Submitted by Deborah McClintock
Language Arts Resource Teacher, Hawthorne Elementary 

It has brought laser-like focus on creating learner centered environments in which students are highly engaged and self-motivated.  Students are empowered through the teaching and learning process and are taking greater responsibility for their own learning.  This empowerment comes through choices available for acquiring, developing, and using knowledge and skills and producing evidence of growth and achievement.  Students are becoming increasingly aware of their best learning style…wear headphones, note-taking -write it or record it…work with a partner or alone…read a book online or not… should I work in the tent, on a yoga mat, at a table, at my desk…Students think and choose…What is important for me to learn?  What is the best way for me to learn?  How will I learn?  What is the best way to share my learning? 

The learning centered environment has expanded opportunities for students to find their passions.  They are supported in pursuing learning that matters to them and encouraged to share their passion and make a difference.  Our fifth graders have become the “guardians of the environment” as their learning has pushed them to make Hawthorne Elementary a “green school.”  They have taken action because they were passionate about using what they have learned to make a difference in their world.

We realize the importance of instilling a joy for learning and nurturing the natural curiosity of children to encourage a growth mindset.  They feel good about their own learning and what is possible so they are willing to “productively struggle” to make it happen.  I had a writing conference with a first grade student that was clearly having difficulty organizing and creating a writing project.  I suggested that she might want to take a break and come back to it later and she emphatically stated….”I want to keep writing.”  This shift in thinking in the schoolhouse is advanced and facilitated through the STAT initiative, which includes, but is not defined by the availability of one to one devices.  The excitement is palpable.  Coding, writing and illustrating a book, building a water filtration system, creating a book trailer, research, skyping with other students not limited by physical boundaries, interviewing experts, blogging, maintaining a website, virtual travel…Children feel that their learning matters.  The authentic brings joy.

Submitted by Corri Roche
STEM Coordinator & Science Department Chair, Chesapeake High

On Tuesday, April 14th, I had an opportunity to join some of my colleagues from Chesapeake High School on a Learning Walk at Hawthorne Elementary School.  As one of the Lighthouse Schools within our district, the environments in which students learn are transitioning away from the traditional classroom, and shifting to a more technology rich, student centered  focus. My compliments go out to the staff at Hawthorne Elementary on the very positive culture and feel within the building as we had an opportunity to walk around.

The data that was shared is impressive and it was evident that the classrooms were more student focused and very consistent in terms of how they are thoughtfully arranged.  In many classrooms it was difficult to identify “teacher desks” as this was simply not the focal point of the classrooms, and the opportunities for differentiation and differentiated assessment with some of the programs they are using clearly meets the needs of students on all levels and allows for teachers to monitor progress behind the scenes.  Many classrooms also displayed student “goals statements”, further evidence of students being aware of their learning styles and taking accountability for their progress.  

As the STEM Coordinator at Chesapeake since 2006, I have done a lot of work with our feeder elementary and middle schools, and I had an opportunity on Tuesday to talk with Hawthorne’s STEM integration teacher, Kathy Benson.  We had some ideas for collaborating with the robotics programs in both of our schools, possibly through video conferencing, and I am looking forward to this opportunity.   I am also hoping that there will be further opportunities for collaborative professional development amongst  teachers at all levels as we begin to see these changes in teaching and learning ripple up to middle and high school learning environments.

Submitted by Eric Sloan
STAT Teacher, Hillcrest Elementary

As the STAT teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School I have the privilege of attending our faculty visits to our zone Lighthouse Elementary schools.  Now that we are part way through this process I am very excited about the upcoming year at Hillcrest.  Any uncertainties I might have had about the implementation of the 1:1 program and the learner centered environment in grades 1-3 have been pushed aside by the STAT professional development and our Lighthouse visitations.  Seeing the real life implementation of the theories and practices we have been learning about was a rewarding experience and has allowed me to clearly visualize a strategy for our implementation next year. 

When walking through a Lighthouse school you can see how individual teachers have personalized the way in which they are implementing the ideals of the blended learner centered classroom.  Teachers have accessed their innate powers of innovation in responding to the needs of their students which is clearly reflected in the physical layout of their rooms, as well as in the design of their instruction.  The old adage “form follows function” comes to mind as I observe how the classroom space now lends itself to the principles of choice, collaboration, and independence.

The turning point in our journey this year was our first Lighthouse school visitation to Church Lane Elementary Technology School.  Classrooms began to look different, conversations about the process have become more frequent and discussion is now focused on what we are going to do in the coming months as we move from theory to implementation.  I feel we are now ready for the introduction of over 300 computing devices in grades 1-3 to “power steer” our transition to a learner centered environment and cannot wait to continue our journey next year.

Submitted by Corrinne Dalfonzo and Amy Piunti
1st Grade Teachers, Chase Elementary
This post originally appeared in Creative Educator

At our Lighthouse School in Baltimore County, we have been provided with powerful technology tools and have been tasked with piloting “interactive and blended instruction as a model demonstration site.” The 1:1 ratio of students to devices at our site has helped our first graders to become adept at using a variety of technology products. 

Wixie has become a teacher and student favorite due to the abundance and easy-to-use nature of its integrated tools. After working with Wixie in the classroom, we realized that we could use some of its unique capabilities to engage our students’ other teachers – their parents.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

It has always been difficult to verbally convey to parents the extent of their child’s fluency and ability to identify sight words. To make this less abstract to parents, we now create recordings of students reading multiple selections of text and sight words to share on conference day.

Parents hear their child reading and follow along in the text as we provide feedback about how the child’s fluency can be improved. Parents can also see and hear the words students have mastered and become familiar with concepts their child needs additional time to master.

The value of this dialogue is magnified when parents access their child’s Wixie profile at home, review the feedback shared at the conference, and work with their child on text and sight words.

We love logging on to Wixie at night and seeing new student fluency recordings. At first, our students were surprised when they came in the next morning and heard us remark about their work from the night before. Because we can regularly communicate with parents via Wixie about specific learning activities, every day has the potential to be a conference day!

Wixie at Home

Some of our parents expressed frustration with their child’s lack of interest in reading at home on a consistent basis. Additionally, they weren’t sure what types of questions they could ask their children to gauge comprehension and stimulate higher-level thinking skills.

To support them, we use Wixie to customize reading selections and comprehension questions based on each student’s individual strengths and needs. Parents open these customized Wixie activities with their children at home and use the recording tool to capture each student’s reading and answers.

Parents have even used the tools in Wixie to ask us questions about assignments! Our feedback is added directly to the Wixie project for parents to see and hear. This literally puts us on the same page as the parents.

Even though “new math” isn’t really new anymore, many of our parents are still hearing comments like, “That’s not how my teacher does it!” To help, we use Wixie to make brief recordings to review each day’s math concepts so that parents can pull up their child’s Wixie profile and get a glimpse into what, and how, their child learned that day. We also take advantage of Wixie’s Instructions feature to write and record specific directions for homework activities.

Many of the math tools we use in the classroom, such as unifix cubes and base ten blocks, are not readily available at home. Instead, we utilize Wixie’s clone option to create virtual math manipulatives to incorporate with story problems assigned for homework. Parents appreciate not having to search toy bins for cubes or small plastic teddy bears!

Special Student-Parent Projects

Wixie proved to be the perfect tool for a special bear-related project our first graders completed with their parents during American Education Week. Historically, parents have spent this visiting time sitting in the back of the room observing. Thanks to Wixie, this year went way beyond watching!

Our first grade English Language Arts curriculum calls for students to research information about bears. Our students build expertise about bears by exploring student databases and watching a video called “Tasha the Polar Bear.” Next, they take on the role of a bear and answer questions interview questions asked by their parents.

With guidance from the teachers, parents used the Instructions feature in Wixie to record themselves asking their “bear” a question on each page of a four-page project. Students respond by recording their answers in their best bear voices and using Wixie’s paint tools and clip art stickers to illustrate or visually represent and support their answers.

Coupled with “bear/parent” selfies, this project became an exciting and effective way to address important Common Core State Standards in speaking and listening and reading comprehension. The use of Wixie and an authentic audience helped enhance the quality of student work. The experience also gave parents great ideas for how to use Wixie at home with their children!

What’s Next?

In addition to being a powerful tool for our students to explore the curriculum, Wixie’s unique features have enhanced our ability to communicate with parents and involve them in the learning process. We are looking forward to discovering additional ways to use Wixie and other important tech tools with our parent community. If you have ideas, we’d love to hear them!