While many students were on summer break, thousands of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools scholars were sharpening their skills and preparing for the year ahead in Camp CMS. Far from traditional summer school, this academic enrichment program provided an accelerated learning environment where students are introduced to the content they will encounter in the upcoming school year. A cornerstone of the program's success is a dynamic and collaborative team teaching model, which pairs educators to share their expertise and create a richer classroom experience for everyone.

 

The Power of Collaborative Instruction

The team teaching model brings educators with varied experience levels into a single classroom, fostering an environment of shared responsibility and diverse instructional strategies. "The team teaching model is where all the teachers that are in the classroom get an opportunity to teach different parts of the lesson," explained Elizabeth Lilley, an eighth-grade ELA teacher at Quail Hollow Middle School. "We take turns... and it gives us an opportunity to learn from each other.”

This approach allows for more personalized student support. "While I'm up presenting the module lesson, the other team teacher can go around and make sure that all students are getting what they need," said Latoya Wells, a fifth-grade reading teacher from Reedy Creek Elementary School. "It's different than having a teacher assistant because this teacher knows what the kids should be doing, what standards they should know. It's been an amazing time."

 

A Two-Way Street of Professional Growth

The benefits of team teaching extend deeply to the educators themselves, creating a powerful professional development experience for both new and veteran teachers. For educators in their early years, the model provides an invaluable opportunity for mentorship and growth.

"It has been fantastic. Having someone else in my classroom who's a veteran, and watching how they do what it is they do so well... It's helped me learn. It's helped me become more confident as an educator.”

- Antonina Pondo, third-grade teacher at Montclaire Elementary School

This sentiment was echoed by Destiny Jackson, a seventh-grade teacher at Thomasboro Academy. "It's been one of the best things that I've been able to experience in education," she shared. "Just being able to grow for myself in my confidence and my own approach to lesson planning has been a huge growth for me.”

However, the learning is far from a one-way street. Veteran teachers find that collaborating with newer educators brings a fresh perspective and renewed energy to their practice. "They bring a lot of positivity," said Lilley. "They've brought a lot of new ideas in terms of engagement."

 

Shared Strategies, Stronger Classrooms

This collaborative environment has become a breeding ground for innovative and effective teaching strategies. Teachers share resources, brainstorm ideas, and borrow proven techniques from one another to better engage students.

Alexandra Romanoff, a fifth-grade math and science teacher, described learning a new strategy from a teammate to help students struggling with improper fractions. "She showed me a strategy of drawing dots and putting them into groups to make it easier for our students. So I will take that away," Romanoff said.

Both Jackson and Lilley highlighted a dynamic vocabulary activity similar to charades that got students excited and deeply involved in the lesson. "We all said, that's something we're going to be adding into our teaching next year," Jackson noted.

Ultimately, this synergy between educators directly translates into a more effective and engaging learning environment for students. By pooling their collective knowledge and passion, teachers at Camp CMS are not only preventing the "summer slide" but are also building a stronger, more collaborative teaching community. As Latoya Wells perfectly summarized, "We're able to share our expertise and our resources... And who benefits? The children."