How One of the Biggest Canadian School Boards Fosters Authentic Learning in the Classroom

Nestled in the heart of Ontario, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) is the second-largest school board in Canada. With hundreds of educators who are passionate about fostering an engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environment, the board has embraced innovative EdTech tools, with Lumio emerging as a teacher favorite.

At the forefront of this initiative is the team of EdTech Innovation Resource Teachers for PDSB. They aim to empower modern learners using the formula of UDL (Universal Design for Learning) plus CRRP (Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy). Part of their support is to equip staff with tools that not only engage students but also provide accessible pathways to the curriculum. One of their resource teachers, who is now the Instructional Coordinator for the team, Anthony Howell, became a champion of Lumio early on. Anthony immediately recognized Lumio’s power to engage students, support learner variability, and support teaching staff with easy-to-use tools that have impactful effects in the classroom. Lumio captivated the team at large instantly.

Anthony’s role was pivotal as an RT, supporting over 400 students across 24 schools, each with diverse learning requirements. Now, as an instructional coordinator, he has taken on the challenge of supporting all the RTs in their schools, while continuing to champion the integration of Lumio within classrooms. “Authenticity is the currency of a caring classroom,” he asserts, emphasizing how Lumio fosters genuine learning experiences that resonate with both educators and students.

His extensive training and experience have established him as the district's Lumio expert, and he actively shares its features with fellow educators. “The ease of use is remarkable,” Anthony notes. “It’s straightforward, and the staff love it. I often hear a collective sigh when I end a training session because they want to keep exploring the tool.”  He even recalls a particular training session where teachers became so immersed in Lumio’s features that they lost track of time, captivated by the fun and engaging delivery options available.

Effortless student engagement is at the heart of Lumio’s design. The platform's integration with Google Drive means that educators can easily navigate their digital ecosystem, transforming traditional lessons into dynamic, active learning experiences.

Through his training sessions, Anthony showcases how easy it is to add interactive elements like digital manipulatives, videos, audio, game-based activities and more, to teachers’ existing content. “It’s all about building connections and relationships,” he explains. “If you can’t create that supportive classroom climate, then the learning isn’t authentic.”

One standout aspect that embodies this philosophy is Lumio’s ability to customize all activities and content. Teachers can turn lesson pages into individual handouts, group workspaces or collaborative whiteboards on the fly and customize activities to any grade level, subject or learning need.

This flexibility not only aids in personalizing instruction but also helps educators connect with students on a deeper level while saving teachers time. Anthony frequently hears from educators that by using Lumio, they are getting their weekends back, highlighting how the tool alleviates burnout and enhances teaching efficiency.

Accessibility is another cornerstone of Lumio’s effectiveness. The platform’s Immersive Reader function enables staff to communicate with families and support multilingual learners, ensuring that all students have a voice in the classroom. Teachers and students particularly love that they can record audio, as it allows young learners to revisit instructions independently and provides students with an additional choice to demonstrate their learning. This empowers students and lightens the load on teachers, who can focus more on personalized instruction.

Moreover, Lumio's unique feature called “Shout It Out!,” provides students an anonymous (or accountable) platform to express their thoughts and ideas. This tool is invaluable for those who may be hesitant to raise their hands. “Shout It Out! feels one of a kind,” Anthony notes. “It centers the student’s voice, making learning truly inclusive.”

Teachers can use the Shout It Out! feature not just for engagement, but also as a formative assessment tool. “It’s not just assessment of learning; it’s assessment as learning,” Anthony states, highlighting the power of Lumio to reshape how educators approach evaluation. The confidential mode ensures that all students can contribute without fear of judgment, fostering a culture of openness and collaboration. Other features such as the Response activity, allow educators to build assessments within seconds and then export student data into Excel. From here educators can sort this data to get quick, personalized insights from their students in order to inform instruction.

The most important factor when adopting a new EdTech tool is ensuring that it’s supporting teachers in improving student outcomes. “Tools don’t replace good teaching practices” Anthony states. His experience with Lumio is that it enhances best teaching practices and simplifies workflows so teachers can focus more on student interaction. This is particularly evident in assessment creation and collection of student data.

Through the lens of the Peel DSB, Lumio has proven to be more than just a tool; it has become an essential part of the educational ecosystem. With Anthony at the helm, the integration of Lumio has not only enhanced engagement and accessibility but has also transformed assessments into opportunities for personalized learning.

As the Peel DSB continues its journey, it maintains a clear focus: creating an environment where every student feels valued and inspired to learn. With Lumio, they are not just embracing technology; they are cultivating a classroom culture where authenticity reigns, and every voice matters. In a world where educational challenges constantly evolve, the Peel DSB leads the way in crafting authentic learning experiences and ensures that each student thrives.