The students in my two elective classes enjoy challenging hands-on activities. This year our school is offering a new technology elective and a computer/coding course that has been restructured. These changes offer exciting new learning opportunities for our students, however, I have seen the need for alternative resources in order to meet student needs.
My middle school students are intelligent, creative and eager to seek out inventive ways to solve problems.
They thrive on discovery and applying knowledge in unique ways.
These students are also great collaborators, coaches and mentors to our younger students. The excitement they have for acquiring and mastering new skills is amazing!
My Project
Spheros enhance student learning by providing them a fun and engaging resource that can be utilized in a variety of ways. The Spheros allow students to explore on their own, work collaboratively, follow specific teacher-led plans, add code and so much more. The exciting part with the Spheros is the versatility. I teach electives, but my students are all in core courses so this allows us to incorporate all subject matters into our explorations.
This project will benefit our students by providing them new avenues to learn.
Zaidee Stavely from the Mindshift Learning Podcast says that creative outlets offer students opportunities to “open their brains in different ways, get them excited about learning and allow them to have fun. Playful learning can in turn lead to deeper engagement with school, better retention of learning and a stronger motivation to persist all the way through school.”
Allowing students choices to explore areas of interest that supplement and extend the curriculum is a natural fit for our students, and especially for the technology field.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Henderson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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