CALGARY, Jan. 24, 2017 /CNW/ - SMART Technologies
Inc., a leading provider of collaboration and education solutions
announced today its combined vision and commitment to education
through a global partnership with Choose2Matter, an organization
built on the philosophy that students who believe that they matter
and that they have a purpose are more likely to excel. The
partnership's mission is to enable educators and empower K-12
students to discover and develop their unique greatness.
SMART is contributing innovative software, hardware and services
to classrooms involved in the partnership. The solutions connect
everyone and everything - teachers, students, devices, and content
- ultimately allowing students to discover their genius via
collaboration in and out of the classroom.
The partnership launched with events in various school districts
globally including, McAllen ISD, Texas, District School Board of Niagara,
Ontario, Saskatchewan Rivers
Public School Division No.119, Prince
Albert Saskatchewan and St.
Stephen's CE Primary School, UK. In these locations, the
schools utilized Choose2Matter's student-centered philosophy and,
in tandem, some also leveraged SMART Learning Suite to collaborate
with other students and solve real-world issues such as bullying
and inequality, demonstrating to students that they have the
ability to create an impact. The Choose2Matter philosophy honors,
supports and explores students' passions and guides them in how to
be effective learners and citizens by drawing the connections to
what they do in school to the broader community.
"Choose2Matter's empowering vision is strongly aligned with our
values at SMART," commented Jeff
Lowe, VP of Marketing at SMART. "We look forward to
continuing to partner with Choose2Matter on a global scale by
equipping classrooms with solutions that help students at all grade
levels discover their passion and realize their full potential," he
said.
"Together, Choose2Matter and SMART can grow, search and deepen
the commitment to children and the mission of helping every student
understand that they matter," commented Angela Maiers, Founder of Choose2Matter. "With
SMART's solutions, students can share, collaborate and work
together on projects, effectively assisting them in having a voice
among their peers and in their communities. It's the missing link
to ensure that students can connect with change-makers and extend
their projects to reach their full potential," she said.
Tammy Brecht Dunbar, M.Ed., STEM
and leader of "The Room Nine Kids" a fifth grade classroom in
Manteca Unified School District in California, was an early adopter of the Genius
Matters philosophy. The impact it had greatly exceeded her
expectations which she outlined in a three-part blog series. Mrs.
Dunbar commented that focusing on character and genius nets
unexpected results. Mrs. Dunbar referenced the results of the first
standardized district proficiency tests in math that her students
took after experiencing the lessons, noting, "I was shocked to see
the growth of the average class score. In math, the class average
increased from 12.7 out of 20 to 16.6 out of 20."
Research has consistently shown that effective social and
emotional-focused educational programs raise student test
scores.
- A 2008 report by CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic Social
and Emotional Learning, discussed three effective SEL programs that
increased student test score by 11 to 17 percent.
- A 2009 PBS New Hour program similarly reported that a focus on
SEL raises test scores.
- Most recently, a report endorsed by a large group of college
admissions officers strongly encouraged schools to help students
"develop their analytical strength, their empathic and generative
selves, and their inner lives of reflection, values and
aspirations."
Ms. Maiers and SMART will be conducting sessions at BETT and
TCEA for local educators and students. For visitors at BETT, Angela
will be in the SMART Platinum Suite on Wednesday, January 25 at 4:30pm GMT to connect students in the UK with
students in McAllen, Texas for a
livestream learning session. Mrs. Maiers will also provide a Genius
Matters keynote at 11:00am GMT on
Thursday, January 26 in the SMART
stand D90. Ms. Maiers and SMART will also be present at TCEA in
Austin, Texas in February 6-10, 2016 and available for
meetings.
About Choose2Matter
Choose2Matter is a universal movement and community that
challenges students to make "mattering" a way of life. Started in
2011, Choose2Matter was founded on the belief that if you reach
students through their hearts and when students accept they matter
and know their actions count; learning, lives and worlds
change.
About SMART Technologies Inc.
SMART Technologies Inc. is a world leader in simple and
intuitive classroom technology solutions. We are an innovator in
software and interactive technologies that enable natural
collaboration, helping every student and teacher discover and
develop their greatness. To learn more, visit smarttech.com.
©2017 SMART Technologies. All third-party product and company
names are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of
their respective owners. To view a list of SMART trademarks please
visit our Trademarks and Guidelines page.
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.
SOURCE SMART Technologies Inc.