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.
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.
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