eMINTS/METS Teacher Lori Mathys
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Studying Literature in Small Groups Lori Mathys' students summarize, make connections, visualize and infer about their reading by noting their thoughts on sticky notes and in journals to prepare for a literature discussion. (Photos courtesy of Rockwood School District) |
eMINTS: Engaging Students through Inquiry, Questioning and Cooperative Learning
An "Awesome Classroom" of Engaged Active Learners
by Sandy Falloon
“Something magical happens in my classroom every day,” says Lori Mathys. “My students come flying down the hallway with their arms outstretched for a hug at the door and when they enter our room, they see my favorite greeting on the SMART Board: ‘I love you to pieces!’ Building the relationships within my classroom community is just as important as what we are learning.”
Lori Mathys is a fourth-grade teacher at Chesterfield Elementary School in the Rockwood School District. She has been a fourth-grade teacher for 12 years, an eMINTS teacher for eight of those years, and most recently was selected as an eMINTS/METS teacher. She taught for 10 years at Moniteau County R-I School District in California, Mo., and has been at Chesterfield Elementary for the past two years.
Mathys’ classroom is one of about 100 Missouri classrooms selected for state support this year through the Math, Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) grant program begun last year by Gov. Matt Blunt. The program is providing $1 million in grants to support the expansion of eMINTS classrooms across the state. The governor’s proposal for 2008-09 would distribute $5 million in school-wide grants.
“I am passionate about teaching, and I love what I do,” Mathys explains. “I believe students learn best when they are engaged in opportunities that allow for their uniqueness to shine through, when they are active learners, have chances to investigate what interests them, and are allowed to share what they know and can do in a safe environment.”
Her students and their parents agree that Mrs. Mathys is one very special teacher. “Mrs. Mathys makes school interesting and always fun!” says Abby, a fourth-grade student.
“Mrs. Mathys has an awesome classroom where her students are engaged in active learning in an inquisitive and fun atmosphere,” says parent JoAnn Mattingly. “She strives to make each and every child feel safe, valued and included in her class. Who could ask for anything more?”
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Writing Journals Lori Mathys’ students share their descriptive ideas, using showing and telling sentences with the mentor text, The Twits. |
Teaching with Technology
Mathys explains how her teaching philosophies have evolved. “I’ve always been a teacher who seeks out opportunities and then figures out how to incorporate new ideas into my classroom. My classroom has always been active and focused on exploration, but it wasn’t until I became an eMINTS teacher that I really began to see my students soar with their learning.”
eMINTS, enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies, began as a pilot project in six St. Louis area districts in 1997. Today the program comprises more than 2,000 classrooms with 38,000 students in grades 3-12 across the United States.
“When I first became a teacher, my focus was mostly about
my teaching. Through the years, I’ve learned that
teaching is about student learning and
helping each child reach his or her potential.”
— Lori Mathys, eMINTS/METS Teacher, Rockwood School District
“When I became an eMINTS teacher, SMART Boards were still a very new technology in the classroom and teaching with technology instead of teaching the technology was a new idea. It was exciting to see my students learn in a classroom that wasn’t limited by the walls anymore. Now, no matter what I am teaching, I think about, ‘How can I make this project meaningful and relevant for my students?’”
When asked how eMINTS has impacted her students Lori says, “Technology in my classroom allows all students to be successful. eMINTS allows learning to be differentiated so students are learning on their level. Because of the way projects are presented to students in an eMINTS classroom, students take an active role in their education.”
But, Mathys continues, “eMINTS is more than just learning to teach with technology. It involves training to learn how to build a classroom climate that promotes student learning with the best-researched methods. Having an eMINTS specialist who coaches teachers throughout the two-year [professional development] process impacts both teachers’ and students’ learning in an eMINTS classroom. Students are engaged through inquiry, questioning and cooperative learning methods. Teachers put into practice what they learn in eMINTS training sessions, and the end result is a group of students who do not feel limited or unsure, but who seek out challenges and answers to their questions.”
Administrators note the effect of eMINTS professional development implemented in classrooms facilitated by enthusiastic educators like Mathys. “In my 31 years as an educator, I have found the eMINTS program has made the most significant impact on student achievement for all students of any program I have seen,” says Jill Ramsey, Chesterfield Elementary principal. “Highly trained teachers engage their learners in meaningful activities focused on higher-level thinking. Students learn to work cooperatively as the teacher facilitates their learning. Inquiry-based learning offers students choices in their learning which is enhanced through technology. The enthusiasm for learning is contagious — spreading throughout the school to other teachers, thus impacting more students.”
About eMINTS |
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The eMINTS National Center is a non-profit, independent business unit of the University of Missouri. The eMINTS instructional model provides a research-based approach to organizing instruction and can be implemented in any subject area at any level. eMINTS instructional strategies focus on inquiry-based teaching that engages students in real-world projects and research; higher-order thinking skills; and cooperative learning and building a community of learners. The eMINTS National Center is a collaborative program developed by the University of Missouri, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Higher Education. |
Mathys is one of seven district teachers who have completed the Rockwood Instructional Technology Teaching Strategies (RITTS) program. The two-year eMINTS comprehensive professional development program supports district teachers in their use of technology-supported teaching strategies.
An Extraordinary Teaching Style
“I would place Lori in the top one percent of all teachers with whom I have worked in my 25 years as a professional educator,” says Monica Beglau, director of the eMINTS National Center. “Lori possesses outstanding knowledge and pedagogical skills and has developed a teaching style in her eMINTS classroom that is extraordinary in its effect on students and other educators. She motivates children and inspires adults, making her an incredible asset to education.”
Lori earned an educational specialist's, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in education from the University of Missouri. She’s been recognized as a Missouri Presidential Award Finalist (2002), National Board Certified Teacher (2004), Milken National Educator (2004) and eMINTS/METS teacher (2007). She’s given presentations on teaching with technology for eMINTS, at the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) national conference, and with the Missouri Teaching and Learning Academy. Mathys also has given presentations on Inquiry Science with Interface and the Show Me Science Center. She has published articles in the National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) Bulletin for Social Studies.
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2004 Milken National Educator Award Lori Mathys was honored by Gov. Matt Blunt and Commissioner of Education D. Kent King in January 2005 at the Governor’s Mansion. (DESE photo) |
As a fourth-grade teacher, Mathys relishes exploring many subjects with her class. In her own words, she describes teaching reading and writing, math, science and social studies.
On Writing and Reading
“My class and I, together, we’ve fallen in love with books and writing this year.” She backs up that claim with telling details: “Apprehensive students were afraid to pen more than a sentence at the beginning of the year; novels now fill their student journals. Using mentor text, we’ve learned how to write with style and wit and voice and verve. I am in awe with the student samples of writing that I collect.”
“Our literature circle group discussions have evolved to where students make insightful comments about the books they read and are engaged in the process, as they make connections to our previous learning. We’ve participated in videoconferences with pre-service teachers to share our thoughts about stories we have read. To be able to share our fourth-grade learning with college students a hundred miles away has influenced the way my students think about books.”
What about Math?
“I have taught the Everyday Mathematics program and have loved the mathematical thinking I see emerge in my students. When students are excited to learn math and sad when the class period ends, I know they are engaged learners. With so many Web sites that provide mathematical problems to solve, manipulatives to use and ways to share our thinking, technology is an integral part of the learning.”
And Science?
I believe science needs to be taught in a hands-on, minds-on way. The STC Science Kit “Motion and Design” provides a wonderful mode of teaching scientific concepts about force. Using inquiry teaching methods, my students develop an understanding of how science works in the real world and model their understanding using K’Nex building blocks. We use Microsoft Excel to keep a log of data and graph our findings. Often students will remark how much fun they are having; meanwhile, they are learning, too.”
An Annual Social Studies Favorite
“One of the best social studies projects my class is involved in each year is an online project, Westward HO! In this project, students become part of a family that must make life and death decisions along the trail, while using the Internet for research and communication. When students are asked what they remember most about fourth grade, they always think of their experiences traveling along the Oregon Trail.”
It is obvious that Lori Mathys loves what she does, and she believes this “is a great time to be a teacher."
She explains: “Teaching is a profession that uniquely draws people to it because they have a passion for what they do. Every teacher I meet strengthens me as an educator. Because we share ideas so freely, I always walk away in awe of how amazing they are, and with many new strategies to try in my own classroom. In the future, I see students achieving even more than they do today. We are preparing our students for a world of technology that hasn’t even been invented yet. We’ll have more improvements in technology and an even better understanding of how students learn.”
Sandy Falloon is an eMINTS communications specialist at the eMINTS National Center, Columbia, Mo.