Manitoba's school boards have one purpose: to provide our students with the best schools possible.
School boards help students prepare for full and rich futures by providing expanded programming in cultural and life-skills areas such as music, physical education and art.
Twenty-first century technologies can greatly enhance the learning experience for twenty-first century students—provided that the required material resources are available, and that teachers are knowledgeable about their use. In The Rolling River School Division, a two-pronged approach is aimed at ensuring that both these prerequisites are met.
The Blended Approach to Teaching and Learning (BATL) Program began in 2007 as an outgrowth of an earlier program, Technology as a Classroom Tool (TACT). The goal of BATL is to more effectively integrate technology into teaching and learning, and to equip teachers to use a variety of teaching strategies in their efforts to meet the learning needs of all students.
Over the five-year course of the program, the division is examining ways in which curriculum is delivered, with an eye to enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. In its first year, the program focussed on reaching the schools’ educational leaders, principals and vice-principals. Workshops prepared them to work with teachers to ensure that students were involved in their own learning, and that a variety of teaching styles were being used to effectively reach all students. At the same time, classrooms were being upgraded with new tools, and by the end of the five-year program, standard classroom equipment will include digital projectors, Smartboards, laptops computers, scanners and digital cameras.
For further information about the Blended Approach to Teaching and Learning/Technology as a Classroom Tool Program in The Rolling River School Division, contact Assistant Superintendent Marg Janssen at 204.867.2754, or via e-mail at mjanssen@rrsd.mb.ca.