- Dow in Louisiana
Taking 21st Century Learning to the Classroom
It happens every time. As predictable as a sunrise. The moment the whiteboard at the front of the classroom comes to life, so do the children, filling the room with ooh’s and aah’s and smiles aplenty.
Interactive whiteboards are showing up in dozens of elementary schools across Louisiana, courtesy of an effort led by the State’s First Lady, Supriya Jindal, and with support from companies like Dow. “It has been an incredible experience to watch our children’s faces light up,” she said of children’s reactions to the boards.
Focus On Math and Science
In January 2009, Jindal established the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing Louisiana’s children in all aspects of education, with a special emphasis on mathematics and the sciences. Initially, the foundation is providing interactive whiteboard technology to schools across the state.
“As a chemical engineer and a parent of three young children, I have a deep passion for math and science education,” Jindal said. Aside from her own interest in math and science, Jindal sees a broader, more far reaching reason to boost children’s interest in the subjects.
“The reality is that jobs of the 21st century require that we have a mathematically and scientifically proficient workforce. From national defense to pharmaceutical development to using products in our day-to-day lives, math and science play a crucial role,” she said. “To be competitive, we must prepare today’s students for the employment opportunities of tomorrow. Our students must be able to compete in the global economy we live in, in order to keep jobs here in the U.S., making this an important issue for Louisiana, but also an important issue for the competitiveness of our country.”
Even as the demand for scientists and engineers in the U.S. grows rapidly, studies show that Louisiana students rank low in basic science and math proficiency. Jindal, a chemical engineer who graduated from Tulane University, looked at these two facts and saw an opportunity to bring the State’s business sectors together with the needs of the children.
“We want to harness the natural curiosity of our state’s students, particularly when it comes to math and science,” she said. “With Louisiana’s large oil and gas industry, strong chemical sector, growing film industry and diverse medical community, our students have incredible opportunities to succeed, but we have to ensure that they are well-prepared. That preparation begins with giving children a strong foundation in math, science and reading.”
Dow partners with the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children. Through this contribution, Dow is helping the foundation install interactive whiteboards in dozens of elementary schools across the state.
Education in a Digital Age
The rationale for the whiteboards is anchored in entertainment and the way our society gets information now, Jindal noted. “Whiteboards became a priority of the foundation because of their versatility. Today’s children are accustomed to iPods, playing video games, and watching videos online, yet many of our classrooms lack the interactivity our children use daily outside of the classroom.”
Interactive whiteboards bring all the bells and whistles children love – animation, sound, three-dimension graphics and interactive capability – into the classroom in an educational context.
The kids love it. But what about the teachers?
“The (board) has been extremely beneficial in enhancing learning in my classroom because students are engaged and more motivated to learn,” said Catherine Lewis, a first grade teacher at Phoenix Magnet Elementary. “It’s enabled me to incorporate multiple instructional strategies into every lesson in order to accommodate the various learning styles of my diverse students.”
The Foundation’s focus on elementary school-aged children is by design. In its research, the Foundation found statistics indicating Louisiana children were becoming disinterested in math and science in the second, third and fourth grades. The interactive whiteboards are helping turn that trend around. Academic achievement in classrooms that have installed these systems in other states has improved as much as 29 percent.
170 Classrooms and Counting
Jindal said it is companies like Dow that are helping make that kind of improvement happen in Louisiana classrooms. The Foundation is a non-profit organization with no paid staff.
“We just have volunteers who are passionate about making a difference for our State,” she said. “All of the funding from donors truly benefits the students. With the help of companies like Dow Chemical, we are able to provide interactive technology to students across Louisiana. We could not have achieved the success we have had without companies like Dow.”
And the teachers couldn’t be more appreciative. “All of my students are now actively involved each and every day,” reported one grateful teacher from Phoenix Magnet Elementary.
The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children will have installed over 170 interactive whiteboard systems in classrooms by the end of 2010.