TOWN of SCOTT, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Classrooms across the world are looking for new ways to encourage innovative thinking at a young age.
One school in our area is transforming the way they teach their elementary school students.
Wequiock Elementary in the Town of Scott has transformed classrooms to stem labs and they’ve added a garden and chicken coop as part of their Environmental Science Center.
“The students here are amazing they come with so many ideas and ways to solve our own real-world problems,” said Jennifer Beno, a second-grade teacher.
Students, like 4th grader Mason Beno, are applying critical thinking skills learned in the STEM science labs to their new environmental workspaces.
“I’m excited to see what color eggs they lay. One of them is supposed to lay olive green eggs, and some have really big white ones.”
Jennifer Beno tells FOX 11 she has already incorporated the chickens into her lesson plans.
“We were able to tie it in last week of basic animal needs. How much space do they need how much food do they need?”
Inside classrooms range from an “inquiry lab” with greenhouse windows to a tech lab with a green screen and virtual reality.
“This is the biggest change that I’ve seen over my years of teaching. We’re not in the classroom learning through textbooks, we have so much media and resources, so we can be hands-on with the students,” said Jennifer Beno.
“Students are really able to come up with their own ideas and then pursue them based on their own interests.”
By fifth grade, the students use the engineer design process in the environment and find real solutions.
