Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

325 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 RADFORD CI T Y SCHOOLS curriculum that promotes integrated learning.” Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is an innovative, project-based, learning program that incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math – commonly known as STEM. It empowers students to develop and apply transportable skills, such as communication, creative and critical thinking, and collaboration, by exploring real world challenges in exciting and engaging ways. “It is a fantastic program that provides an immersive experience that includes all subjects,” Wilder continues. “It’s a framework where students start off with a problem, work through the problem utilizing problem- solving practices and reflect on the success or lack of regarding their solution. They typically solve the program with a partner or as a team.” At Belle Heth, Wilder and his team have built two laboratories: the Creation Station, and the Innovation Station. The Creation Station is a hands- on STEM lab, but utilizes no modern technology tools. “During the pandemic, students were on devices all day, partly because they had to be. Now, we’re trying to have a STEM hands-on lab with no technology. We have tons of random things that have been donated, like Popsicle sticks and yarn and all types of things that can be used to make things,” Wilder says. “So, teachers can teach a novel and at the end of the novel study the kids get to go into the lab and choose from a hundred items to build something as a culminating activity regarding the novel.” “Our Innovation Station is all technology,” he adds. “We have some robots, some coding activities, and some electronics. Everybody gets one three-week lesson co-taught by our librarian and our ITRT (Instructional Technology Resource Teacher). They have worked with all the classroom teachers to figure out what they’re studying in class and how they can apply some type of technology to the lesson. We are working to intertwine all content, skills and concepts. We include technology into our math classes, our reading classes, our history classes, our science classes. Eventually, the goal is that you’d be in a class and not know if it’s a math, English, reading, or history class because it’s totally integrated. The brain works best when it’s