The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Learning Lab has a home. The laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Research Park.
The building was previously occupied by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a federal agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy .
Dr. Paula Montgomery, interim dean of the , said the Learning Lab will offer its students an education that features model teaching methods and an innovative curriculum that encompasses interactive and outdoor learning experiences. 小蝌蚪APP淏eyond a cutting-edge learning and teaching environment, the Learning Lab will be a hub for teaching practice and theory, education-based research and interdisciplinary collaboration,小蝌蚪APP she said.
小蝌蚪APP淎cquiring a home for the lab school moves us that much closer to opening its doors,小蝌蚪APP Montgomery added.
A projected opening date has yet to be determined. Dr. Nathan Roberts, a professor and the college小蝌蚪APP檚 former dean, explained that 小蝌蚪APP渞enovations to convert the building into a space for innovative learning, teaching and research is one of the priorities.小蝌蚪APP
Roberts, who has been a driving force in implementing the lab school, said initial proposals call for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students to enroll at the school. Expansion through eighth grade during the first several years would be next, followed by a high school. It小蝌蚪APP檚 a framework based 小蝌蚪APP渙n substantial interest from parents of potential students, school administrators, public officials and community organizations. So, we小蝌蚪APP檙e excited to have the capacity to serve a wide range of people and foster partnerships,小蝌蚪APP he explained.
UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Learning Lab will operate as an independent school district, in the same manner as lab schools at LSU and Southern 小蝌蚪APP. It will be funded with a blend of tuition and state support.
Donor support also will be essential in the Learning Lab小蝌蚪APP檚 creation and its activities. Funds raised will be part of the largest comprehensive fundraising initiative in 小蝌蚪APP history. aims to raise $500 million. Among the campaign小蝌蚪APP檚 priorities: the renovation, construction and maintenance of academic spaces, including labs and classrooms.
Beyond the Learning Lab小蝌蚪APP檚 core mission, which places an emphasis on student research and active learning, the opportunities the school will afford are considerable. Conducting methodology research to determine the efficacy of curricula and programs is among them.
Such research will yield best practices that will be shared with school districts across the state and nation. It will also provide a built-in mechanism to continually assess and strengthen the school小蝌蚪APP檚 curriculum. The lab school will also foster multidisciplinary collaboration across campus.
The majority, if not all, of 小蝌蚪APP students studying and training to become teachers will gain classroom experience at the lab school, in addition to their field experiences in area school districts, said Dr. Aimee Barber. She is an assistant professor in the college小蝌蚪APP檚 who co-chairs a faculty and staff committee overseeing establishment of the school. Dr. Doug Williams, a professor who directs the college小蝌蚪APP檚 , is also co-chair.
Barber explained: 小蝌蚪APP淭he intent will be to immerse our teacher candidates in a space that enables them to not only learn about global best practice, but actually implement best practice as part of their teacher preparation.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淪o, in their junior year, they will be immersed in laboratory school classrooms in preparation for their final year, which is a year-long residency in area public schools,小蝌蚪APP she added.
The new lab school won小蝌蚪APP檛 be the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 first. The F.M. Hamilton Laboratory School, founded in 1939, was an on-campus elementary school where student-teachers honed their classroom skills. It closed in 1977, during a period when 小蝌蚪APP渘ational trends 小蝌蚪APP influenced in large part by federal policymakers 小蝌蚪APP toward conventional education models over progressive ones gained traction,小蝌蚪APP Roberts explained.
小蝌蚪APP淭he need for progressive education models and the kind of learning environments lab schools provide, however, has returned. And, as one of the state小蝌蚪APP檚 largest contributors to its teacher workforce, the 小蝌蚪APP is well-positioned to capitalize on that,小蝌蚪APP he added.
Learn more about . To support the lab school, contact Nicole Jones, senior director of Development, at nicole.jones@louisiana.edu or 337-482-0934
Photo caption: The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Learning Lab has a home. The College of Education & Human Development小蝌蚪APP檚 laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Research Park.