What we learned at Camp Musicuentos

Well, last Friday came and went and the first official Camp Musicuentos is a wrap!  I had the great privilege of working with 20 outstanding teachers from across my own region and even beyond – I was joined by teachers from Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Virginia!

Our learning, for you

First, let me share with you the Camp Musicuentos wikispace, where we were learning and sharing during the event.  On this wikispace, you’ll find:

• Resources to help you develop and plan your curriculum for next year, including an editable version of my performance assessment rubric (it looks ugly in Google Drive but should open nicely for editing in Word).
• Two templates: One to help you set proficiency goals for your program and another to help you plan the whole year
• A list of the units and their goals I would teach at levels 1, 2, 3, 4, AP, and Spanish for Heritage Speakers.  Included is a sample integrated performance assessment for the first part of Level 1 based on the goals for the first two chapters of Descubre.
• The curriculum maps that many of the teachers present at the event worked on and uploaded.  They are in varying stages of development depending on where everyone got to.

Now what?

I’ve gotten some great suggestions from readers via email, Twitter, and Facebook, and a lot of helpful constructive feedback from attendees via my post-survey, and my mind is spinning with what to do with Camp Musicuentos next year.  Here are some ideas going through my head:

• Several readers have asked for an online version or webinar.  I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how to do this and frankly, not having a lot of success.  I don’t have a lot of experience with webinars.
• There is a strong possibility for multiple locations next year.  I plan to run Camp Musicuentos at least once here in Louisville and once also in the Northeast, likely in Warwick, Rhode Island.  Other options feasible for me would be central Texas and northern Florida; I’ve also had some interest expressed for California and that’s more difficult but also something for me to think about.  In short, I’m seriously planning for one location other than Louisville next year and we’ll see what happens from there (and what I hear from you).
• Several teachers who attended asked for more structure and I think I understand what they needed – but I don’t think I can give it unless we divide the event by level.  So I think for next year I should offer a Camp Musicuentos Novice and Camp Musicuentos Intermediate Plus (which is what I meant by “at least once” in Louisville).
• Many of us got the impression that one nine-hour day was at the same time too intense and too short.  I’m considering offering two seven- or eight-hour days instead.  That way we could stay focused better and also accomplish more in terms of preparing you for the next school year.  Having two days would double the cost on my end and might make the workshop prohibitively expensive, so if I pursue the two-day idea I’d like to have the days themed so teachers could still attend one day or the other without it emptying those deep pockets we all know teachers have.

Please, let me know what you think about the resources available on the wikispace and any ideas or suggestions you might have.  I hope to see you at a Camp Musicuentos someday soon!