Birch Lane Fifth Graders Take on Tech Leadership Role

Every Thursday afternoon, kindergartners in Tara Mathers’ class get out their Chromebooks and watch the door with great anticipation. Soon, fifth graders from Lauren Marocchi’s class walk through, and everyone is smiling.

The Tech Buddies program at Birch Lane Elementary School has been going on long enough that the fifth grade mentors were once the kindergarten mentees. Now, having used the district’s instructional technology resources for several years, they are proud to share this knowledge with their younger peers.

When the fifth graders arrive, they immediately go to sit with their buddy and eagerly await to hear the activity they will be doing together. Already this year, they have helped their young friends made a video about their favorite aspects of kindergarten, use Google Slides to make silly jack-o-lantern faces and do Halloween-themed literacy and math games on Seesaw. Many of the projects they do together have a seasonal twist.

Ms. Mathers said that often when she introduces a new digital resource to her kindergartners, the fifth graders then come in to work with them. This support model allows her students to learn a program through independent exploration, but with a friend at their side for guidance.

“The fifth graders are so great and so patient with them,” Ms. Mathers said, “which is important because the kindergartners are new to these tools.”

“My fifth graders love being the teachers,” added Ms. Marocchi. “They enjoy being in that mentor role.”

The older students take their responsibility seriously. They understand how much technology plays a role in their education and their lives, and want to help the kindergartners master the different programs.

“They get to learn to use this technology,” Nicholas Andre said. “I feel like I’m helping them learn something that they really need to know.”