AVID's mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination

As a math teacher, I like to find ways for my students to problem solve collaboratively. At the AVID Summer Institute, I engaged in 9 such collaborative activities. One that I will definitely use this year is called World Café. This is a powerful strategy that allows groups of three to five students to approach critical problems while at the same time developing and refining their presentation and discussion skills. The classroom is arranged into “stations” with different questions to discuss. The group discusses (or solves) their first question while the group leader records responses and key ideas on chart paper. When the predetermined discussion time is over, the groups rotate to new questions while one group member stays with their chart paper to summarize her/his group’s work. This person now becomes the new group leader who can add on any new ideas discussed by the second group. This procedure continues until all of the questions have been discussed or until time has run out.

As I participated in this activity, I gained a deeper understanding of the questions discussed by allowing others to share their interpretations and thoughts. I think it is a valuable strategy to use in math class, as the collaborative groups will likely be able to approach the questions in a variety of ways and will need to justify their mathematical reasoning.

~Stacy Grice (4th Grade Math Teacher)

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The AVID Summer Institute was a great experience. What stood out to me the most was the passion teachers of AVID bring to their classrooms, students, and colleagues. The energy is contagious and the ideas they present are engaging. I learned a lot and am excited for us to begin our AVID journey at Chadwick.

~Nikki Brewer (Math Resource Teacher)

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AVID Summer Institute further solidified my excitement for this adventure. The passion of the educators is energizing as they tell their AVID stories. It made me eager to write our own Chadwick ES story!

~Kate Miller (Principal)

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The AVID Summer Institute was a fantastic experience for me! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and collaborating with teachers from across the country on newly learned AVID strategies throughout the weekend. I was very excited to learn more about Philosophical Chairs and experience one first hand with the rest of my colleagues. I love the fact that this AVID strategy gives students the opportunity to take a stand on a central statement based on what they have read. It also encourages students to be respectful and actively listen to seek understanding of the opposing speaker’s point of view. Philosophical Chairs is a great way to engage students in academic dialogue over a controversial statement/prompt and supports students’ ability to reason and think critically.

~Ciara Conyers (STAT Teacher)

W - Writing to Learn

I - Inquiry

C - Collaboration

O - Organization

R - Reading to Learn