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Classroom Excellence
Online Tutoring through Brainfuse
Brainfuse provides online tutoring services to thousands of students, grades 3-12, under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Between Jan. 2009 and June 2009:
• 3692 student sessions on Brainfuse (average length per session: 27 minutes)
• over 80% students rated their experience highly satisfactory
• over 80% students would recommend online tutoring to their friends
• over 80% students felt the service helped them complete their homework
For Norwalk Students: Brainfuse
Funders: EMCOR, Inc.
Innovation Grants
Each year NEF awards up to $20,000 for proposals in all subject areas that foster, among other criteria, overall value and creativity,
collaboration among grades, classes and cultures, partnerships with parents and the community, meeting curriculum objectives, improving opportunity and achievement,
a clearly defined evaluation process, long term sustainability, and replication potential for other schools.
To date, the Norwalk Education Foundation has awarded $85,000+ in the form of $500 - $2,000 grants for innovative learning projects.
How Innovation Grants impact teacher and students
Celebrating Buddies
At Brien McMahon High School, a photography teacher was awarded a grant which paired students with Best Buddies,
an organization "dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment."
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110 Students and 60 Best Buddies documented their growing relationships through interviews and photographs.
The process of making images led the participants to a greater understanding of the students with intellectual disabilities and an appreciation of how much
they can gain by reaching out to these students. Tolerance, understanding and friendship were fostered among both groups.
The culminating activity was an exhibit of photographs which the entire high school community enjoyed.
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Yoga for Personal Health
A Norwalk High School health teacher participated in a 200-hour Yoga Certification training program.
During her Health Education classes, over 400 students spent a unit of instruction learning about Stress Management.
The culminating activity of the unit was participation in Yoga, where basic Yoga and Deep Breathing techniques were taught, increasing students’
awareness of their role and importance of personal responsibility for their own health.
The extension of the lesson was to motivate students to incorporate Yoga into their daily life by joining the After School Yoga Club.
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Students gained the confidence, knowledge, and resources necessary to maintain this activity well after high school. 12 staff members also participated in a yoga class after school.
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iPod for Language Lab
At Brien McMahon’s Center for Global Studies, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic are at its core curriculum.
The Center’s main goal is for students to master foreign language learning.
This year 5 teachers attended a workshop with Apple experts who taught them how to incorporate iPods into the classroom, impacting over 300 students.
Using iPods as a portable language lab can increase the amount of listening and speaking for students. Teachers produced podcasts which students listened to in class and at home.
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Students worked on projects, skits and conversations which were then recorded on the iPod and uploaded into the teacher's computer.
Students also created podcasts for distribution to other students.
Moving forward the rest of the language teachers at McMahon will also be trained and the iPod technology will eventually be integrated into the World Language curriculum.
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Innovation Grant Application - Click Here --- Word DOC
Examples of Award Winning Proposals - Click Here --- Adobe PDF
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"NEF has been an invaluable educational resource allowing me to accomplish my goal of
helping my students manage their daily stressors at Norwalk High. I had a vision of
starting a Yoga program this year and through their support I was able to incorporate
Yoga into the Health curriculum as well as expand the program to an after school club for
both students and staff. I was most impressed by their excitement and willingness to help
incorporate such innovative experiences into the curriculum."
--- Amanda Fisher, Health Teacher at NHS, NEF grant recipient
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