By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
PLUMSTED – A new type of classroom could fundamentally change the way students learn in the classroom in the future, according to New Egypt Middle School teachers Caitlin DeBenedictis and Ellen Healy.
The teachers were recently awarded a $10,000 Model Classroom grant from the OceanFirst Foundation that will be used to create the new learning environment in a classroom at the middle school. The OceanFirst Foundation is supported by an endowment provided by OceanFirst Bank.
During a Dec. 14 presentation to the Plumsted Township School District Board of Education about the model classroom, Healy said students will be provided with a modern learning environment that will enhance their creativity and prepare them for the future.
“They need an environment that stimulates their creativity, collaboration and their innovation,” she said. “We think it is not only what we teach, but rather the environment they are learning in that is going to prepare them for the future.”
The grant will allow pupils to experience a workspace that is similar to those found in certain companies. The model classroom will include stand-up desks and tables, stools, balance ball chairs and whiteboard tables, according to a press release from the school district.
The model classroom’s environment will complement the middle school’s one-to-one Chromebook initiative by stimulating communication and learning in a creative 21st century environment, according to the press release.
The goal of the OceanFirst Model Classroom grant program is to support schools that have the vision, creativity and desire to develop model classrooms for learning. New Egypt Middle School was one of 15 schools to receive a $10,000 grant to improve and enhance instruction, according to the press release.
“The beauty of the model classroom grant this year that separates it from others is that a lot of the equipment we will be purchasing will be mobile and allow a greater number of students to receive the benefits,” DeBenedictis said.
“It will also allow students to use the new desks and computer tables in other classes, therefore enhancing and maximizing the learning experience. Though primarily focused in a language arts/social studies classroom, the benefits of the products will be able to be used by a significant portion of the student body in multiple classrooms and content areas, thus promoting a cross-curricular experience,” she said.
“All grade levels will have the opportunity to benefit from this grant as it designed to expose as many students as possible to the new 21st century learning environment,” DeBenedictis said. “Since a lot of the products are mobile, teachers will be able to share resources, allowing even more students to experience the new equipment.
Healy said when students are having fun learning, they are likely to achieve a greater level of success.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun, so if they are enjoying or engaged in what they are doing, chances are they will do better at it,” she said.
Following the presentation by DeBenedictis and Healy, the board members congratulated the teachers for earning the model classroom grant for the middle school.
