Stacy Taylor has more than 18 years of educational experience, including a background in psychology. Not only does she understand the importance of diversity and how kids learn, she also knows the impact a unique learning experience has on a child’s social skills and their independence. Taylor is the Principal of Advance Learning Academy in Maitland, FL, but considers herself more like the leader of a strong family, because “a family that sticks together, learns together.” Students are supported not only by highly qualified teachers, but by each other.
Advance Learning Academy provides its students with a strong, innovative curriculum that includes 1:1 iPad usage. One of the favorite programs being used at the academy is Science4Us. Taylor mainly chose Science4Us because it aligns with her school’s focus of providing a unique and differentiated experience that works with each child. “There are so many options within the Science4Us program and teachers can pick and choose what works best with their students.” In fact, the students enjoy using it so much that Taylor notes that sometimes the students don’t feel like they are doing schoolwork. “They want to play the games on their iPads and use it during their earned break time!” To her, this dedication speaks volumes.
With Science4Us being a program for early learners in grades kindergarten through second grade, one might wonder, why dedicate the time and energy to science during these critical learning years? Taylor feels that people really don’t understand the importance of science and that it is the real base of understanding and critical thinking. “No matter what our students want to be when they grow up, they still need these analytical and critical thinking skills.” This is mainly why students and teachers at Advance Learning Academy focus on science for at least 30 minutes a day—it is part of their core curriculum and they do whatever they can to bring the curriculum to their students. “We have portable interactive whiteboards so learning can occur anywhere. We found a creative solution—wherever, whenever.”
This is another reason why Science4Us fits so seamlessly into their program. According to Taylor, Science4Us is easy to start, easy to use, and has a user-friendly platform. The support is great and she hears positive feedback from parents, students, and teachers alike. She said that Pre-K teacher Maggie Klein told her about how she “loves to see how the videos, songs and activities encourage [her] students to think in new ways about the things they experience.”
The Science4Us online, interactive component works easily on all the students’ iPads. However there are also many offline, hands-on activities that Taylor’s team uses to make sure that they “cover all aspects of learning for students” including experiments, literacy, and math. All of which are integrated into the Science4Us program.
Overall, Taylor loves that Science4Us is so motivating to her students. “Science skills are often difficult to acquire. Science4Us makes it fun and opens up doors to students that have shut down science,” she says. At her school, being unique is critical, and so is developing self-confidence. She notes, “Science in the past is something they thought they couldn’t learn. Now they can.”