Few activities get students more excited about education than hands-on learning. Whether they’re trying to wire an electrical circuit, birth a piglet or care for an infant (simulator), students are learning from their mistakes, making connections and discovering skills that could turn into careers. You can see the impact of hands-on learning in the below social media posts, which we were delighted to see our customers share recently. Read on to learn how each hands-on learning experience is impacting these classrooms.
From Mary Finley (@MaryFinley13), CTE Director, McDowell County Schools/Career & Technical Education Center, NC
Hands-on learning with the RealCareer™ Electrical Wiring Kit
From Mary: “My students love the electrical kits. It gives them a hands-on, real-world experience. They are also learning a life skill. I enjoy seeing the light come on when students make these connections!”
From Nathan Anderson (@mnagteacher), Agriculture Teacher, Watertown-Mayer High School, MN
Hands-on learning with the Swine Breeder™ artificial insemination simulator
From Nathan: “The swine simulator is great for my classroom as we don’t really have the ability to have a live hog to do those procedures on. Having the simulator provides the opportunity for my kids to practice these skills that we otherwise would not be able to cover.”
From Erika Fine (@mrserikafine), CTE Teacher, New Jersey
Hands-on learning with RealCare® Baby infant simulators
From Erika: “The simulators were an exciting addition to Child Development in our Early Childhood Education CTE program! Our school community embraced this opportunity and supported my students during their experiences just like a real community would support a new parent. They were excited to show off their new ‘babies’ to teacher and friends and quickly learned what it really means when you hear, ‘it takes a village.’ Parent feedback was equally as positive. One parent said, ‘it was a very good depiction of how it really is when you have a baby. The simple things like showering, getting a snack from the kitchen, or trying to get your school work done, aren’t so simple when you have a baby to care for.’ One student said, ‘The baby simulator has given us such insight on what it means to care for an infant. Because the simulator depicts a similar schedule to a real child, it can help prepare us to take care of infants one day either in our careers or as parents.’”
From Claudia Bell (@mamabellfmhs), FCS Department Chair, Flower Mound High School, TX
Hands-on learning with the RealCare™ Geriatric Simulator and Geriatric Sensory Impairment Kit
From Claudia: “The geriatric simulators give teens a hands-on experience like none other. It really is eye-opening for them to get a glimpse of what aging will be like. They are always very engaged and excited to try on the different simulators and have so many questions afterward! It’s worth the money!”
From Darron Derosa (@DarronDerosa), Culinary Instructor, Technology, Exploration and Career Center West, TX
Hands-on learning with educational hydroponics systems
From Darron: “Utilizing this unit to grow our own herbs brings a closer connection between the students and their food. Having taken the time & effort to maintain the unit, grow the herbs, harvest them, really brings the whole experience together for them & they tend to be more mindful and invested in the proper use of products and being more responsible with their efforts to create good food!”
From Rebecca Craven, Athletic Trainer/Sports Medicine Instructor, Adair County High School, KY
Hands-on learning with our Knee and Ankle Sports Injury Assessment Trainer
From Rebecca: “This was my first time using the Knee and Ankle Trainer in class, and I was so impressed with how much it helped my students to understand the change in movement at a joint without the ligamentous support being present! They really struggled understanding the concept until I sat them down and had them practice with the K&A Trainers. It was fun to watch their eyes go wide and the lightbulbs come on in their brains!”
Thank you to these amazing instructors for giving us a glimpse into their classrooms! We love seeing hands-on learning in action.
Do you have an experience to share? We’d love to see it! Find @realityworksinc on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube. Be sure to tag @realityworksinc in your post!
