The Technology Association of Georgia and the TAG Education Collaborative have announced that Darlington School has been named as a finalist in the elementary school category for the 2017 Georgia STEM Education Awards.
The Georgia STEM Education Awards recognize schools, programs, and companies for outstanding efforts and achievements in supporting and promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Education in Georgia.
“At Darlington, STEM is integrated seamlessly into every single classroom,” said Beth Wardlaw, technology integration specialist. “We have the most amazing faculty and staff here at Darlington and we are so excited to have our teachers recognized for something they do so passionately every day."
In 2016, Darlington’s Upper School was recognized as the top STEM high school in Georgia. This recognition came about not only as the school has integrated technology into learning, but also as students and teachers have adopted the design thinking model for education.
“Technology taught as an integrated part of all classes has been a focus for Darlington over the past eight years and over that time we have seen this initiative support better teaching and learning,” said Stefan Eady, assistant head of school for academic resources. “It was therefore natural for us to look at STEM as an expansion of this and to seek an integrated approach for it as well. The result has been a focus on more experiential learning, more problem solving and critical thinking, where our students are pulling together multiple skills across disciplines to be creators and innovators. I appreciate organizations like TAG recognizing the success of this unique approach versus how many schools implement STEM programs in isolation from the rest of a student's learning.”
Darlington’s Pre-K to 8 students use a variety of tools and apps in the classroom to promote STEM in the curriculum. Students begin coding, creating iMovies, and making Keynotes and STEM animation as early as pre-K and they continue to build on those skills each year.
"Darlington is committed to making sure technology is a tool for learning, communication, and self-expression and our teachers are comfortable using technology in the classroom,” Wardlaw said. “Students learn to use technology to research, investigate, connect, publish, and create. Our goal is to move students beyond passive, ‘click and consume’ technology use and to empower them with the skills to use 21st Century tools safely and effectively whenever they have a question to answer, a problem to solve, a passion to pursue, or an idea to share.”
2017 Georgia STEM Education Award winners are to be announced during a special awards gala on Nov. 3 in Atlanta. Click here for more information about TAG and the Sixth Annual Georgia STEM Education Awards.
