MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) - An elementary school in Mitchell will offer a learning program starting next school year allowing students to work at their own pace.
The personalized learning method will allow a group of students at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary School to meet academic standards while studying in a non-traditional classroom setting, The Daily Republic (https://bit.ly/1X71BA5 ) reported.
During a recent lesson on fractions in a third-grade classroom using the personalized method, some students worked on a smartboard, others used a notepad and pencil and others analyzed a banana bread recipe. Foam blocks were also available to help students build different fractions.
The newspaper reports that the classroom is a glimpse into what the 60 or so students who have signed up for the Personalized Learning Community will experience at G.B. Rogers Elementary.
Principal Vicki Harmdierks said the program is meant to close the gap in customized learning opportunities between elementary and middle school. Mitchell Middle School already has a similar customized-learning program and the high school offers advanced-class options such as Advanced Placement courses.
Harmdierks said students in the elementary’s Personalized Learning Community will be able to earn credits for meeting standards in advanced grade levels.
“We want to be able to build that bridge, we want them to be able to move on and take those higher-level classes,” Harmdierks said.
Students will also get to tap into their own interests while learning core academic principles. For example, a student with an interest in dinosaurs could measure a dinosaur footprint or read a book about the history of dinosaurs as ways to understand academic concepts.
“Our goal is they will actually be meeting these standards with the interest level that they want to learn about,” Harmdierks said. “We believe if they are learning what they want to learn more about, that they will take more ownership.”
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Information from: The Daily Republic, https://www.mitchellrepublic.com
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