SHS LEARN Lab bridges classroom learning and community needs
“Post-COVID, we have teachers who are extremely taxed. They’ve been running the gauntlet for years, with fewer resources and higher learning requirements,” Tara Mantler, a professor at Western's School of Health Studies (SHS), said. “There is an opportunity to support both university students and the local schools by pairing the two together.”
Mantler, together with PhD student Julia Yates, launched the SHS LEARN Lab as a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) partnership between undergraduates enrolled in HS 2700: Health Issues in Childhood and Adolescence and elementary teachers from the Thames Valley and Waterloo Region school boards. Undergraduate students plan, produce and share curriculum-appropriate resources requested by teachers covering a range of topics, from physical and social well-being to mental and environmental health. These resources help make health education more accessible and engaging for students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8, while providing teachers with an easy-to-use set of classroom tools.
Already, 200 resources have been produced by undergraduates and garnered over 10,000 online views. Examples include yoga for kindergartners, self-confidence activities for grade 3 students and a healthy habits journal for grade 6 classrooms. Making health studies interactive and fun, these tools help young students develop a positive connection to health education and encourage healthy habits from an early age.
Hundreds of elementary students in Ontario are benefiting from these resources and that impact is set to grow. As new school boards join and fresh cohorts of undergraduates contributes additional resources each year, the collection will continue to expand.
Tailor Made for Teachers
“While there are a lot of great resources online, they're not always aligned with the Ontario curriculum,” said Mantler. “Our undergraduates focus on filling that gap.”
Ongoing teacher consultation helps students refine the materials to better meet classroom needs. Yates described this process as “truly iterative.” Teachers can ensure these materials are suited to their class’s diverse abilities and aligned with curriculum goals. For instance, a teacher working with a split-grade or mixed-ability class can adjust the resources to support students at different levels, making the material accessible and relevant for everyone.
Feedback from teachers has been positive, with many noting how the CEL resources have made their job a little easier. One Grade 5/6 teacher from the Waterloo Regional District School Board reflected on their experience, “I've found the LEARN Lab resources to be quite engaging. One highlight for me was the 'digital footprint' slides. The interactive game at the end caught my students’ attention and even motivated them to build their own game. Exploring the empathy resources was equally informative; I gained valuable insights into various forms of empathy, which I believe are essential skills for students in grades 5 and 6.”
Empowering Elementary Students
Elementary students have responded well to the materials, which can be used independently or in the classroom with minimal teacher support. “These resources don’t require intensive teacher guidance,” Yates explained. “They’re standalone pieces that teachers can plug into their lesson plans.”
Tara Mantler, PhD, and Julia Yates
The open-access nature of these resources also gives students the freedom to engage with lessons at their own pace, whether in class or at home. This flexibility allows elementary students to revisit concepts independently, building confidence as they go.
With a large cohort, the undergraduates enrolled in HS2700 are a diverse group, which adds unique value to the program. Early evaluations suggest that the young students appreciated seeing instructors who reflect their identities – something not always common in classroom.
Additionally, they respond positively to the "cool factor" of learning from older university students. This mentorship-like relationship creates a memorable experience that can spark lasting interest in health and wellness.
“For some students, this is the first time they’ve been taught by someone who looks like them,” Yates said. “It’s an opportunity to engage with someone they can relate to, which makes the experience even more positive.”
The undergraduate produced resources capture students' interest and encourage active participation, helping them absorb and retain information effectively. When learning is enjoyable, students are more likely to develop positive attitudes toward health topics and adopt healthy habits.
Connecting Theory and Practice
In traditional large-scale classes, students often struggle to find opportunities to apply the concepts they’ve learned in practical, meaningful ways. “While lectures and exams form the backbone of these courses, students have been asking for the ability to practice and apply the knowledge we teach in real-world settings,” said Yates.
“For some students, this is the first time they’ve been taught by someone who looks like them. It’s an opportunity to engage with someone they can relate to, which makes the experience even more positive.”
The HS2700 course bridges this gap by offering students the chance to directly apply their academic knowledge. In designing these resources, students considered questions like, What’s the attention span of a five-year-old? What supports social and emotional learning at that age? They took the knowledge they learned in class and transformed it into accessible, engaging materials for young learners.
Without previous examples to guide them, students had the freedom to be creative and experiment. "Since this was our first group, we didn’t have examples of what would make an effective resource from a teacher's perspective, so we gave students the freedom to be creative," said Mantler. "That’s where they really excel. When we allow them to think beyond specific assignment guidelines, they show us what they’re truly capable of." As a result, students produced an impressive variety of materials ranging from video games and songs to skits and adventure stories that have since become regular activities in classrooms.
In developing these materials, the students prioritized inclusivity and accessibility, quickly recognizing how essential these elements were to the quality and impact of their work.
“For many, accessibility became inherently top of mind, which speaks to the calibre of students we have,” Mantler noted. “We saw resources come in that were tailored for a wide range of abilities, from those with visual impairments to students requiring other forms of support.”
Creating online resources came with its challenges, such as navigating copyright limitations and platform guidelines on sites like YouTube and TikTok. Tackling these issues taught students valuable lessons on digital media use. Feedback from a judging panel helped them refine their work each round, and their enthusiasm sometimes led to ambitious resources.
While some students approached group work with hesitation, by the end of the semester, surveys and focus groups showed a different story. Working in teams allowed students to leverage each other’s strengths. One student might bring technical skills to produce a video, while another served as the project’s spokesperson. This collaborative approach helped students see group work as a chance for shared growth.
Through this hands-on experience, students not only deepened their understanding of health and development but also gained practical skills in creating impactful educational materials.
Looking Ahead
As the HS2700 course continues to evolve, Mantler and Yates are looking to expand the program beyond Southwestern Ontario, and eventually hope to provide curriculum-adapted resources to support teachers and students across all of Canada.
“Some of the stuff they created just really knocked our socks off,” said Mantler, adding that these examples will not only continue to inspire future cohorts and spark enthusiasm for health learning among elementary students but also provide valuable, ready-to-use resources that ease teachers’ workloads.
