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Apple Distinguished School
Benson Elementary School is an Apple Distinguished School. Schools that exhibit 5 best practices in innovation, leadership and educational practices sustaining a successful 1:1 implementation program can be recognized with this honor. -
Flexible Learning Spaces
Benson Elementary is getting new furniture this fall. Not desks to put into rows, but tables of varying shapes and sizes, with write-on surfaces, stools, and chairs on wheels. These will be classrooms where students share and collaborate! Learning ‘zones’ provide locations for various activities: space at the carpet for morning meetings and mini-lesson instruction, tables for multiple students allows for collaboration, and space for the teacher to work with individual students or small groups. -
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is how science curriculum will be implemented at Benson in the near future. By integrating the disciplines through hands-on discovery based instruction, student will have opportunities to apply all subject matters in real-life. -
Project Based Learning
Project Based Learning provides students opportunities to solve real world problems and allows them opportunities to work collaboratively with peers, thinking critically, investigating, and learning while creating authentic solutions and presenting their project to the public. -
Social and Emotional Learning
Part of educating digital natives is understanding that these student will come to school with fewer social skills. As technology infuses more and more into the daily routines of not only students, but families, there is less developmental social interaction, or back-and-forth conversations, occurring. Schools will need to include verbal, social, learning, and play skills into the curriculum so that our students are able to engaging and interact with peers appropriately. -
Personalized Learning and Mixed Grade Levels: K-1, 2-3, 4-5
A benefit of technology in the classrooms is the ability to personalize learning for each student. Along with the personalized learning of each student comes the opportunity to mix ages within the same classroom. The benefits of mixed age classrooms are many as are indicated in the article Mixed-Age Grouping: What Does the Research Say, and How Can Parents Use This Information? http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content4/mixed.age.group.pn.html
