Nestled in the suburbs of the Bay Area lies a school committed to expanding the minds of gifted and talented children. Whether they are building forts, projects or opinions, The Nueva School is focused on students gaining a deeper understanding of the world and human experience, while allowing for high levels of learner choice and expression. They have a one-to-one laptop program, with Apple MacBooks issued to each student in grades 6-8. We went there with the purpose of looking at the integration of technology, but we came away with some other very important ideas about differentiation and educating the whole child:
"I think we learned from Nueva that there are very clear procedures and practices for teaching students how to use and care for their laptops. I particularly noted a sense of student pride and engagement with the laptops. I was told by students that the laptops "keep me organized", "make my work seem more important", and "help me stay focused in class." I think all of these comments point out some of the reasons this could be a good tool for middle school students... Nueva convinced me that our students would benefit from a one-to-one laptop program.
-Bunny Hill
"At the beautiful Nueva school, nestled in the California Hills, I was inspired by the student voices and choices so evident in each of the classes we observed. It was fascinating to learn about how the design process was integrated across the curriculum and in their Innovation Lab. Our hosts were very gracious and the school felt like a very gentle place to learn and grow.”
-Ann Rai
Overall, the time spent visiting Nueva gave us confidence that our ideas about integrating technology at WCS are right on! We are moving in a direction which will enrich the classroom environment, enable the students to be extremely creative, and globalize their understanding of human experience.
Visit the Nueva website for more information about their very unique school: The Nueva School
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