Over the summer, the education faculty transformed Bachmann 331 into the Knights Education Lab, a mock elementary school classroom.
According to Jenelle Abnett, this "Ed Lab" will allow students to practice teaching in a realistic and age-appropriate classroom setting.
“We have four methods classes: reading, math, social studies, and science,” she explains. “Last year, we found that students were writing good lessons but were uncertain about how to deliver them.”
The Ed Lab will provide students with practice, she says, a place to learn in the moment. Abnett compares it to a nurse working in a lab or a student-athlete perfecting a skill on the field.
Abnett and Megan Scranton spent the summer gathering donations of curriculum, math and phonics manipulatives, and other teacher resources for the lab. They received many donations from friends and former students, including Lisa Glavin, who graduated in 1988, and Kyra Dowling, class of 2023.
They plan to invite youngsters from the Child Development Center to visit the Ed Lab once the fall semester is underway.
Meanwhile, Abnett is enjoying her trip down memory lane. “It’s been 20 years since I decorated a classroom,” she admits, “but I’m having fun with this one.”