Baker Demonstration School is a private nursery through eighth grade school that is the demonstration school for National-Louis University''s College of Education. It has about 300 students. Class size varies from about 14 to 24. Because Baker is a demonstration school, university students are found observing and helping in classrooms daily. Content and process skills are integrated throughout the curriculum even though individual teachers and classes may be identified as science, technology, social studies, or other subject areas.
Students construct their knowledge in a collaborative environment.
In the past three years, BDS students in grades kindergarten through eight have designed and published many projects using technology. Older students have constructed hypermedia presentations about the environment, science fact-myth, Pompeii, Roman architecture, mammals, chemistry, and physics. These projects have been used internally for curriculum integration and cross grade peer teaching and collaboration. This year BDS is extending the cross grade peer teaching and collaboration to include student exchanges in rural and urban areas. In order to facilitate this NLU needed to enhance its internet resources.