Finding Theater in Theory

As the applause from the crowd fades, Jack Salomone , Lower School ELA Head Teacher, leaves his seat to stand in front of an audience of his fellow Quad Prep educators and clinicians.?

Jack was about to give his mid-year presentation for this year’s 2e Certificate Program, Quad Prep’s yearlong integrated professional certificate program designed to recognize expertise of twice-exceptionality and the needs of 2e learners, and the first and only postgraduate professional certificate of its kind. In each certificate candidate’s presentation that afternoon there is an evident, strong passion for learning alongside one’s students. In the years since the Certificate’s inception, academics and clinicians alike have eagerly take advantage of this opportunity to deepen their teaching techniques and conduct 2e research within Quad Prep’s uniquely individualized and integrated educational model.

As his colleagues Marissa Smoller and Joanne Magee wrap up their presentation, Jack pulls his slideshow onto the screen, his notes nearby to keep him on track. The audience lightly chuckles as his first slide pops up onto the screen: “Please Write. I Am Begging You: An individualized unit designed to teach Learners informative writing strategies.” Jack is animated, and uses his hands as he emphasizes his enthusiasm for this project and his students’ learning. Captivating his audience, he goes on to walk them through his students’ months-long journey in writing and performing their own play.

Jack was encouraged to apply for the 2e Certificate Program by his supervisor, Lower School Academic Director Nicole Cavaliere , when he first shared his idea of using a card game to integrate Social Studies into his classroom’s reading and writing curriculum.?

“I wasn't planning on doing the Certificate Program this school year, but I'm glad that I did! The idea came from this card game called The Scrambled States of America that I used to play when I was a kid — I was really obsessed with state capitals and state nicknames,” says Jack of his project’s inception and the focus of his research for Unit 1 of the Certificate Program. When the idea came to him, he immediately reached out to his co-teacher, who would ultimately lead the ISS portion of the plan. “I called and said, ‘What are you doing right now? Let’s talk. I have an idea.’”

He’d previously used the card game in his classroom during his time teaching at Quad Manhattan’s Summer Program. “The kids really enjoyed it. It was very nostalgic for me and it was very relaxing because it comes with maps, which can be very calming and regulating for the students.”? And the accompanying story— a wacky fable of disgruntled states that decide to swap places with one another — was always a big hit. He knew it would be a fun way for students to learn directions, map reading, and facts about each of the 50 states; each card, a different state, lists its capital, nickname, and even the number of vowels in its name. The game would offer opportunities for students to further develop their reading and comprehension skills, while keeping content cohesive across subject areas to help maintain relevance for the students.?

While he’d introduced past students to this material, the experience of student-driven playwriting would be a first for Jack as well as his students this year. Throughout his 2e research project, he’d show his students that they could write their own lines and dialogue, and in the process, he’d learn the best ways to encourage and guide them through individualized instruction.

Following the rubric for his own research project, Jack took note of their varying levels of engagement and agency, and found ways to tailor his approach for each student. His approach was guided by central questions in his research, such as “How much prompting do students need to initiate and persist through tasks?”and “How engaged are students with the writing process?”?

Together, he and his students came up with a plan and set goals. Each student was given a choice about the state they wanted to research and what they wanted to write about. They were given the trust and space to work on drafts in their independent English sessions with Jack, and also worked together to write their lines for the play as a class. “We talked about where they could improve, and then to provide purpose, I connected those goals to future projects and even showed them student models of work from last year to show them the kind of work that we're going to begin doing. They were driven to finish and eager to get to the next one,” Jack explained to colleagues during his Certificate Program presentation.

Enter Joanne Magee, Lower School theater teacher. With Joanne’s help, the students’ play would come to life. “The main goal of the project was to increase engagement, motivation and interest across a number of subjects using a unifying stimulus,” Joanne said. “The thing that really stood out was the enthusiastic approach the students had to the play and welcoming their parents to the performance. Their ownership of the project was clear to see in the way they took pride in the presentation. It was a pleasure to see that level of investment and team involvement in a project.”

For the costumes, Lower School art teacher Angela M. helped students screen print one student’s designs onto t-shirts. Joanne says one of the biggest successes throughout the project was effective collaboration and communication, a cornerstone of the Quad Prep model. “The key is to be available for extra meetings and a capacity to contribute ideas and support one another.”?

For all 2e certificate program research projects, participants work collaboratively with co-teachers, specialists, and clinicians. Nicole Ogden, Lower School teacher and a 2022 recipient of the Certificate in Meeting the Needs of Twice-Exceptional Children, says it was “a great way to interact and collaborate with professional peers.” Working alongside other professionals in her classroom, as well as seeing what the other groups were studying throughout the program helped her develop and immediately implement strategies in her classroom. “I learned more about personalization as well as how to successfully integrate lessons. It was inspiring to learn from such a variety of professionals from around our school.”

"We always hope that, no matter whether our faculty grow their careers with us or whether their journeys bring them elsewhere, we are advancing neuroinclusive education through our many training opportunities, including the 2e Certificate Program." — Kim Busi, Quad Prep Founder and Head of School

The 2e Certificate Program started just three years after Quad Prep opened, with over 50 professionals participating in it since then. Head of School Kimberly Busi began the one-of-a-kind program after realizing that most educators didn’t have other opportunities to grow expertise and in-depth understanding of the needs of 2e learners. "We realized right away that because our model was so unique, our faculty wouldn't have similar experiences to draw from, and that graduate programs and professional training in 2e education didn't exist outside of Quad Prep. As we built our practice and expertise, it would be important to offer advanced training to our faculty so that they would have meaningful opportunities to grow in their professions." says Kim about what inspired the creation of the program.

A former professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, Kim brought her background in education and professional development to Quad Prep, creating a culture of continual learning among the school’s faculty and ensuring that teachers and clinicians from across the school had meaningful opportunities to hone their professional practice and grow in the 2e field.?

"We always hope that, no matter whether our faculty grow their careers with us or whether their journeys bring them elsewhere, we are advancing neuroinclusive education through our many training opportunities, including the 2e Certificate Program. The Certificate Program has given us an opportunity to enhance knowledge around 2e learning, and that expertise deepens the professional practice of our faculty at Quad Prep, and plants the seeds for neuroinclusion beyond our campus," says Kim.?

For Lower School Head Teacher Angela Donahue, who completed the program in 2022, the program helped her better connect with both her students and colleagues. “Overall, I feel I am completing the program as a stronger and more reflective teacher than when I started.”

For Jack, learning what works best for his students also meant learning how he could best meet those needs as an educator. Measuring student agency on a scale of 1-5 — choice, voice, ownership, engagement, motivation, and purpose — Jack’s findings showed improvement in each learner profile. In some cases, there was as much as a 50% increase in engagement and regulation. He attributes these results to providing students with clear objectives and allowing them to steer the direction of the lesson. “I think kids do their best when their expectations are extraordinarily clear and they can see that rubric and know what the behaviors or academic displays of different levels are.” Allowing students to be the leaders of their own learning and retain their agency while engaging in collaborative learning with their peers is central to the Quad Prep experience.?

During his presentation, Jack recalled one student, initially hesitant to write anything, eagerly wanting to continue writing his state’s personality description, stating “I want to keep writing!”. Students created their own self-enrichment tasks, made invitations for the play, chose and created props, and found other ways to participate in the production if being on stage didn’t appeal to them.?

Allowing students to be the leaders of their own learning and retain their agency while engaging in collaborative learning with their peers is central to the Quad Prep experience.?

Through his 2e Certificate Program research project, Jack says he gained a better understanding of the timeline for introducing new ideas and tasks to his 2e students, and how to best encourage autonomous learning in them. Equally important is the grace and compassion for learners at varying levels and a plan to keep everyone engaged.?

Meanwhile, in his classroom, Jack says he and his students are looking forward to their next unit: podcasting. After successfully completing their work on the play, they’re eager to take on their next exciting venture. ?