Middle school and high school students, also known as Gen Zs, are significantly different from millennials and face very unique challenges in school as well as later when they enter the workforce.

Studies indicate that, overall, Gen Zers are less optimistic than the preceding generation, due in large part to the influence the Great Recession has had on most families with children in the 11–18-year-old range. They also have a great deal of uncertainty about their future career because they’re not even sure what the job market will be like and how current professions will be impacted by automation and artificial intelligence.

The president of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Bob Brower, goes so far as to say, “Today’s students can expect jobs that don’t yet exist, in companies or organizations that haven’t been created.” Brower believes the answer is not simply about teaching students “what to learn”—it is about teaching them “how to learn throughout their lifetimes.”

SuperCamp has long believed that “how to learn” skills are critical to a student’s academic and professional success. SuperCamp’s foundation is Quantum Learning, a proven teaching method that has impacted the lives of millions of students globally. The learning skills students acquire at SuperCamp include effective study, writing, reading and note-taking strategies, memory and retention skills that use all three learning channels (visual, auditory and kinesthetic), and critical thinking. These are skills that students are able to apply in all subject areas at school.

SuperCamp also addresses other notable characteristics of Gen Z students—their lack of self-confidence, their concern about physical safety and emotional well-being, and their tendency to be easily offended and hyper-sensitive. Students who attend SuperCamp participate in activities throughout the 6- to 10‑day programs that build trust and help them move out of their comfort zones. They also experience “mini-success moments,” in which they get positive reinforcement by successfully applying new learning and life skills they’ve been taught.

Students at SuperCamp learn several communication and active listening skills that enable them to interact effectively with others, even with the most sensitive individuals. Students also go through goal-setting exercises and learn about their personal leadership style at SuperCamp, which further helps them prepare more confidently for an uncertain future.

Complementing these communication skills are the character principles students learn at SuperCamp—the 8 Keys of Excellence. The 8 Keys, which are a cornerstone of SuperCamp, align perfectly with the Gen Z personality and needs. From Failure Leads to Success to Speak with Good Purpose and Flexibility, Gen Zers who attend SuperCamp and embrace the 8 Keys soon realize that, regardless of what the future holds, they can achieve great success while maintaining personal excellence.

Another characteristic of Gen Z is their short attention span—as short as eight seconds! It’s not all that surprising really. This generation has grown up consumed by mobile devices of one kind or another—up to six hours a day for many young people. A study by Pew Research Center found that two-thirds of parents are concerned about the amount of time their teen children spend in front of screens—and many students are concerned themselves! The impact of this behavior from an academic standpoint is that Gen Z students get bored easily at school. Traditional teaching methods that often rely on just one learning modality only add to this condition. At SuperCamp, we tap into all three learning modalities and use music, movement, and color to elevate the attention of our campers—and we teach students the benefits of utilizing all three modalities in their learning.

In addition, students turn in their mobile devices when they arrive at SuperCamp, and only get access for a short time mid-camp to check in with family. By removing smart phones from the students, a major distraction is eliminated, facilitating greater focus during all learning activities. It also promotes more interaction and team building among the students, as they can’t “hide behind” their devices during unstructured time.

The bottom line is that every new generation faces challenges and many uncertainties. Gen Z is no exception. Parents of Gen Zers, like all parents before them, want the best for their children and want to do whatever they can to help their kids prepare for adult life. SuperCamp is here to help and as this blog post demonstrates our teaching methods and skills training are ideally suited to help Gen Z students.

The post What Gen Z Needs is What SuperCamp Offers! appeared first on SuperCamp.

Fun Activities

We don’t think students need much help identifying fun things to do in the summer, but you never know.

1. Pursue a new interest. It could be a sport, music, art, cooking, or anything else that there never seems to be enough time for during the school year.
2. Enjoy an old interest. Again, now you have time for the things your busy school schedule has forced you to put aside—reading, hiking, biking, other exercise.
3. Hang with friends. A pastime as old as time, but it never gets old. The only hitch in this plan is if all your friends are busy doing other things. So don’t count on spending your entire summer break this way.
4. Travel with the family. Yes, that can be fun!

Growth Activities

This category is wide-ranging and varies somewhat based on the age/grade of the student.

5. Develop new skills at SuperCamp. We have 6-day and 10-day camps, so they don’t take much of a chunk out of summer. (Oh, by the way, SuperCamp also falls into the “Fun Activities” category. Just ask our grads.)
6. In this blog, we’ve addressed the importance of adding volunteer activity to your resume in preparation for college admissions. Summer is a great time to undertake or ramp up your service work.
7. Get a job. This is a growth opportunity—it grows your bank account and your character. The trifecta is if the job relates in some way to an area of interest or future study for you.
8. You may not get paid, but a quality internship will pay dividends when applying for college and, similar to a paying job, it should give you great insight into an area that you may want to pursue further academically and as a career.
9. Travel with purpose. Purposeful travel can involve visiting potential colleges, doing volunteer work elsewhere, or working at a summer camp, for example.
10. Get a jump on your college prep. Use your summer break to spend some quality quiet time to think about a college essay topic and, if you come up with an intriguing idea, write a first draft (after thoroughly researching strategies for writing a killer college essay).

Relaxation Activities

The specific activities, or non-activities, should be the easiest list to come up with. The bigger question is how much down time do you want during the summer. Our advice is to not cram too much into your summer. You do want to feel refreshed when it’s time to head back to school. So make time for some or all of the following.

11. Beaching it. There is nothing, NOTHING, more relaxing than spending a day at the beach. Correction, a week at the beach is more relaxing. Hopefully you’re within range of a good beach and great weather.
12. Get to a movie or three. Some summers are better than others for blockbusters, but catching a few movies over the summer is a great way to chill, especially in the A/C.
13. Go to a concert. So many performers tour throughout the summer, it shouldn’t be hard to find an act you like.
14. Can you find a fair? The timing of a county or state fair can vary. Some take place during the summer, while others are held in the fall. If you have a summer fair that’s not far, check it out.
15. Thinking when you have downtime can actually be relaxing. Just having the time to think is a luxury for most students. So when you have free time in the summer, take advantage of it. It doesn’t matter what you choose to think about. Let your mind wander. Who knows, maybe your future will come into focus—perhaps while you’re at the beach!

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One of the most important things to understand when considering how to define college prep is that college prep means different things at different times along a student’s pre-college timeline. Further, a big misconception for many students and parents is that college prep doesn’t begin in earnest until the junior year of high school. Wrong! We believe college prep begins in early middle school, as you’ll see below.

Middle School College Prep

College prep for middle school students starts with developing good learning, study, and test-taking habits. These habits will translate into better grades in middle school and will set the student up for success in high school as their workload increases.

Another facet of college prep that should begin in middle school is the development of communication skills. These skills take time to develop, so it’s never too early to start. This includes working on strong written communication skills (long before it’s time to write the famous college admissions essay), speaking skills and listening skills.

As we’ve addressed in a recent college prep blog post, middle school is not too early for a student to begin volunteer work or community service. The preference of college admissions officers is to see students who show a passion for a given area, which is often exhibited in their volunteer involvement during high school. Understandably, it’s difficult for a young person to know where their passion lies. So it’s a good idea to begin to explore various areas of interest as early as middle school; then they can hone in on one area by high school.

High School College Prep

Let’s start with the most basic form of college prep in high school—grades. Yet, it’s often not as high a priority in the early years as it should be. A high school freshman who gets poor or average grades faces an uphill battle for the remainder of their time in high school. Their cumulative GPA will always be hurt by low grades in the freshman year and it will hurt them when they apply to colleges. This is a big reason why gaining valuable learning skills and the right academic habits during middle school is so important.

Similarly, development of communication skills during the middle school years will come into play for college prep early in high school in at least two ways. It’s advantageous for a student to be able to demonstrate in their college application their ability to work effectively in team situations and to lead groups. Colleges, as well as future employers, are very focused on what experts call “the Four C’s,” four skills considered essential for success in today’s and tomorrow’s workplace. These four skills are Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity.

What does developing “critical thinking” skills as part of the college prep process mean for a student? The National Education Association says that critical thinking includes the ability to reason effectively, using systems thinking (analyzing how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems), making judgments and decisions, and solving problems.

Creativity, another of the Four C’s, entails thinking creatively, working creatively with others, and implementing innovatively. You can see the interrelationship with this college prep skill and others already identified, particularly the ability to work as part of a team and being a decisive leader.

Preparing to take one or both standardized tests, the SAT and ACT, is the most obvious form of college prep. Both tests have similar areas: English, Reading, Writing, Language, Essay, Math, Science. Preparing to take the standardized test should include sharpening one’s studying and test-taking skills, as well as writing and the other topical areas covered in the tests. The better a student is at preparing for the tests and organizing their thoughts when taking a test, the more successful outcome they will have.

As you can see, there is a lot more to college prep than nailing the SAT or ACT. There is one more aspect of college prep that can make the difference in a student gaining acceptance to their preferred college. We’re talking about the college essay. The college essay is a student’s opportunity to let the college admissions officer pull back the curtain and really get a personal insight into the applicant. Clearly, the ability to express one’s self is an important component of the essay. So is the content, starting with the topic itself. We wrote in a recent blog post how college admissions officers are looking for students who are motivated, engaged and intellectually curious, whether it’s in a particular area that they’re passionate about or a variety of interests.

We consider all of our programs to be excellent preparation for college for the reasons discussed above. First, we help students in middle school and high school to develop a wide range of academic and personal skills that prepare them for the years leading to and through college. We instill in them a sense of responsibility and build their confidence and intrinsic motivation. We inspire them to become passionate, joyful learners with a high degree of intellectual curiosity.

College prep is a long-term process covering seven or more years in a student’s life. That’s why students who are able to attend SuperCamp multiple years—through Junior Forum, Senior Forum and Quantum Academy—benefit greatly in terms of their college prep evolution.

The post What College Prep Really Means appeared first on SuperCamp.

 
First, let’s clear up one popular myth that exists regarding students’ community service commitment. There isn’t a direct correlation between the number of volunteer hours a student puts in and the “grade” given by a college admissions officer. In other words, 500 hours of volunteer service isn’t necessarily looked upon as two-and-a-half times better than 200 hours. However, as a minimum guideline, a student should log at least 50 hours, with 50 to 200 hours generally considered acceptable.

 
What’s more important to college admissions officers is the type of work the student has done, why they’re doing it and what they say they’ve gotten out of it. The qualities they look for from students in their volunteer work align very well with the qualities students develop by attending SuperCamp.

 
The first quality is Commitment. A study with college admissions officers conducted by DoSomething.com reports that 70% prefer seeing a student who has had a long-term dedication to a meaningful cause rather than involvement in something more glamorous for a short period of time. In fact, this study found that the majority of college admissions officers prefer to see students commit to just one cause over their time in high school. Fifteen percent suggest that a student should begin their volunteer work before high school.

 
At SuperCamp, students gain an understanding of the importance of commitment when they learn the 8 Keys of Excellence. Commitment is one of the Keys! As they learn about this Key during camp, they discover that commitment is not made lightly; the decisive act of making a commitment is about deciding to do “whatever it takes” to reach a goal … such as going to college and getting a degree.

 
A second and equally important quality is to show Passion. College admission officers want to see students involved in a community service or other volunteer work that relates to something they’re already interested in or care about deeply. The area of interest is very personal and can be as varied as caring about animals (e.g. volunteering at an animal shelter) or concern about the environment (e.g. heading up beach or park clean-up programs).

 
Toward the end of each SuperCamp program, with students having acquired several new learning and life skills and having gained confidence in their ability to move outside their comfort zone, they experience a goal-setting activity in which they write a goal they want to accomplish on a board. On the other side of the board, they write something that has prevented them from pursuing or accomplishing the goal. With the support of their team and with a great deal of personal passion and energy, each student breaks through their board (“barrier”), symbolizing their ability to overcome any obstacle on their way to achieving their goals. This activity shows students that when they are passionate about something and pursue it with full commitment, they can succeed.

 
College admission officers also are very interested in seeing applicants’ Leadership skills. The thinking here is that colleges want students who are able to positively impact their community and the world, which in turn, reflects well on the school. One of the best ways a college applicant can demonstrate their potential as a leader is by serving in a leadership capacity role as part of their volunteer work or community service. Applicants can take it a step further by showing that, in their volunteer work, they were more self-aware and were capable of motivating others to succeed.

 
SuperCamp helps high school and middle school students develop their leadership skills in a number of ways, including teaching effective communication and listening skills, positive role modeling, how to advocate for others, how to maximize the individual strengths of team members for the greater good of the team, how to find your voice as a leader and how to work with varying personalities. Included in our leadership training are Leadership Track programs for returning Senior Forum and Junior Forum students and a Leadership Team program for graduates of the Senior Forum Leadership Track.

 
Developing these three qualities as a SuperCamp participant, as well as the added maturity and strength of character gained at SuperCamp, helps set a student up for success in their volunteer and community service work, which will contribute greatly to their success during the college admissions process.

The post What College Admissions Officers Look For in Students’ Community Service Work appeared first on SuperCamp.

 
The IECA points out that character, as a discreet factor, had largely disappeared from admission decisions over the last 20 years, but it is making a resurgence. Among the reasons for the resurgence is that colleges correlate good character and strong values among the student body with a positive campus environment.

 
The implication for parents of high school and middle school students is twofold. First, exposure to a proven character development program, such as SuperCamp’s 8 Keys of Excellence, benefits every young person, particularly during their formative teen and pre-teen years. Second, intimate knowledge and use of a character development program can be leveraged effectively during the college admissions process, including their college admission essay.

 
Further to this second point, the IECA survey indicates that in answer to the question, What’s the single most important aspect of the application essay?, an overwhelming 93% of IECA members responded with “Providing  insight into student’s personality, values and goals.” The IECA says that the essay is less about perfect grammar and more about helping an admission officer understand who you really are by providing insight into your personality. This helps explain why SuperCamp grads have had success choosing their SuperCamp experience as the topic for their college admission essays.

 
Other top criteria in colleges’ admission decisions include a rigorous curriculum, strong grades, and high standardized test scores. Again, parents can look to SuperCamp for help. The learning skills students acquire at SuperCamp help them in all subject areas. The effective study and test-taking skills they gain enable students to manage a rigorous curriculum and perform better on their standardized tests.

 
Another interesting survey response among IECA members is that 88 percent of respondents say that colleges want to see students challenge themselves with rigorous classes even if their GPA falls a bit. The work SuperCamp does with students in the areas of building their confidence, inspiring their goal setting and instilling self-motivation in them all contributes to a student’s desire and ability to take on a stimulating and more challenging course load.

 
Strong counselor and teacher recommendations climbed in the IECA’s criteria ranking from number 10 to 6, indicating a growing importance of distinctive, personalized references. In addition to the aforementioned benefits that students who attend SuperCamp receive, another value is the communication strategies and techniques they obtain. As a result, SuperCamp grads are better able to build solid relationships with teachers and counselors through their enhanced communication skills, as well as their visible enthusiasm for school and becoming their best self.

 
The IECA is made up of professionals who assist students and families with educational decision making, including helping students choose schools, colleges or programs that meet their individual needs and goals. Over SuperCamp’s 37 years of helping prepare students for academic and personal success, countless families have been referred to SuperCamp by IECA members.

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• Solid foundation – alignment through clearly defined expectations, values and goals
• Empowering atmosphere – a place where students feel supported and experience a strong sense of belonging
• Effective design – where lessons are created using elements that incorporate how the brain learns and retains content
• Engaging deliver – one that uses a multisensory approach and maximizes participation and comprehension
• Supportive environment – a learning space that is inviting, comfortable and stimulating for everyone

 
As stated, we teach learning skills and strategies that students pursuing academic achievement can apply in most, if not all, of their subject areas in school:

• Quantum Study Strategies – we teach the “why” behind clearing the clutter and the “how” to create a brain-friendly study area.
• Notes: TM – our specialized note-taking strategy gives students the skills necessary to take notes and to make notes meaningful and memorable once they leave the classroom.
• Location Memory – students discover how to use all three learning channels, which makes them more able to retain new information in their long-term memory. Location memory is one of many memorization techniques we teach.
• Power Pegs – this technique helps students memorize long lists of information (e.g. words, phrases or objects) within minutes.
• Mind-Mapping – students learn how to visually outline information and thoughts in a colorful tree-like format that facilitates understanding and learning.
• Quantum Reading – we show students how to gain an academic edge by reading faster and still comprehending the material through creating an ideal environment for reading, shifting their state and preparing their minds to access the appropriate brainwaves for optimal learning.
• Quantum Writing – students in our summer programs learn how to narrow the gap between what’s in their mind and what’s on the page. We teach them fast-write—how to get a lot of ideas down on paper quickly, mind-mapping to organize their ideas, cluster to expand their ideas and how to write “colorfully” to bring more impact to their writing.

While we’re fine being called an academic achievement camp or a summer academic program, the truth is that the life skills training we provide students at SuperCamp play a part in their academic success. As students learn and experience such life skills as how to move out of their comfort zones and break through personal barriers, how to set goals, and how to communicate and collaborate effectively, they’re directly impacting their academic success in a positive way. They’re gaining confidence, they’re becoming more responsible for their academic achievement and they’re transforming into more self-motivated learners.
 
Importantly, these life skills contribute to students’ middle school and high school academic achievement and to their academic success in college and other post-secondary school training programs.
 
So, how ever you want to define our summer programs, just know that we are all about academic achievement and about students becoming their best self in school and in life.

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Just like students who wait until the last minute to cram for an exam, many parents don’t focus on college prep summer programs until it’s quite late in the game.

Most high school college prep programs are geared to high school seniors and juniors. Some ACT and SAT prep courses begin for sophomores, but there’s much more to the college prep process than preparing for the college entrance exams.

Pre-college summer programs for high school students can and should begin for freshmen. College readiness is not an overnight occurrence. Instead, it’s a gradual assimilation of the skills and life principles a student needs to possess by the time they arrive in college.

Taking it one step further, students can begin the college prep process in middle school with college prep summer programs that will establish fundamental learning and life skills that will help them in the near-term, and which they can continue to develop in order to master them prior to college.

Let’s look at the college prep program progression SuperCamp has established with our pre-college summer camps.

It begins with Junior Forum for incoming 6^th – 8^th graders. College prep for incoming 6^th graders? Yes—in the sense that at SuperCamp, middle school students learn skills and gain the motivation to become more independent and confident learners. How many high school graduates go on to college without having gained the ability or self-motivation to take responsibility for their own academic success? Judging by first-year dropout rates, the answer is, many. By becoming more responsible when still in middle school, a student, in essence, is in pre-college prep mode already.

A 6^th grader or 7^th grader who returns to Junior Forum a second time has an opportunity to take the next step in their college prep progression by joining the Junior Forum Leadership Track. This “L-Track” for returning Junior Forum students incorporates the learning of leadership skills, which helps them begin to develop their personal leadership style. Again, this is another facet of college prep that a student can begin well before they’re a high school junior or senior.

When a student does move into high school, starting with incoming 9^th graders, we have another level of summer college prep for them with SuperCamp’s Senior Forum. Incoming 9^th-12^th graders are eligible for this pre-college program. In Senior Forum, students acquire a broad range of learning and life skills and we show them how to become much more goal oriented. Not only goal oriented, but how to break through barriers that can stand in the way of accomplishing goals. This is an important next step in the college prep progression, as students start to approach their academic life more purposefully.

As with Junior Forum, Senior Forum has a Leadership Track for its returning students, which again enables students to prepare for college by developing their leadership skills and discover their personal leadership style. But it doesn’t stop there. Students who have attended our Senior Forum L-Track can return the following summer and be part of the Senior Forum Leadership Team, which takes their leadership college prep to the next level as they model and practice their personal leadership style with others in the camp.

Two college prep program options exist for incoming 12^th graders. The first pre-college program option is Senior Forum, described above. Placement of the student on L-Track or the Leadership Team will depend on if it’s the student’s first, second, third or fourth year in Senior Forum.

The other college prep program available to incoming high school seniors is SuperCamp’s Quantum Academy. Quantum Academy is designed to immerse students in the pre-college prep experience by opening their eyes to what they need in order to succeed in college. This 6-day residential college prep program is also available to incoming college students and even to current college students up to 20 years of age. This program is part college prep camp and part post-college prep, as a prime focus is the development by students of their personal growth plan, including clearly defined action steps.

It should be added that a largely overlooked aspect of college prep programs is character development. That is not the case with SuperCamp. At the core of every one of SuperCamp’s summer programs are the 8 Keys of Excellence, character principles to live by. One of the biggest elements determining a student’s college success is their ability to independently manage their lives with a necessary level of maturity. The 8 Keys of Excellence give students, during their college preparation, guidance on how to live their lives pre-college, during college and after college.

In summary, families should look for college prep summer programs that provide a progression, rather than a quick fix, toward college readiness, because that’s what it takes to truly prepare a student for the academic and personal challenges he or she will face in college.

The post College Prep Programs for College Success appeared first on SuperCamp.

We’ve written a blog recently detailing the importance for students to acquire lifelong learning skills—something that’s been a focus of SuperCamp’s summer programs since day 1 in 1982. Related to the value of lifelong learning skills is the need for students to become adept in the four key skills that the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills defines as essential for workers as this century progresses.

Once again, SuperCamp was on the leading edge of this trend with the learning and life skills taught in our summer programs. Here’s a look at the “Four C’s”—the skills the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills has identified as must-haves for every high school and college student.

CRITICAL THINKING

In its Framework for 21^st Century Learning, the NEA has identified four key components to Critical Thinking, as follows:

Reason Effectively

• Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation

Use Systems Thinking

• Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems

Make Judgments and Decisions

• Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims, and beliefs
• Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
• Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
• Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
• Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes

Solve Problems

• Solve different kinds of unfamiliar problems in both conventional and innovative ways
• Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points

Critical thinking is important in career success as well as in higher education success. In everyday work, employees must employ critical thinking to better serve customers, develop better products, and continuously improve themselves within an ever-changing global economy. In a survey by the American Management Association, over 70 percent of business executives identified critical thinking as a priority for employee development, talent management and succession planning. Just taking one component of critical thinking—successful problem solving—requires today’s employees to work effectively and creatively with computers, with vast amounts of information, with ambiguous situations, and with other people from a variety of backgrounds.

Students can begin to acquire critical thinking skills early on in their academic life and can apply these skills across all subject areas, from Arts and Science to English, Social Studies, Mathematics, World Languages and more. In turn, they also become better able to develop other skills, including a higher level of concentration, deeper analytical abilities and improved thought processing.

At SuperCamp, Critical Thinking is a fundamental part of our
Learning and Life Skills training in both our Junior Forum and Senior Forum programs, as well as in Quantum Academy.

At SuperCamp, Critical Thinking is a fundamental part of our Learning and Life Skills training in both our Junior Forum and Senior Forum programs, as well as in Quantum Academy. Students learn that being successful on tests is more than just having a strong grasp on facts. Strategy is involved, as well. We show students how to use divergent and convergent problem-solving techniques, which helps them on standardized tests. But we don’t stop at academics. We also show students at SuperCamp ways that they can use critical thinking to overcome challenges in their everyday lives.

Another contributing factor to effective critical thinking in school is when students pay close attention in class. We show students how they can better manage their own states (thoughts, feelings and breathing) and physiology (body posture). By better learning and absorbing information, a student is more equipped to thinking effectively. To accomplish this goal, we teach students the SLANT technique: Sit up, Lean forward, Ask questions, Nod your head and Talk to your teacher.

COMMUNICATION

By Communication, P21 mean to communicate clearly. They identify the following required skills that contribute to clear communication:

• Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
• Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions
• Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate, and persuade)
• Use multiple media and technologies, and know how to assess impact and their effectiveness a priori
• Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multilingual and multicultural)

Effective communication skills are more important now than ever before because of the power of modern media and the ubiquity of communication technologies present in all aspects of an individual’s life. Despite the need for strong communication skills, employers in studies have indicated that all graduates, in particular high school graduates, are lacking in both oral and written communication skills.

One 21^st-century reason underscoring the need for strong communication skills, as noted by P21, is the increased presence of “global teams” that work together in business. As technology gives rise to global work teams that span time zones, nations, and cultures, it is imperative that tomorrow’s graduates communicate clearly and effectively in a variety of languages.

With 81 percent of jobs now in the expanding service economy, where relationships with customers and fellow employees are of vital importance, the value of communication skills is even more significant. Linguistically and culturally effective listening, empathy, and effective communication skills are essential skills for every person in the service economy.

Not surprisingly, communication competencies such as clearly articulating ideas through speaking and writing are closely related to another one of the 4 Cs—Collaboration skills. The interrelationship of these two skill areas comes into play in order to work effectively with diverse teams, make necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal, and assume shared responsibility for collaborative work. Communication cannot be effective unless the message is received and understood.

…we take in information through visual, auditory and kinesthetic sensory channels. We teach students to make the most of their preferences.

The communication/collaboration link is equally important for students and for adults. Young people in school, as well as individuals in the workforce, are impacted by today’s technologies, which shape words and images as we receive many of our messages today through one or more digital devices. Communication skills are intertwined with information, media, communication, and technology skills.

At SuperCamp, we recognize the importance of communication, both in terms of how it is received and delivered. On the receiving side, we take in information through visual, auditory and kinesthetic sensory channels. We teach students to make the most of their preferences when receiving communication and information. At the same time, we teach them how to add strategies to enhance their non-preferred channels and how to match the right strategy to the right learning situation.

We also provide students with several communication techniques that they test out within their respective 12-15 person SuperCamp team. One such technique is “active listening.” For this communication tool, we instruct students that good listening involves sitting facing the person with an open, available posture, maintaining good eye contact, giving encouragement (nods, u-huhs, etc.), reflecting feeling and content, and showing empathy.

Another technique is OTFD, which is used in resolving relationship problems or giving praise. OTFD stands for the steps in this communication process, which are Observe, Think, Feel and Desire. The ultimate goal behind this tool is to articulate feelings in a positive and direct manner.

A very effective communication skill we teach students at SuperCamp is the Four-Part Apology. This technique allows the person to look beyond the actual incident to consequences of behavior. By defining those consequences and choosing a different behavior, both individuals remain thoughtful and supportive rather than angry or defensive. The four steps in this approach are Acknowledge, Apologize, Make It Right and Recommit.

The Affinity Activity is a communication process we teach students to enhance relationships. We put the students in pairs and have one student pose three requests to the other. Those requests are: Tell me something I don’t know about you, Tell me something you like about me, and Tell me something we may have in common. Regardless of the other person’s answer, the first student replies by saying “Thank you.” The two students then reverse roles and repeat the process. From this base of experience further conversation can occur.

Throughout SuperCamp, students learn about the 8 Keys of Excellence, a character framework for personal success. One of the Keys focuses on communication. It is Speak with Good Purpose, defined as: speaking honestly and kindly, thinking before you speak, and making sure your intention is positive and your words are sincere.

COLLABORATION

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills states that the skill of Collaboration is essential for all students to learn because it is inherent in the nature of how work is accomplished in our civic and workforce lives. As they say, 50 years ago, much work was accomplished by individuals working alone, but not today. Much of all significant work is accomplished in teams, and in many cases, global teams.

They define Collaboration, or collaborating with others, as follows:

• Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
• Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
• Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member

Teams are given a number of assignments throughout camp that promote consensus-building to find the best solutions.

When students learn to work collaboratively, their group can generate more knowledge, making collaboration a key ingredient to student success in today’s global society. Just as important, they will need to be able to apply this skill throughout their lives. Collaboration is a perfect example of how true the phrase “strength in numbers” is. While the term may have originated in reference to the battlefield, it’s equally important in business—the fact that a diverse group of people will come up with better, more creative and more intelligent solutions than an individual decision maker.

A collaborative effort creates more holistic results than individual efforts and it also creates knowledge for a greater number of people. It’s no wonder, then, that collaboration is a skill looked upon highly by today’s hiring managers.

Collaboration skills are developed in multiple ways throughout each SuperCamp program. At the heart of teaching and practicing collaboration skills is the team concept. Teams are given a number of assignments throughout camp that promote consensus-building to find the best solutions.

SuperCamp’s Outdoor Adventure Day requires students to work together in order to complete various physical tasks such as rope climbing. On the evening of Outdoor Adventure Day, students come together to reflect on the day’s experiences and how working as a team and supporting one another led to greater success.

Another interesting collaboration skill taught to students at SuperCamp employs non-verbal communication. We teach students this skill in an activity called The Maze, where a student needs to successfully step through a maze of squares only with the help of non-verbal cues from their teammates.

Collaborating by supporting one another is put into practice during a board-breaking activity intended to demonstrate to students that they can overcome obstacles on the way to achieving personal goals. Each student breaks a board on which they write a goal on one side and an obstacle or challenge that they feel is holding them back from achieving the goal. Every student receives a great deal of vocal and moral support from the rest of the team. Occasionally, a student may not have the strength to break the board the first time. When that happens, the team ramps up the support and, when needed, they collaborate with other teams to enlist their support as well. Every so often, a student even receives physical support from teammates in order to break the board, for example, if they have to use their foot rather than their hand while teammates help them keep their balance.

Once again, the 8 Keys of Excellence come into play. Relating to Collaboration, several Keys are involved, starting with Integrity, which is about matching behavior with values, and demonstrating those positive personal values in words and actions with others. Flexibility and Balance are two other Keys that tie in closely with well-developed collaboration skills. Flexibility is being willing to do things differently. Clearly, in a collaborative environment, reaching a consensus is going to require flexibility on everyone’s part. Balance involves being mindful of yourself and others while focusing on what’s meaningful and important in your life. As one participates in collaborative activities, an awareness of being mindful of others, as well as oneself, contributes to success.

CREATIVITY

Creativity and innovation are key drivers in the global economy. P21 states that if students leave school without knowing how to continuously create and innovate, they will be underprepared for the challenges of society and the workforce. They go on to say that in today’s world of global competition and task automation, innovative capacity and a creative spirit are fast becoming requirements for personal and professional success.

Mind Mapping…employs a two-dimensional structure and uses colors, symbols and pictures to help students make mental associations that facilitate learning.

In a TED talk from 2011, Sir Kenneth Robinson, a leading speaker and thinker on creativity said that creativity is as important in education as literacy.

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills has a three-part definition for Creativity:

Think Creatively

• Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
• Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
• Elaborate, refine, analyze, and evaluate original ideas to improve and maximize creative efforts

Work Creatively with Others

• Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively
• Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work
• Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas
• View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation are part of a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes

Implement Innovation

• Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur

When you look at this definition, you see how creativity is closely intertwined with some of the other skills previously identified. Innovation today has a social component and requires adaptability, leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Increasingly, today the capacity to innovate is linked to the ability to connect with others and with a facility for communication and collaboration.

At SuperCamp, students are taught several creative strategies. For example, Mind Mapping is a brain-friendly way to take notes. It employs a two-dimensional structure and uses colors, symbols and pictures to help students make mental associations that facilitate learning.

In our ABCs of Writing, Brainstorming is the “B” and emphasizes getting ideas down on paper both creatively and with a specific focus. Skills include Cluster It, See It, Say It, Draw It and Fastwrite It.

Various creative memory techniques are taught at SuperCamp to help improve retention and information recall. One such technique is the Peg System, which entails memorizing a list of 20 items attached to the numbers 1 to 20. Students then see how easy it is to memorize any list of items by associating them with the original peg list.

Creative Thinking is a skill we teach students. This part of the SuperCamp curriculum is based on the following principles:

• There is always another way of looking at a challenge
• Look to the world around you and borrow from its treasures
• Creative thinkers are curious and take risks
• The best way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas
• Keep focused on who you are, what you want and what it will take to get there

Creativity is a big part of the Quantum Writing process at SuperCamp, which empowers students with strategies that give them confidence in their writing ability. In our ABCs of Writing, Brainstorming is the “B” and emphasizes getting ideas down on paper both creatively and with a specific focus. Skills include Cluster It, See It, Say It, Draw It and Fastwrite It.

SUMMARY

Now, almost two decades into the 21^st-century, the 4 Cs are proving to be even more critical to a student’s academic success and ability to advance in a meaningful career than they were at the turn of the century. In an age when automation, artificial intelligence and robotics are taking jobs from humans, a solid foundation in the 4 Cs is what will keep a person relevant and irreplaceable in tomorrow’s workforce. It is incumbent upon students to develop their skills in these four areas. If they aren’t able to do so sufficiently in the classroom, they must turn elsewhere to learn these skills. SuperCamp is an ideal 4Cs resource for middle school, high school and college students.

5 College Prep Tips for High School Students

Learn writing skills

Learn how to listen/communicate

Critical thinking

Set goals – have a plan

The post Preparing Students for College and 21st-Century Success appeared first on SuperCamp.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. Many college students fall into bad habits and more than one-third drop out during their first year. For some, the struggle is academic. But for many, the biggest challenge is the social adjustment of living away from home and navigating life with new friends and classmates.

For Sammy, a 19-year-old freshman at Winona State University in Minnesota, the transition to college was smooth and easy thanks to her experience at Quantum U (SuperCamp’s college-age program, now Quantum Academy) the summer before.

Sammy recalls that when her parents first signed her up for the college prep summer camp, she felt apprehensive. She thought the 8-day academic program would be the worst possible way to start her summer, and she doubted that she needed any preparation for college.

The first day at Quantum U didn’t alleviate those concerns. Sammy was one of 30 Quantum U students at UCLA, and she couldn’t wait for the eight days to be over so she could go home and rejoin her club soccer team. “I felt stuck,” says Sammy. “So did a lot of the other campers.”

But on the second day, something shifted. Maybe it was the burgeoning camaraderie among the campers. Maybe it was the enthusiastic leadership from Marina and Craig, the camp facilitators. Maybe it was the insightful curriculum or the all-you-can-eat cafeteria food.

Whatever the case, Sammy dove in, ready to give the college prep summer camp a chance. She decided that she would make the most of the experience and see what she could get out of it.

To Sammy’s surprise and delight, the program was a blast.

Sammy had expected the program to be eight consecutive days of sitting in a chair listening to lectures. Instead, the material was presented in a dynamic, engaging way that incorporated games and activities. The Quantum U students also got to sightsee and explore the campus.

Even the curriculum was a surprise. While academic strategies were covered, the college prep camp also taught students critical communication skills, including how to structure an apology and how to listen to others and respect their differences.

Sammy found the communication skills particularly helpful in her first days at college. Others struggled to make friends and feel comfortable in their new environment. But Sammy jumped into conversation and made many new friends right away. “Quantum U was like going to college,” Sammy explains. “So I immediately felt comfortable and open at WSU.”

Sammy continues to use the skills she learned at Quantum U. She recalls, “Recently I got in a fight with one of my friends. I listened to her, and I didn’t say ‘I’m sorry’—I said ‘I apologize’—because sorry is overused and often not meant. ‘I apologize’ means more.”

As Sammy wraps up the last few weeks of her freshman year, she remains grateful for the Quantum U experiences and looks forward to taking her Quantum U skills into her sophomore year. “The things they teach you stick with you. It was definitely worth it.”

For more on Quantum Academy, call an enrollment specialist at 800.228.5327 or request an information packet.

The post “The things they teach you stick with you”: Reflections on Our College Prep Summer Camp appeared first on SuperCamp.