Elise Allred: Supporting teachers with a toolbox of STEM resources.
Elise Allred, the 2023-2024 Learning Blade National Educator of the Year, is a 6th Grade Science and STEAM teacher at Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School, Sycamore Community Schools in Ohio. Elise Allred has over 27 years of experience in intermediate education. She’s a self-proclaimed science and design process nerd with an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s in curriculum and instruction with an instructional design and technology focus.
Get inspired by a teacher empowering her students with Learning Blade projects.
Elise Allred, a dedicated teacher for Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School, sparks career explorations in her students through Learning Blade’s innovative and hands-on learning opportunities. She assigns her students Learning Blade projects to complete at their own pace, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement through redoing lessons. Ms. Allred also encourages her students to choose a career of interest and create a brochure or resume about it, which helps them understand the relevance of their learning to future careers.
“I feel like [Learning Blade] gave them a projection point into future careers and what they are thinking about when they’re thinking about STEM. Especially at the Junior High [level], when they start getting more interested in vocational careers and classes that they are able to take.” – Elise Allred
Learning Blade has everything students need to explore STEM careers with a user-friendly design approach that makes it ideal for intermediate-age learners like Elise’s students. Ms. Allred uses the Learning Blade Car Manufacturing Mission with her 6th-grade classes to open up the world of how cars have evolved along with materials, technologies, and careers. She also uses the Intro to Coding and Rescue Robot Missions with her 5th-grade classes to get her students thinking about how robots can be used to enhance human life, as well as solve problems.
One of the versatile aspects of Learning Blade’s curriculum is that it can be used as supplemental material or as a stand-alone program. Elise was able to leverage that flexibility to her benefit, allowing students to choose their focus within the curriculum. That’s one of the great aspects of Learning Blade, you can easily integrate STEM, CS, and CTE concepts into a child’s education.
Why Should You Use Learning Blade?
Student Engagement: Learning Blade engages students to a wide range of STEM activities through an online, game-based platform.
Equitable Access: Motivates minorities, girls, rural and urban students to explore STEM and Computer Science fields.
Multiple Academic Subjects: Missions address multiple academic subjects, not just science but math, English, social studies, and technology.
Aligned to State Standards: Lessons are indexed so you can analyze student skills according to academic state standards.
Learning Blade’s Impact:
- 69% increase in students recognizing what they learn in school will be useful later on in life.
- 55% increase in students interested in Computer Science Careers.
- 71% of students learned about new careers.