INTRODUCTION

We believe that the low numbers of students, especially students of color, pursuing education, jobs and careers in science and technology is directly related to the lack of confidence and knowledge of elementary school educators in these areas. The focus of our project is to learn, as educators, how to give our students rich opportunities to work with technology in new ways. Through our own professional development, we are able to provide opportunities for our students to use technology in innovative ways. These experiences include building and programming robots, using interactive whiteboards, webcams, and stop motion animation to express their learning differently. Strategies learned in professional development are implemented in the classroom and allow students at all learning levels to access cutting edge technologies. Each team member has attended the Lego Engineering Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts and has received training using interactive whiteboards and stop motion animation. We have been able to create, implement, and disseminate lessons to third graders and share our learning with other teachers. 

Stem classrooms offer a curriculum that is integrated, emphasize questioning and inquiry, and give students frequent opportunities to apply engineering design and problem solving. This is our aim.

Team Bio/Information

Our team is comprised of three classroom teachers, Margot Page, Toby Pearson, and Phyllis Yosef, who between them have more than sixty years of teaching experience. Beyond the classroom, the team members have been and continue to be involved in many leadership roles. These include:  literacy coach, math coach, coordinatorships, lead teachers of student council, lead roles on the student study team, on the school governance committee, UTLA rep., and technology team leader, and more! We are committed to providing rich, nurturing, differentiated learning experiences for all of our students.  

Click here for information about CMCS team members.

School Information

Community Magnet Charter School is a National Blue Ribbon elementary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District with students who come from communities all over the city through the magnet program. We emphasize the study of humanities and the social sciences through a multicultural perspective. We are a diverse school community committed to developing the character and full learning potential of all students through cooperation among all stakeholders. We strive to create confident, responsible young people whose self esteem, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills prepare them for success in the ever changing global community. 

Community Magnet Charter School
11301 Bellagio Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310-476-2281

 How we brought robotics and animation to our classrooms and beyond:

• Professional Development (how we got started)
• Preparing for the classroom
• Teaching robotics and animation (lesson plans and student work)
• Beyond the classroom