Creating a “space of possibility” for students.
“I think the mentality of folks who stay in education for a long time is that we just make do with what we have,” Principal Beth Thompson says. But working with Verizon Innovative Learning “reignited for me personally that staying in the space of possibility is the space in which things truly become possible that haven't been possible before.”
The new lab has given students and teachers “a space designated toward the work of designing and innovating,” she says.
“It’s sent a strong message to students, teachers and our community that – for real – this is what we’re going to be about. And it’s not just talk. We’re opening up possibilities in a visible and tangible way.”
What’s more, the lab is empowering students in a way they haven’t been empowered before. “They’re creating their own educational experiences,” she says.
And there’s something else the lab has done that can’t necessarily be measured: it’s given the school a big dose of pride. When Mayor Vi Lyles attended the lab’s ribbon cutting, the kids were in awe. She explains, “This lab has really put us on the map.” ♦
It means more space for hands-on learning.
“We've been doing all of our experiments and driving all the teachers crazy right here in this hallway,” Project Lead the Way teacher Ken Dawson says, talking about the student competitions he used to stage in the hall outside his room before the Verizon Innovative Learning lab. His ambitious experiments were often too big and complex for his classroom. The lab has provided a bigger runway.
The kids appreciate how much more spacious the lab is than a classroom, but Dawson notices details about the lab his students miss. For instance, the electrical outlets hang down from the ceiling at each table.
It’s a more efficient design, since it means kids don’t have to get up from a table where they’re creating something to plug into one of the few available wall outlets in a traditional classroom. More time gets devoted to learning and making than transporting and charging.
Coming from a business background, Dawson understands what skills kids need in the real world. There are three essential soft skills employers look for. “An ability to think, the ability to work in a group and the ability to solve problems,” he says. “The lab allows kids to do all three.” ♦
“There are no limitations, no constraints.”
Keith Coles, a Whitewater math teacher turned Project Lead The Way teacher this year, says his formerly traditional classroom was adequate before the lab, but it didn’t have any windows or natural light. Coles wanted to teach in a space that felt inspiring – and now that his classroom connects to the new lab through sliding glass doors, he does. “When we walk in the lab, the whole class has the sense that we’re about to do something great,” he says.
He may use and love the lab more than anyone else at Whitewater. Coles believes education has to be about more than test scores and that the lab is a great equalizer.
Any student – no matter how they’re doing in class, no matter their personal situation – can come into his class and take on the challenge there. The lab allows kids to make discoveries on their own. And that reinforces the idea, so prevalent at Whitewater, that there’s more than one right answer.
Even teachers who don’t use the lab as an extension of their classroom have seen the benefits of it, Coles says. “Other teachers will tell me that a student is inattentive or otherwise causing a problem in class, and I’ll say, ‘Come observe him in my class.’ They’ll start to see that student in a different light when they see him engaged and even leading other students through a hands-on project.”
In the lab, he says, “there are no limitations, no constraints.” ♦