Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams unveiled a groundbreaking pilot program, funded through a public-private partnership between his office and Copia Interactive LLC, a digital learning platform provider, to establish textbook-free classrooms at three Brooklyn schools this year. The current initiative includes approximately 250 students and 10 different teachers at P.S. 196 Ten Eyck and M.S. 582 the Upper Academy, located jointly in East Williamsburg, as well as Eagle Academy for Young Men II in Brownsville. This announcement follows a call that Adams made during his inauguration speech in January to bring schools up to 21st century learning standards and to introduce textbook-free learning.
“Our pilot program for textbook-free classrooms shows how technology can be used effectively to enhance and enrich the educational experience for students and teachers alike,” said Adams. “We are already hearing educators marvel at how students are engaging with the class texts, and with each other, in a whole new manner. Additionally, we have seen how these digital tools are allowing students to self-determine how best to learn the subject matter, leading to real instructional differentiation. I believe the early impact of this pilot program with Copia—which is replacing physical textbooks that might be older than the students using them with cutting-edge technology that accesses up-to-date class material—holds great promise for schools in Brooklyn and across New York City. I look forward to continuing to support this and other initiatives to best help our young people achieve and succeed in the classroom.”
To actualize this vision, all pilot participants were provided iPads featuring Copia Class, Copia’s latest interactive platform, which delivers content from major publishers and supplementary providers inside of learning environment that promotes student participation, and teacher ability to provide real-time feedback, and allows for a differentiated learning experience that empowers students to take ownership of their learning experience. The schools also are using Copia Class to compose longer-form essays and responses to teacher-assigned tasks. The system lets teachers embed real-time formative assessments within the content and allows students to monitor their progress to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
“I am always excited to see new technology in our classrooms that engages students and facilitates learning,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina. “I thank Borough President Adams for his continued work to support our students and congratulate him on the launch of this pilot program. I look forward to seeing this new program in action, and I have high hopes that it will be a real gain to these Brooklyn students and classrooms.”
The pilot program has already shown positive results in the schools after its first month of use.
“Copia has improved the scholar’s ability to facilitate their own learning within the classroom,” said Mrs. Haggins, a ninth-grade teacher participating in the pilot program at Eagle Academy for Young Men II. “The scholars are more engaged with their reading. The accountability for keeping the class flowing has also increased because students receive real-time feedback from both the teacher and their peers. Providing peer feedback on other scholars’ reflections has helped to broaden the critical thinking skills of the class as a whole.”
“I like using Copia because I can comment right in the text and my teacher can see my comments,” said Tyler Lewis, a student in Haggins’ class. “I like that she can see what I post right away. When we need to answer questions, we can highlight it instantly. The text also reads to us in case we don’t know how to say a word.”
“Copia has improved my reading by helping us use advanced technology,” said Damien Goodridge, another student in Haggins’ class. “Copia lets us have our own personal library of books we actually want to read. When you don’t know a word, Copia has a dictionary to help us with it. We don’t have to go to the library or run to get a dictionary, because everything we need is right there.”
“The Copia app on the iPad allows me to learn in a whole new way that is modern and easily accessible,” said Johnnise Nieves, an eighth-grade student participating in the pilot program at M.S. 582.
“The students are engaged, as they are able to highlight text, define unfamiliar words and post comments to both teacher and student questions,” said a teacher participating in the pilot program at P.S. 196. “This leads to genuine discussions and allows all learners to participate whether verbally or via silent posting discussions. The iPads activate multiple intelligences and make reading a fun and enjoyable experience.”
“The kids are excited about the technology,” another teacher added. “We know that technology is the direction of the future. The kids are receptive to the learning processes of Copia on the iPads as well as the options available to excite students and engage them in learning literacy!”
Adams and Copia will continue to follow the progress closely of the pilot program in the three schools, as well as provide continuous support to continue ensuring the initiative’s success. Conversations are ongoing regarding the best metrics to measure the success of the pilot program in the various areas of learning standards achievement, student engagement, as well as advancement in reading levels and comprehension. Adams expressed his excitement with the initial deployment of the pilot program and his hope of improving and expanding the initiative going forward.