Teacher: Lynn C.
School: Bethel Springs Elementary, Garnet Valley, PA
Grade Level: Primary
Use Case: Project Based Learning

With more than 25 years of teaching under her belt, fifth grade teacher Lynn noticed change in education wasn’t happening as fast as she’d like. She felt left behind when comparing herself to the technophiles in the education world, and wanted a solution to institute real change and innovation at her school.

After reading Launch by AJ Juliani and John Spencer, Lynn discovered Tract and decided to give it a try for her fifth grade classroom. Following the suggested launch cycle and self-directed style of learning during 20% Time, she immediately saw her students become excited, invested, and empowered in their learning.

“My students light-up when it is time to use Tract. Many of them couldn't wait to work on their projects as soon as they arrived at school. Some of them continued their learning after school and on weekends at home because they just can’t get enough of Tract. It’s that engaging to them.”

Solution

What really impressed Lynn was the gamification built into the platform. As her students collected Coins for projects completed on Tract, they had the option to trade them in for prizes, including donations to real-world charities.

“The majority of my students opted to donate their Coins instead of using them for something for themselves,” she said.

Results

After implementing Tract for Project-Based learning during Genius Hour, students from Bethel Springs Elementary are taking charge of their learning and engaging in their education in ways they never have before.

Piquing New Interests

Along with having a choice in their education, students are trying new projects and topics they may have never considered before, like learning origami or how to play Chess!

Engaging in Education

A few students couldn’t wait to get back on Tract, and are using their free time after school and on weekends at home to continue working on their learning paths.

“Teachers think it's difficult to find the time within the curriculum to start using project-based learning, but with Tract, you can stand back and just watch your kids go!”