Dear Fort Ann Families,
Welcome to the 2018-19 school year! As the year progresses, the movement toward an increase in real-world technology-based learning experiences for our students will be a top priority. Authentic learning can take place in many forms, from career and technical educational experiences to career exploration. Providing opportunities for our students to discover and foster their passions through collaborative experiences allows a student to take ownership of their studies, while finding creative and unique ways to display their knowledge.
Many of us experienced school through the traditional “stand-and-deliver” method of instruction. I am pleased to say that this traditional approach to teaching is being replaced by the “guide-on-the-side” philosophy. Today, we are asking our teachers to become mentors and coaches for their students. Teachers are being trained to facilitate and oversee activities and to provide assistance when needed, to help children shift from being consumers of information to people who can analyze and synthesize material, reach their own conclusions, and demonstrate their mastery of the material through something of their own creation. Teachers are lecturing less and consulting more, encouraging students to collaborate, question, research, discover and explore their interests in a more flexible manner.
In order to foster these skills, our Capital Improvement Project includes the creation of a “Makerspace.” The Makerspace concept is a location where people gather to share knowledge and resources, engage in science, engineering, robotics, tinkering, and art while using new technologies and equipment to build and invent prototypes. The skills children learn through engaging in this type of environment – research, innovation, and collaboration – have been increasingly identified as 21st Century Skills that students need to develop in order to prepare for increasingly complex lives and work environments.
As you can see, many of our ongoing goals and initiatives focus on allowing our students to take control of their own learning through interesting, challenging, and meaningful learning experiences, while helping them to understand what makes them unique. I encourage you to take a look at the rest of this year's goals and see our action plan (below) for making 2018-19 the best year yet.
Sincerely yours,
Kevin A. Froats