Teacher Highlight

Every day we hear about new and innovative ways our customers are integrating response technology into their classrooms. These stories were so good we just couldn’t keep them to ourselves. Thats why we developed "Teacher Highlights".

Do you have any suggestions for our next Teacher Highlight or would you like to be featured for your innovative use of response technology? Contact us.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with two women from Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, Florida who's academic efforts have resulted in a success story that not only has helped their students, but also the planet. The first is Michele Northrup, who maintains public relations as well as fundraising and grant writing initiatives at Learning Gate. The second is Jennifer Weis, a 4th grade teacher, who's personal commitment to each and every one of her students is truly something to be admired.

Learning Gate Community School is a public institution with approximately 525 students from K-12 to 8th grade. It sits on 32 acres of pristine natural landscape that harmonizes the academic classroom with the learning opportunities of the world that surrounds it (the school's motto is "Nature is our best teacher"). The campus includes several nature trails, outdoor classrooms as well as a 100 year old log cabin that serves as the school's library. Through our discussion, I've gotten the impression that Learning Gate makes every decision based on two things, "How will this affect our students?" and "How is this going to affect the environment?" - a thought process any parent could appreciate when selecting a school . And this is apparent, as the school currently has a wait list of over 500 anxious students.

Being so environmentally "in-tune", it comes as no surprise that Learning Gate has made a significant effort in maintaining a "green" campus. So much so, that they have been recognized as the first Platinum registered school in the country, the highest level achievable, by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and LEED an internationally recognized green building certification system. Ranking is determined by a quantitative point score achieved for using "green" building products. A few examples used by Learning Gate include, low VOC paints, recycled building materials and alternative insulation and air conditioning solutions. Turning's student response system was also part of this initiative. "Our entire curriculum is based on nature and the environment, which is why TurningPoint is such a wonderful fit for our school. By choosing to go paperless, we are able to stay committed to our low ecological footprint," commented Michele.

Initially, Learning Gate came across Turning's student response solution as a means to help their school become more "green" by reducing the amount of paper used for traditional student activities and assessments. However, within the first few uses, both Michele and Jennifer quickly realized how powerful the tool truly is in the classroom. They observed that the TurningPoint presentations got students excited about the learning process and for showing what they know. "They genuinely took more interest in what was being taught and they loved the instant feedback," said Jennifer, "Reserved students suddenly became more engaged and involved, they no longer were afraid to answer."

As I reflected on what Jennifer had said, it made me think. Today's students are used to instant communication. It's ever present in their text messaging, social networking, e-mails, messenger services etc. Why not give them the same experience in class? Michele, Jennifer and myself discussed how with the TurningPoint system, students no longer wait to see if they answered a question correctly. They can instantly see where their comprehension level is compared to other students. The instant feedback also helps teachers. "I am able to see where students need help and rather than waiting for a test to gauge understanding, I can do it right then during class," said Jennifer. Jennifer continued by explaining how the reports generated from the data compiled during class is invaluable for her as a teacher. It saves her time and helps keep her on track as to the specific needs of her students.

In the future, Learning Gate is looking to expand the use of student response to even more teachers as well as possibly purchasing Turning's ResponseCards that allow for text based feedback. Additionally, they are looking to increase the use of the TurningPoint AnyWhere application as they may be converting to Mac computers in the near future.

After our interview, Michele forwarded me some hand drawn/written pieces from 3rd grade students at Learning Gate saying how much and why they enjoy using the TurningPoint student response system. I've included a few below - These brought a smile to my face, I hope they do to you too.

If you are interested in learning more about "Green" schools, check out www.greenschoolbuildings.org