Hands-on learning prioritized at new Tenn. elementary lab
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (AP) — Sulphur Springs Elementary has unveiled its new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Lab, in which the school’s principal says students will be able to engage in “fun learning.”
Through grant funding and support from STEM LD (Learning Design), thanks to Niswonger Children’s Foundation and East Tennessee State University, in cooperation with Daniel Boone High School and partnerships with members of the Washington County community, Sulphur Springs Elementary is the first school in the county that has a CTE lab made available to students.
“The biggest goal is just engagement with fun learning,” said the school’s principal, Dr. David Little.
In the CTE lab, students in grades five through eight are able to engage in hands-on and immersive learning that is centered on exposing them to industry career opportunities. Students go through rotations throughout the year that give them opportunities to experiment with VEX Robotics, electrical systems, food truck design, hydroponics and more.
Additionally, thanks to the generous donation of Oculus virtual reality headsets, the students are able to experience what it is like working in different career fields and visiting different places in the world. They can see what it’s like to be an astronaut, an engineer, a welder, a mechanic and more. They can also experience Paris, Greece, New York and other places through the Wander App on the Oculus.
The students have time built into their daily class schedules which allows them to work in two-week rotations, exploring the various subjects. In these two weeks, students engage in design planning, technical reading and writing and design testing on all of their projects.
These “extended learning opportunities” are available to students before and after school in...