#TeachWithTech Grant in Action: LEGO Robotics Peer Mentoring at Windsor Elementary School

Thanks to funding from the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Maine Learning Technology (MLTI) #TeachWithTech Grant, Windsor Elementary School (WES) has been able to bring LEGO robotics kits into the hands of eager learners. The results have been both innovative and inspiring.

Fifth-grade students in Mrs. St. Onge’s class and Mrs. Brockway’s class at WES quickly became enthusiastic engineers, exploring coding, problem-solving, and teamwork through LEGO robotics. Recognizing both the excitement and the learning potential, Mrs. Kristal Anuszewski, Library, Learning Commons, and Technology Teacher at Windsor Elementary School—and the 2024 Kennebec County Teacher of the Year—wanted to extend this same opportunity—to build and code LEGOs in a meaningful way—to two first-grade classes, a group with less coding and robotics experience.

To bridge the gap in access and ensure developmental appropriateness, Mrs. Anuszewski designed a cross-grade mentorship experience: Fifth graders took on the role of robotics mentors to first graders. Each mentoring session allowed students to work side by side in mixed-grade pairs, as older students guided younger ones through building and basic programming challenges. These collaborative activities helped first graders to experience early STEM learning, while reinforcing leadership, communication, and collaboration skills in fifth-graders.

This initiative:

• Provided equitable access to hands-on technology for early elementary students.
• Created transformative, student-led learning experiences.
• Encouraged peer teaching and inter-grade community building.
• Showcased how supplemental technology can foster innovation and learning partnerships in our classrooms.

The success of this project highlights how thoughtfully-integrated technology, supported by MLTI funding, can empower all learners and build a culture of mentorship and curiosity.

This story was submitted by Windsor Elementary School. For further information about lesson planning, please reach out to kanuszewski@svrsu.org.  To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.