Dinah Zike Academy News

Academy dubbed "Foldables Camp"
by San Diego Educators

  

In late June, 17 intrepid teacher-coaches K-12 plus ESL from the San Diego schools and university educators led by Dr. Doug Fisher from San Diego State University made camp, "Foldables Camp," that is, at the new Dinah Zike Academy. The exuberant group wore identical T-shirts custom made for the occasion. The backs of the shirts read, Foldables Camp 2006, and the fronts read, Life is simple. Eat. Sleep. Fold. As enthusiastic members of this team put it, "for two and a half jam-packed days, we ate, slept and folded." Fisher noted that it was "An amazing experience for engaging all learners in authentic content." Foldables^TM are not simply "hands-on; they're minds-on!" Another said, "I put more into this professional development than any other I've been to . . . and got far more out of it than I ever anticipated." In addition to the training experience, the teacher-participants were intrigued by the history and beauty of the area, the community of Comfort, and the culture, including a myriad of artifacts from around the world at the Academy.

COAL Team Members Attend Academy

Five COAL (Coalition for Appalachian Leaders) teacher leaders from Ohio and West Virginia immersed themselves in the Foldables experience for three days in late July. All had worked with three-dimensional graphic organizers previously, but went home well armed with concrete plans to use and share with colleagues and students brand new folds and techniques learned, as well as effective instructional strategies and efficiencies for classroom organization. The group was very interested in the supportive research they gained for using interactive graphic organizers and appreciated presentation tips shared at the Academy.