Teachers are among the most creative people, especially in the St. Vrain Valley School District. Using funding from Teacher Innovation Grants, they are changing the way students are learning as well.
Awards for Teacher Innovation Grants, supplied by the St. Vrain Valley Education Foundation, or SVVEF, went out to 53 local teachers in the district in January.
More than 80 applications were submitted, down 15% to 20% from previous years, from teachers looking to make a difference in their classrooms by trying something new.
Brittany Duncan is a significant support needs teacher for elementary students at Thunder Valley K-8.
Duncan was awarded a fully-funded grant for her idea to include sensory pathways in the halls of the school for all students and even adults, she told The Leader in January.
“A sensory path is a colorful, creative and playful way for kids to build sensory pathways, connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, sound, etc., which enable kids to complete complex, multi-stage tasks. A sensory path is a great way for kids to develop motor skills like balance, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness, and is normally made with stickers that can be stuck to any surface,” according to the Fit and Fun Playscapes blog.
The idea came to Duncan after she toured several schools in the Westminster area that had similar pathways in the halls. She felt it would help individuals escape screen and learning time and simply take a brain break.
On Thursday, Duncan received the vinyl stickers that would make up the pathway and began installing it in the hall linking Duncan’s classroom with the neighboring resource room, with the help of three special education paraprofessionals, Aimie Campomanes, Haylee Sigman, and Ashley Tjarks.
The students were given the opportunity to help choose which theme of the sensory pathway.
“We had the kids vote between The Under The Sea, The Rainforest, or the Going on the Bear Hunt. We thought it was important that their voice was heard during this time as they will be the ones using it the most. The votes ended up being the majority Under The Sea. And then, as we know we do not have a beach here in Colorado, so some kids may never have that experience of seeing it, so we tried our best to bring it to them,” Duncan said.
Since the installation of the pathway was done on Thursday afternoon, students have yet to experience what fun lies in store. SVVSD hosts a four-day school week this year where students use Fridays to learn from home.
While students may have to wait, teachers and staff at Thunder Valley K-8 have been playing.
“So far we've had so many teachers and paras come by with so much excitement! They love it.,” Duncan said.
The sensory pathway arrived at the school just in time for CMAS testing, scheduled for next week.
“I'm sure, come next week, especially with CMAS testing beginning it will be a great way for kids to get out and take some time between and after tests,” Duncan said.
Duncan has yet to create a full lesson plan for the pathway but hopes to encourage some of her students to become teachers by showing peers how to use it.
“I have teetered with the idea of having my students pick one of the areas on the path to practice to show their peers how to use the pathway,” she said.
