- 4500 children engaged in learning
- 350 teachers trained in child centered methods
- 290 schools active in the summer
This workshop is the only holiday experience these children have during the summer. For them there’s no such thing as ‘going on vacation’. They haven’t ever been out of their village before.“ Daniela Țugulea, Teacher Roșia, Sibiu County
This adjunct program arose from the need to:
- Train teachers in interactive child-centered methods;
- Provide the trained teachers with immediate practice in these methods;
- Offer less advantaged children some rich summer learning experiences;
- Introduce poor parents to the education system in a low-stress setting;
- Utilize school facilities in the off-season.
Since 2001, over 10,000 children and over 2,000 teachers have participated in Şotron Summer Schools.
Structured as a 2-week module, Şotron can be adapted for use by children from age 3 to middle school age. The children explore the world around them, starting with their own body, and expanding to their community and ultimately to other galaxies through a special set of Şotron materials that include a book, notebook, maps, magnets, and drawings. Designed specifically for summer programs in disadvantaged communities, Șotron provides the basis for a new learning model that invites exploration, investigation and structured discussions created to help children learn how to articulate, interpret and analyse the world around them.
See children’s interactions during class in this ProTV news segment: