Technology Accelerates Learning

At St Rose Of Lima Preschool

Teachers at St Rose of Lima Preschool credit students’ advances in learning this year to the introduction of iPads in the school curriculum.

The tablet computers have been provided by the preschool, and are used in concert with SmartBoard technology and as a supplement to traditional hands-on learning for the school’s 60 3-, 4, and 5-year old students.

“My 5-year-old class used to learn one ‘letter of the month,’ and at this time in past years we still had several letters to go,” said teacher Donna Rahtelli. “But this year, thanks to applications they are using on the school iPads, my students know all of their letters. So they are several months ahead, and are now where we would typically be at the end of the school year.”

Angela Nastri and Amanda Delaney, teachers of the 4-year-old class, agree that the students they teach have accelerated their learning this year using the suite of applications available on the iPads, in conjunction with hands-on learning and communal learning on the school’s SmartBoard.

“My students began the year using the ‘read to me’ feature on the age-appropriate iBooks we provided,” said Ms Nastri, “but now there are several who are choosing ‘read by myself.’ In my years of teaching, I can say that I’ve never seen that.”

Twelve iPads were purchased by St Rose Preschool this year, and joined the school’s SmartBoard, which is an interactive whiteboard designed specifically for educational use.

“We wanted to give our teachers access to more resources and take advantage of the powerful interactive learning tools available for preschoolers,” said St Rose Assistant Principal Mary Jo Bokuniewicz.

The tablets reside in the school’s “specials” room, along with headsets, and classes rotate through once, twice, or three times each week for 30-minute sessions.

Applications have been preloaded on the devices that assist with learning phonics and numbers, or help perform interactive assessments — and teachers help students select activities that address their individual learning needs.

“I had a few students this year who had issues learning numbers and letters,” said Ms Rahtelli. “They started using the iPad, and it was like a light bulb went off. Now they know every letter and number.”

Ms Delaney agreed, saying, “My students are learning without realizing that they’re learning. To them, this is fun, not work.”

Some school parents were skeptical when the tablets were introduced, but they have been won over.

Ms Delaney also said the tablets and the SmartBoard are used to supplement learning, and roughly 80 percent of class time is spent on traditional hands-on learning.

“We use the iPads for individualized learning, and the SmartBoard for fun, communal learning,” said Ms Delaney, “for example, singing and dancing to songs that get the children moving and absorbing lessons in a more physical way.”

The teachers also provide a list of applications to parents interested in helping their preschoolers continue lessons outside of the classroom on their own tablet, personal computers, or smart phones.

The three preschool teachers said they know of no other preschool program in the area using the devices.

“We may be pioneers,” said Ms Bokuniewicz, “but [St Rose of Lima Principal] Mary Maloney and I believe strongly that this is the future of learning. We are raising a generation of ‘digital natives,’ and if we can give children an educational advantage from a young age, we’re going to make that investment.”