Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Purposeful play helps kids learn–here’s how to integrate it

Key points:

  • Teachers agree that learning through play is a more effective way for students to learn compared to more traditional approaches
  • Students say their favorite times in the classroom are when they get to do hands-on activities and believe that play helps them learn
  • See related article: How to integrate a computer science curriculum into K-5 classrooms
  • For more news on teaching trends and curriculum, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching page

A new survey of K-8 teachers and students from LEGO Education found that nearly all (98 percent) of students say purposeful play helps them learn and the majority (96 percent) of teachers believe it’s more effective than traditional methods like lectures or textbooks. On top of that, almost 80 percent of students want more playful learning experiences in the classroom.

Despite these benefits, 40 percent of teachers are incorporating play only once a week or less, and nearly half (47 percent) think they spend too much time on it.…Read More

CoderZ Introduces an Engaging New Course, Featuring LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Throughout August, CoderZ is offering free access to their new Adventure Course, featuring a virtual LEGO Education SPIKE Prime.  The course is based on the award-winning CoderZ virtual robotics learning environment and is offered free this month to help keep students safely learning amidst the uncertainty caused by the global pandemic.

The CoderZ Adventure Course empowers teachers to teach their students the basics of coding and robotics, whether they are in classrooms or at home, and without needing any coding or robotics experience. The course is designed to make it easy for educators to monitor and evaluate students’ progression, understanding and implementation of STEAM concepts and principles.

The online course can be used as a complement to hands-on building activities with a physical SPIKE Prime set, either before or parallel to the hands-on experience. Visit CoderZ for more information: https://gocoderz.com/lego_education_spike_prime/…Read More

LEGO’s WeDo 2.0 teaches science, coding

New wireless, tablet-ready robot-based learning system for elementary science curriculum teaches science and coding in a hands-on way

At the International Consumer Electronics Show, LEGO Education launched LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, a hands-on science solution designed for elementary classrooms using a robot-based learning system.

The solution combines the LEGO brick, classroom-friendly software and engaging, standards-based projects to teach elementary students essential science practices and skills.

With WeDo 2.0, students explore, create and share their scientific discoveries as they build, program and modify projects. Through a series of collaborative challenges, they deeply engage with science, engineering, technology, and coding, sparking a love for experimentation and investigation.…Read More

Six tips for classroom technology success

An industry advisory panel of educators shares strategies to help teachers – regardless of their tenure – implement education technology in the classroom

lego-technologyThe LEGO Education Advisory Panel (LEAP) advises LEGO Education, the education division within the LEGO group, on how to meet the needs of educators and students. The panel consists of 50 educators, across all levels of education, who are experienced with the trials and triumphs of using unconventional teaching tools in the classroom.

Drawing from our experience using a wide gamut of education technology, we compiled the following list of tips and tricks to help teachers —regardless of their tenure —implement education technology in their own classroom.

1.  Be sure to teach the concept that failure is an important and expected part of the process. What we learn from each failure or mistake is the important part and will lead to the next version, or improved iteration in the problem solving process.
– Beth Brubaker, grades 1-8 Project Specialist, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy…Read More

Robotics engages students, experts say

LEGO MINDSTORMS is part of the company's "Robotics for All Ages" program.

Engaging students at younger ages and making science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education more appealing were some of the main topics up for discussion at a roundtable discussion hosted by LEGO Education and National Instruments on June 3.

“I think a lot of kids [who] are sitting in classrooms aren’t engaged, because we aren’t stimulating them,” said Joan Abdallah of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS). “If we really engage the kids using various kinds of technology, I think we could be very successful.”…Read More