Glencore and Tieri State School engage for student success

The 2022 ‘Engaging for Success’ partnership aims to increase the academic and behavioural engagement of students in their learning, in order to improve their academic achievement, particularly in Science, Technologies and Mathematics (STEM).

Through this partnership and investment from Glencore, the school has been able to purchase four state of the art touch boards for each of their classrooms. They arrived on Thursday, 17 February to the delight of students and teachers alike.

We asked Tieri State School Principal, Jennifer Farquhar, to tell us more about how the touch boards can help engage students for success in STEM education.

AS PRINCIPAL, WHY ARE YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT STEM EDUCATION FOR TIERI STUDENTS?

A key driver in education is creating 21st century learners. STEM education is a vital part of this process. STEM offers possibilities for students to be critical and creative thinkers. It develops their Information Communication skills and embraces a positive and useful platform to engage with technology. It takes students beyond screen time to a springboard for learning.

STEM education enables our students to develop solutions to complex problems by providing them with literacies and capabilities that will help them succeed in a world of technological change. Tieri may be a small regional town, but our students are still future innovators, educators, researchers and leaders – it’s important that they develop the skills required to compete on a global scale.

WHAT IS A TOUCH BOARD AND WHY DID YOU WANT TO INVEST IN THEM FOR THE SCHOOL?

A touch board is a digital tool that enhances collaboration and engagement, and encourages discussion and ideas in our classrooms. Students today have access to all types of technologies however, most of the time, they engage in social networking
and gaming. Technologies can bring the whole world into the classroom, extending students’ understanding and stretching their capabilities. Touch boards enable us to do that. Having a touch board in each classroom helps us to create a mobile STEM Space that provides our students with access to online learning at their fingertips…literally.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS?

Without exception, each teacher has expressed gratitude both verbally and through the excitement in their faces. For teachers, the most valuable and important resource is our students, so to be able to have access to a tool that helps those students to learn is amazing.

HOW HAVE THE STUDENTS REACTED?

There were audible gasps of excitement as the touch boards were wheeled into the classrooms! Their immediate engagement with them really augurs well for their future learning. As is always the way, our students (even our youngest) have already outstripped the capabilities of the rest of us in learning how to navigate the touch board and its functionalities. And that’s just the way we want it! Our goal is to have students eager to learn and to use technologies, to improve achievement through engagement. With these touch boards, we are well on the way.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU BELIEVE THE TOUCHBOARDS WILL MAKE IN THE TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE, AND THE DAY-TO-DAY EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT OF THE STUDENTS?

From a teaching perspective, the practicalities and efficiencies offered by the touch board mean that the step from planning to implementation is seamless. The functionality of the board means that it can be used as a write-on screen, an interactive panel, it can connect wirelessly to devices, and combine multiple peripherals into one. Teachers have a whole new toolkit to present content to their classes and a whole new range of learning objects to help engage the different learning styles of their students.

For students, this means that on a daily basis they will have the capacity to engage visually, kinaesthetically and audibly with their education. They’ll have opportunities to use the technology to learn as a class, in groups or as individuals; to collaborate with peers to create information and data; to present findings or projects; to quickly organise information into T-Charts; Venn diagrams and graphs; to sign into class; event to connect with Japanese lessons. The opportunities are absolutely endless and we’re all looking forward to leveraging them.