Overview
The Super Saturdays Program at CWRU is one of the several Math Corps replication programs in the country.
The Math Corps stands on the belief that all children have a unique and special greatness within them, and that through hard work and with the support of a caring community, this greatness can be realized.
Together, with the Math Corps Summer Camp offered at Cleveland State University, the programs allow children to develop their talents and support each other through their middle and high school years.
By participating in the program, students and mentors come together to build a caring community that fosters academic excellence for all and advances educational equity in the Cleveland area.
History
Since 2016, Case Western Reserve University has been home to the Super Saturdays program. We meet for 6-8 Saturday sessions in the Spring semester on the CWRU campus. In connection with the Super Saturdays experience, students can apply to attend the summer camp at Cleveland State University (CSU) throughout their middle and high school years.
Philosophy
A sense of family: students, teachers and mentors in the program come together with the commitment of helping each other realize their own greatness. This commitment is reflected in how we interact, making sure all children feel part of the Super Saturdays family.
Math as a language of science and technology: Mathematics is presented as a beautiful, universal language to appreciate in the abstract and to help us understand the world. As technology takes on a much relevant role in human development and ethics, we consider it an issue of social justice that all students are empowered with the language of sciences and technology.
High standards and a growth mindset: All students are expected to meet high academic standards regardless of past performance. Worksheets are tailored to what each student needs, based on their pretest performance. The importance of hard work and academic success is stressed constantly and competition is against one's own self, fostering a growth mindset.
Learning together and teaching each other: Our curriculum is taught within small groups, open discussion, and cooperation with one another. In the program, learning is a two-way relationship: younger students learn from older students who support them in ways that reach well beyond the realm of academics; older students, by tutoring and mentoring, deepen their own understanding of mathematics and develop self-esteem that comes from being good role models for their students. As team leaders, CWRU students, are the support system under which these positive interactions take place.
