Amana Academy
School: Amana Academy
Location: Alpharetta, GA- USA
Implementation summary: Full-blown curriculum integration with 5th graders; Supplemental STEM activity for 2nd and 8th graders
Q&A with Cherisse Campbell, Principal
Q: Congratulations on your recent & fantastic official STEM certification! I was blown away when I came down for Amana’s Celebration of Learning Day and the Kano panel discussion with your students. Can you describe Amana’s philosophy and how Celebration of Learning fits in?
A: Amana uses the Expeditionary Learning framework as the primary vehicle for our curricular approach. This approach encourages teachers to develop products and projects that integrate all of the content areas, connect with the community, and solve a real world challenge. The celebration of learning is an important culminating event where parents and community partners are invited in to learn about the students’ academic journey throughout the semester and hear the students’ solution to the real world problem.
Q: Can you describe the school and Kano implementation? (number of students, location etc)
A: Amana Academy is located in a suburb north of Atlanta. We are a public charter school that serves 750 students in grades K-8 from across our 70 mile long county. Our students are very diverse (socioeconomically, racially and culturally).
Q: Why has Kano been a good fit for Amana?
A: Our curricular approach calls for our students to solve real world problems using engineering design and technology. Kano provides a very accessible platform for students to be able to develop original solutions through the use of coding.
Q: How do your teachers design Kano projects? How do they align with state or Common Core standards?
A: All projects start with the standards and learning outcomes in mind. Next, teachers look for a compelling real world problem that will cause the student to have to intersect multiple times with the target standards while solving the problem.
Q: What advice would you have for schools looking to use Kano in the classroom?
A: Look beyond the allure of the concept of coding and dig into how the use of this tool can make a meaningful change in the lives of your students. One you have identified the vision for implementation in your school, align all future work to that vision and you will be delighted with the outcome. If you reach a roadblock, reach out to the Kano team, other schools or the technical community. Build in time for planning and working through the inevitable challenges that will arise from truly innovative work.
Q: What are your plans for AY 2016-17 with Kano?
A: In 2016-17 we plan to extend to more elementary grade levels and continue to integrate coding into our general curriculum. In the upper grades, we would like to do more work with sensors to harness more of the capabilities of Raspberry Pi.
Q: Can you describe learning in the future in one sentence?
A: In the future, learning will be fluid, relevant, and relevant so that all students can find a compelling reason to explore and engage the amazing world around us.