“The young people that have these [summer] experiences might consider them to be fun, but we all know they are filled with academia, without question.” Brodrick Clarke, National Summer Learning Association.
Have you ever had an opportunity to explain the importance of what you do in a few minutes and fumbled? I have.
It’s much harder to hit the top notes in five minutes when you’re used to having 50. That’s why I had to give Brodrick Clarke an extended shout-out on LinkedIn after listening to his seven-minute live interview with the Baltimore Fox News affiliate.
Why was my reaction to Clarke’s interview so viscerally positive?
Because he focused on the connection between learning and development.
To give you a taste of this rich exchange, I’ve paraphrased both questions and answers. I’ve also included a number of direct quotes so you can get a sense of Clarke’s incredible flair in answering these questions. Please watch the full video – both words and images are magical.
Courtesy NSLA
Brodrick Clarke, vice president of Programs and Systems Quality, National Summer Learning Association.
Q: What is the summer learning slide?
A: During the school year, young people have access to lots of resources academically, in school settings and often in enriching activities. But in the summer, those resources get shut off, often due to access issues like financing or transportation. “The young people that have these experiences might consider them to be fun, but we all know they are filled with academia, without question, and they end up being a lot further along.”
Emphasizing the concept of academic enrichment, Clarke links summer learning to both fun and growth, and attributes the learning slide to lack of access to experiences that could be sponsored by a range of organizations.
Q: Does modern technology play a part in kids losing ground over the summer?
A: Technology use is a slippery slope. What I like to encourage practitioners to do is use technology as a tool in spaces where young people can go wider and deeper to explore things, especially when they can’t go there physically. “Technology is an enhancement, not a replacement for a savvy adult who has the knowledge and skills and competency to really tap into young people’s knowledge, their skills, their beliefs — really engage them in their own growth and development.”
Clarke does a masterful job of positioning technology as a tool skilled practitioners can use to enhance learning and even address equity issues. In a single sentence, he describes the essence of the characteristics and practices of a skilled practitioner, using neutral language (“savvy adult”) that could be used to describe the range of roles in the youth development workforce.
Q: What activities are part of summer learning and what is their impact?
A: “Summer learning is an amazing space because it’s where young people get to form their identity. [Gesturing to his wall of guitars] I purposefully kept my instruments behind me because my superpower is that of music.” Fortunately, I had an educator who encouraged my talent. “I encourage parents, families, educators — if you have a talent, a skill or a superpower, bring that out. Bring that into spaces where young people are.”
Summer learning is an amazing space because it’s where young people get to form their identity.
Rather than offer a list of activities (since the visuals do this), Clarke takes us to the end goal — exploration and identity formation. And having already described staff competencies, he loops back to emphasize the role that all adults can play if they bring their full selves into their interactions with youth.
Q: What can parents do throughout the summer to keep their children learning?
A: “The secret sauce isn’t what you get your child access to but the things you can do alongside and with your child … You can’t be what you can’t see.” Don’t tell your child to go out to play. Go out with them. Find simple ways to engage outdoors. I have a grandson. We used toilet paper rolls to make bird houses. Now we have conversations about birds, we’re making charts, he’s developing a passion. You’re only limited by your own creativity to help young people take advantage of what is in front of them. Also, there are so many free resources available. There are recreation departments and libraries in most communities. These are much more sophisticated than what you remember.
Go out with them. Find simple ways to engage outdoors.
These systems often work in silos. “If we can get libraries and recreation centers talking to our day school personnel and our summer learning personnel, getting staff to understand that yes, young people need to have fun without question, but fun is an academic learning experience. I can use anything to teach anything.”
“Youth development practitioners are the most nimble people on the planet … We can pivot on a dime and make a dollar out of 15 cents.” We can pull things together that spark interest, creativity, exploration and inquiry. But young people should be involved in their own growth and development. Instead of creating things for them to do, “engage young people in the cocreation of their experiences and spaces. Once they’re involved in the creation, you’ll never be able to keep them away from those facilities.”
Youth development practitioners are the most nimble people on the planet …
Clarke responds to a simple question by elevating the range of roles played by young people, parents and people across a wide range of institutions in the learning ecosystem. Many of us would have encouraged parents to look for information on summer programs. Clarke, instead, continues the “superpower” theme, encouraging parents to engage with their children, especially outdoors.
Then he reminds them of free community supports where they can go with their children, reminds us (as professionals) that we need to be more cognizant of the other supports so we can be better ecosystem stewards and then ends with the reminder that young people need to be the captains, or at least co-captains of their learning journeys. And with every example — from the toilet paper rolls to public libraries and rec centers to low-budget youth programs in church basements — Clarke speaks to the parent who might not be able to afford a sleepover summer camp.
A: We work with practitioners in 15,000 organizations in national network. We talk about quality at scale. In addition to working on quality and access issues, we equip staff with the knowledge, skills, pedagogy and academic research that’s behind the intentional work we do in these spaces. We’re also a convener, an amplifier of great practice and a clearinghouse of vetted programs.
In every answer, Clarke conveys the breadth and depth of the talented people in families, schools, public agencies and community organizations who are co-creating learning possibilities in places and across spaces. His descriptions are specific, but his language is general (savvy adults, educators, youth development professionals). His insistence that academic learning happens best when mixed with fun and fueled by interests and nurtured by professionals with deep knowledge of the principles of positive youth development is refreshing. It is at the heart of what the out-of-school time field needs to embrace to ensure practitioners are fully prepared to partner with school-based educators who are moving in the same direction.
Q&A: From summer slide to summer glide — Blending learning, engagement and fun
Lewis Prize For Music/Stax Music Academy
“The young people that have these [summer] experiences might consider them to be fun, but we all know they are filled with academia, without question.” Brodrick Clarke, National Summer Learning Association.
Have you ever had an opportunity to explain the importance of what you do in a few minutes and fumbled? I have.
It’s much harder to hit the top notes in five minutes when you’re used to having 50. That’s why I had to give Brodrick Clarke an extended shout-out on LinkedIn after listening to his seven-minute live interview with the Baltimore Fox News affiliate.
Because he focused on the connection between learning and development.
To give you a taste of this rich exchange, I’ve paraphrased both questions and answers. I’ve also included a number of direct quotes so you can get a sense of Clarke’s incredible flair in answering these questions. Please watch the full video – both words and images are magical.
Courtesy NSLA
Brodrick Clarke, vice president of Programs and Systems Quality, National Summer Learning Association.
Q: What is the summer learning slide?
A: During the school year, young people have access to lots of resources academically, in school settings and often in enriching activities. But in the summer, those resources get shut off, often due to access issues like financing or transportation. “The young people that have these experiences might consider them to be fun, but we all know they are filled with academia, without question, and they end up being a lot further along.”
Emphasizing the concept of academic enrichment, Clarke links summer learning to both fun and growth, and attributes the learning slide to lack of access to experiences that could be sponsored by a range of organizations.
Q: Does modern technology play a part in kids losing ground over the summer?
A: Technology use is a slippery slope. What I like to encourage practitioners to do is use technology as a tool in spaces where young people can go wider and deeper to explore things, especially when they can’t go there physically. “Technology is an enhancement, not a replacement for a savvy adult who has the knowledge and skills and competency to really tap into young people’s knowledge, their skills, their beliefs — really engage them in their own growth and development.”
Clarke does a masterful job of positioning technology as a tool skilled practitioners can use to enhance learning and even address equity issues. In a single sentence, he describes the essence of the characteristics and practices of a skilled practitioner, using neutral language (“savvy adult”) that could be used to describe the range of roles in the youth development workforce.
Q: What activities are part of summer learning and what is their impact?
A: “Summer learning is an amazing space because it’s where young people get to form their identity. [Gesturing to his wall of guitars] I purposefully kept my instruments behind me because my superpower is that of music.” Fortunately, I had an educator who encouraged my talent. “I encourage parents, families, educators — if you have a talent, a skill or a superpower, bring that out. Bring that into spaces where young people are.”
Rather than offer a list of activities (since the visuals do this), Clarke takes us to the end goal — exploration and identity formation. And having already described staff competencies, he loops back to emphasize the role that all adults can play if they bring their full selves into their interactions with youth.
Q: What can parents do throughout the summer to keep their children learning?
A: “The secret sauce isn’t what you get your child access to but the things you can do alongside and with your child … You can’t be what you can’t see.” Don’t tell your child to go out to play. Go out with them. Find simple ways to engage outdoors. I have a grandson. We used toilet paper rolls to make bird houses. Now we have conversations about birds, we’re making charts, he’s developing a passion. You’re only limited by your own creativity to help young people take advantage of what is in front of them. Also, there are so many free resources available. There are recreation departments and libraries in most communities. These are much more sophisticated than what you remember.
These systems often work in silos. “If we can get libraries and recreation centers talking to our day school personnel and our summer learning personnel, getting staff to understand that yes, young people need to have fun without question, but fun is an academic learning experience. I can use anything to teach anything.”
“Youth development practitioners are the most nimble people on the planet … We can pivot on a dime and make a dollar out of 15 cents.” We can pull things together that spark interest, creativity, exploration and inquiry. But young people should be involved in their own growth and development. Instead of creating things for them to do, “engage young people in the cocreation of their experiences and spaces. Once they’re involved in the creation, you’ll never be able to keep them away from those facilities.”
Clarke responds to a simple question by elevating the range of roles played by young people, parents and people across a wide range of institutions in the learning ecosystem. Many of us would have encouraged parents to look for information on summer programs. Clarke, instead, continues the “superpower” theme, encouraging parents to engage with their children, especially outdoors.
Then he reminds them of free community supports where they can go with their children, reminds us (as professionals) that we need to be more cognizant of the other supports so we can be better ecosystem stewards and then ends with the reminder that young people need to be the captains, or at least co-captains of their learning journeys. And with every example — from the toilet paper rolls to public libraries and rec centers to low-budget youth programs in church basements — Clarke speaks to the parent who might not be able to afford a sleepover summer camp.
Q: What resources does National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) offer?
A: We work with practitioners in 15,000 organizations in national network. We talk about quality at scale. In addition to working on quality and access issues, we equip staff with the knowledge, skills, pedagogy and academic research that’s behind the intentional work we do in these spaces. We’re also a convener, an amplifier of great practice and a clearinghouse of vetted programs.
[Related: In learning ECOsystems OST must be a champion of positive youth development]
In every answer, Clarke conveys the breadth and depth of the talented people in families, schools, public agencies and community organizations who are co-creating learning possibilities in places and across spaces. His descriptions are specific, but his language is general (savvy adults, educators, youth development professionals). His insistence that academic learning happens best when mixed with fun and fueled by interests and nurtured by professionals with deep knowledge of the principles of positive youth development is refreshing. It is at the heart of what the out-of-school time field needs to embrace to ensure practitioners are fully prepared to partner with school-based educators who are moving in the same direction.
[Related Grant Opportunity: Explore all our grant listings]
***
In her columns, Karen Pittman is exploring the research behind the statement, “When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive.”
The post Q&A: From summer slide to summer glide — Blending learning, engagement and fun appeared first on Youth Today.
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