Mobile classroom fuels virtual charter school
MUDDY CREEK TWP — Although the ground outside was frozen, students at Commonwealth Connections Academy's mobile classroom on Tuesday were preparing for warmer days by studying plant growth.
Parked at McDanel's Launch in Moraine State Park, the mobile classroom featured satellite, interactive smart boards, digital media and hands-on science labs.
Several students used the lab to test soil samples to determine nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content, as well as texture and potential for successful plant growth.
“Science is outside. It's outdoors, so it's more difficult to teach online,” said Diane DeBaise of Reading, a CCA Earth sciences teacher.
“We use it for other subjects, including a book fair we do, and coaching students for (state) standardized tests,” she said of the retrofitted orange RV.
CCA, based in Harrisburg, is the only virtual charter school in Pennsylvania with a mobile classroom.
Dennis Tulli, CEO of CCA, said the school has done presentations for its 4,800 students in school classrooms and science centers across the state, and last year began searching for a van to transport equipment needed in those presentations.
However, after being awarded about $400,000 in federal stimulus money, the school bought the mobile classroom and began touring the state in August.
“We enjoy and value our opportunities to meet our families and our students, so we have been doing labs across the state for the past four years,” Tulli said.
“We're very excited about the fact that we've really expanded our outreach to our families through the mobile classroom.”
DeBaise said outreach labs and activities in the past often left out rural students that lived too far from venues where the labs were held, but not anymore.
“Our little lab is probably as well-equipped as a very well-equipped high school or college lab,” she said.
“We used to do our dissections in hotel conference rooms. They weren't too keen on that. We don't want to send our students to college with no hands-on experience.”
Lab activities can be done online as well, but DeBaise said being in the same room allows teachers to integrate lab safety and proper use of equipment such as microscopes and centrifuges into the lesson.
Marissa McCalmont of Harrisville is the mother of two CCA students, Leland, 16, and Courtney, 14.
“The teachers actually walk the parents through lessons, too,” she said.
“And it's easier for (students) to adjust to the teachers when they know them.”
Pam Lang of Mars is a community coordinator for the school in Butler, Lawrence and Beaver counties, organizing field trips and events for students, as well as mother to one student, Cheyenne, 14.
“(The mobile classroom) is relaxed and the kids get to meet their teachers,” she said.
“Plus, the personalized learning adjusts the subjects according to (students') learning level.”
Krista Sommer of Harrisburg, a seventh grade science teacher with CCA, said life on the road is rewarding.“It's really nice. We get to meet our students and put names to the faces,” she said.“We work as a team, and we travel as a team. The team effort makes it fun and quite a bit easier. The most we've been on the road is about four days.”She added that although the teachers travel in the RV and one or more school SUVs, they get to stay in hotels.“(CCA) takes very good care of us,” she said.About 10 to 15 students take lessons in the mobile classroom at each stop.The lab on wheels has averaged between 15 and 20 stops per month since August, and Tulli hopes that number will increase in the spring.“Everyone is very, very happy for different reasons,” Tulli said.“The families enjoy meeting other families and having live lessons and labs. The students like it because of the diversity of experiences and the hands-on opportunities. Our teachers like it because they get to meet the families and get out of the office. It's been a huge success.”
