Posted October 30, 2014

Blessed Trinity Catholic School in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia has a new, fully-equipped LabLearner science lab thanks to an anonymous $80,000 donation procured by the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education.

Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald will bless the lab during a dedication ceremony on Monday, Nov. 17.

LabLearner is a hands-on system of science education that coordinates experiments performed in a laboratory setting with lessons taught in the classroom. The program is based on research about how children learn science and has produced proven increases in science comprehension scores in schools using the program.

Teachers at Blessed Trinity went through comprehensive professional development, and they can consult with a LabLearner Ph.D. scientist as needed. The program offers teachers online resources that include videos, slide presentations and transparencies that are viewed in the classrooms using Smartboards.

The LabLearner website also allows parents to view summaries of lessons as well as additional resources to help their children.

A typical pre-Kindergarten student at Blessed Trinity potentially will have the opportunity to do 350 hands-on experiments through LabLearner by the time he or she graduates from the school in eighth grade.