Chesapeake Teachers Discover New Ways to Teach Through LEGO Workshop

By Ophelia Barizo // STEM coordinator for Chesapeake Conference 

Twenty Chesapeake Conference elementary school teachers recently participated in a hands-on LEGO WeDo 2.0 training workshop offered by LEGO Education. Equipped with the information from this training, teachers will be able to integrate robotics into their science and math classes or create a stand-alone class. 

“I really enjoyed the training,” says Lisa Shingleton, a teacher at Mt. Aetna Adventist School (Hagerstown, Md.). “It was something that was doable, and I am really excited to try it with my second and fourth graders.”

The day after the LEGO WeDo 2.0 training workshop, Michele Gavin, the head teacher for Friendship Adventist School (Linthicum Heights, Md.), brought what she learned to her students and included them in a robot building activity.

“The students were so excited,” says Gavin. “They each took turns coding the robot to run a fan.”  

Funds for this LEGO WeDo 2.0 workshop came from a Versacare grant that the Chesapeake Conference STEM department received last summer. This grant covers teacher professional development in STEM and Project Based Learning. Middle school teachers will participate in a training on a middle school robotics platform in April.