SMART modernizes learning for rural Irish students
Principal Mary Connolly has walked the halls of Caherleaheen National School for over 20 years. She started teaching there when the school was only three rooms in size and now serves as the principal of over 200 students.
So, Connolly means it when she says that the school looks different than before in more ways than one. In a major move toward modernizing the learning experience for their students, Caherleaheen chose to purchase SMART Boards and Lumio licenses for every classroom.
Connolly says that this has totally changed the way students learn in her building.
“What we find is that when [the students] use the devices, they're leading the lesson. They have the edge in that they feel that they are leading the lesson — and they really are.”
Damien Finn has been teaching at Caherleaheen for six years now. He says that adopting the SMART Board has augmented the learning experience for his students — and the teaching experience for him.
“If [students] can get out of their seats and perform part of the lesson in front of everyone, they get a real sense of success. It also allows me to assess whether they understand the activity,” Finn said.
Finn also credits Lumio with significantly lightening his teaching load - which any teacher can attest is no small feat.
“As a teacher, the hardest resource that we have to manage is our time, and having a resource bank like Lumio ready for us means that we have these incredible interactive, engaging resources at the touch of a fingertip, ready for us to bring into a classroom. It really is such a game-changer for us,” Finn said.
“As a teacher, the hardest resource that we have to manage our time…having a resource bank like Lumio ready for us means that we have these incredible interactive, engaging resources at the touch of a fingertip.”
- Damien Finn - Teacher & In-School Manager
Learn more about how SMART is transforming the teaching learning experience with innovative EdTech.