design for Deeper Learning Environments.
The workshops are virtual.
Erin Medeiros, English and social-studies teacher at Kanuikapono Public Charter School in Anahola, previously taught at Kaua‘i High School, has been teaching for 15 years, and has spent a year in the PADDLE community.
“We covered a lot of ground, but the highlights and most-valuable resources were the deep dives into effective multidisciplinary projects, essential questions and rubrics,” Medeiros said.
“My experience in Kupu Hou really gave me the foundation and confidence to jump into project-based learning this last year at Kanuikapono with my high school co-teachers. We had an epic year, and our students grew immeasurably.”
Program Director Dr. Mark Hines said PADDLE will include four-day sessions including a special one from July 6 to 9 that will focus specifically on trauma-informed research and social-emotional learning with classroom design. The other sessions are June 28 to July 2 and July 19 to 23.
“Although we do a variety of workshops in the summer, we also connect our community together throughout the year and work with schools on more-personalized professional learning throughout the year.”
In 2011, Hines said they realized that there were no opportunities in the islands to help teachers understand how to design great projects and deeper learning work.
“We started our own workshop series in-house, and it has grown dramatically over the past 11 years,” Hines said. “Our inspiration was designing schools that were future-proof: preparing students for their future, not our collective experience from the past. Our distinguishing feature has always been: ‘designed by local teachers for local teachers.’”
Hines said he finds joy in the impact that he and his team have had with hundreds of teachers throughout the state over the last decade.
“We know that through them, thousands of students’ lives have changed dramatically for the better,” Hines said.
The workshops offer continuing-education credits. The cost is $450, which includes four, 8 a.m. to noon sessions, coaching, and monthly meet-ups throughout the school year.
To register, go to kupuhou.midpac.edu.
