Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence Grants Enable Innovative Teaching
by Marie Heath
Five grants awarded by the Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence are enabling teachers in the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District to employ innovative instructional strategies in various fields of study including engineering, science, language arts and geography.
Teachers applied for the grants of up to $500 last Fall, proposing their programs and listing the materials required to implement them. "We want to encourage imaginative projects, those that enhance the education of students at all levels so every student reaches his or her full potential," commented J. Michael Sunderland, chairman of the Foundation's Grants Committee. "Beyond that, we give weight to programs that impact a large group of students and use materials that can be used over several years or shared by other teachers and their classes."
All recipients welcomed the grants in these challenging economic times. Teachers have had to raise money for supplemental teaching materials by such means as PTO raffles, recycling printer cartridges and even buying supplies out of their own pockets. For larger projects like these, teachers seek grants. Some of those whose projects required more than $500 indicated that the Foundation grant had enhanced their chances of getting the additional funds from other sources.
Four second grade teachers at Westminster Elementary School have purchased interactive maps to support about 100 students. Their proposal cited a study showing both boys and girls benefit from the use of manipulatives and visuals which maintain interest and strengthen learning. The maps provide students with choices from clearly marked categories about their world. "All the students responded with great enthusiasm and curiosity when the maps were presented," commented teacher Jane Leamy. "Children seem to enjoy anything that 'talks' to them." Students are learning to identify directions, locate geographical areas such as continents, major lakes, rivers and mountain ranges, all while providing an enrichment of their Social Studies vocabulary. An unexpected benefit has been that the students are signing up to use the maps in small groups even during indoor recess. This has allowed teachers "to subtly include children who struggle with social skills and often play alone," said Leamy.
Students at John R. Briggs Elementary School in grades 3 through 5 will be introduced to an interactive "brightboard" system. This system, partially funded by the Foundation, consists of a computer, projector and multiple wireless tablets. Teachers and students interact with text projected on a screen using the tablets. This technology will be used in the context of a writing curriculum that emphasizes a process approach to writing and directly teaches editing and revising skills. It also promotes cooperative and small group learning. Tiffany Davis, a technology specialist at the school, said "This initial purchase is a test case for the technology. As our comfort level grows, we can try the system in other curriculum areas. Imagine being able to interact with Google maps while teaching a geography lesson!" Davis added, "We usually manage to raise about $200 per year through our own fundraising efforts. Without the Foundation grant it would have taken us another two years to raise the money."
Science teacher Tony Gleason and Language Arts teacher Kristi DiSalle will team up to implement an interdisciplinary program for the sixth graders at Overlook Middle School. The program revolves around a book titled "George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt" authored by the renowned theoretical physicist Steven Hawking. George takes students on a scavenger hunt through the solar system, imparting a lot of factual information about the planets and other celestial objects. About half of the books have been purchased with the Foundation grant. In the first phase of the program, as students study the solar system in Science class using standard textbooks, they will be studying elements of fiction using the Hawking book in English class. "What we find with kids is the more times you can get them the information, the more likely it is to stick," commented Gleason, Science teacher at the school.
In a second phase, Science class students will be asked to present the factual information they learned about planets using posters and other props such as three dimensional models. In Language Arts, students will be required to write an 'Ode to a Planet' using poetic techniques learned in class and written from the fictional George's perspective. The poems will be incorporated into a poetry book.
Fourth grade teachers at WES are piloting a new spelling program, Word Study, using the text "Words Their Way" which offers a creative way to address the need to teach students at various levels of achievement. The focus is on placing words into categories and making associations and connections between words. A tub of magnetic letters along with the texts for the teachers were purchased with the Foundation grant. Word Study allows for the teachers to differentiate lessons and teach each student at their instructional level. The materials will be used for several years and can be shared with the third grade.
Other materials to be funded by the Foundation this year include robotics parts for the Robotics and Engineering classes at Oakmont Regional High School. Teachers David Lantry and Greg Secino have teamed up with Vex Robotics to host a regional robotics competition at Oakmont later this year. It will be open to all mid-Wachusett area schools. In preparation for the event, students at Oakmont will be introduced to robotics design, engineering, construction and programming targeted at a real world problem. The parts purchased with the Foundation grant will be used not only for this year's competition, but for future competitions and courses.
Aside from these grants, the Foundation has implemented a Wish List program which allows donors to target their contributions toward specific teacher requested materials. Donations may also be made via the foundation website at www.ashwestfoundation.org.
