How One Montessori School Delivers Engaging and Inclusive Learning Experiences with Webex Rooms

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Webex Rooms Helps Oak Meadow School Engage with Ideas and Knowledge

Oak Meadow School is an independent school based in Littleton, Massachusetts, serving children between the ages of 15 months all through Grade 8. Oak Meadow School is a Montessori school, rooted in the child-centered Montessori philosophy, which fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and cultural awareness while nurturing children’s spirits.

In essence, the teachers at Oak Meadow School spend a lot of time observing the students. This is to uncover where they are in their development, engaging with ideas and knowledge rather than content, and using the student as a guide to further their development. When schools had to shut down, the immediate response from the teachers at Oak Meadow School was that their hands-on, engaging teaching style could not be captured through just online learning. They wanted and needed to “teach” and “observe.”

“It has been truly amazing to see how quickly the teachers adopted Webex, and how well-received it was by the students! Being able to effortlessly provide our students high-quality education, observing them and watching them grow, and of course seeing the smiles on their faces when they get to connect with their classmates face-to-face would have been impossible without Webex.” – Jay Scheurle, Headmaster, Oak Meadow School

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

However, teachers quickly realized that even if they cannot be physically present with their students, they still needed to facilitate those personal connections and continue on with their teaching. So, they turned to Webex. After only three days of deploying Cisco Webex, they found that the experience was so simple and intuitive that they went from thinking that online teaching was an impossible feat, to having daily classes with their students. Even the toddlers got to have morning class! This way, teachers were able to continue to observe and challenge their students, constantly urging them to develop their skills and knowledge.

We all know how important it is for children to connect with their peers, and the social aspects of education cannot be understated. By deploying Cisco Webex videoconferencing solutions, the students at Oak Meadow could see one another, catch up, and have those social interactions that are crucial for feeling connected in a time where being physically present in the same room is not available.

“I cannot wait to take this one step further and start delivering hybrid and blended learning. Democratizing access to education for children who due to various reasons cannot be physically present in the classroom is something that is dear to our hearts here at Oak Meadow, and I am excited for what the future holds.” – Jay Scheurle, Headmaster, Oak Meadow School

The Way Forward

In this new normal where everyone has had to adjust to remote teaching, a newfound sympathy for children who are not always able to attend school due to various reasons have emerged. Making learning inclusive to all children, regardless of where they are is something that Oak Meadow school will continue to drive forward, as this is only the start. With school having just started Oak Meadow is using Webex and Webex Room systems for Hybrid classrooms allowing teachers to teach both the children in the class in front of them, as well as those at home in a natural and intuitive way to ensure everyone is engaged. Something that they could not achieve with just a single video conferencing system.