Hands-On Learning Comes to Life:  Teacher Katie McCann Leads Discovery World Field Trip 

For Katie McCann, teaching at West Virginia Virtual Academy is about more than helping her second graders build strong English and Language Arts skills. It is also about creating meaningful connections, encouraging curiosity, and finding new ways for virtual students to learn together. 

McCann, a second-grade English and Language Arts teacher at WVVA, began teaching at the school in 2022 after four years in a brick-and-mortar classroom. 

“The biggest change between brick and mortar and virtual learning is that the students and learning coaches have more say,” McCann said, “I think that their voice matters a little bit more and they have a lot more responsibility on their shoulders.” 

That flexibility is one of the reasons McCann believes virtual learning can help students grow in ways that fit their needs. It also makes in-person opportunities, like WVVA’s recent field trip to Discovery World on Market, even more meaningful. 

Why did you become a teacher? 

Growing up, McCann said she always loved school. Over time, that love turned into a desire to help students experience the same joy. 

“Once I realized that I could help other people love school too, that’s what inspired me to become a teacher,” she said. 

McCann also credits her mother, a longtime Kindergarten teacher, for inspiring her creativity in the classroom. 

“I got to see the behind-the-scenes of things she would come up with,” McCann said. “I’d be like the guinea pig for a lot of her activities. I got to see her using her creativity and applying it to help other people.” 

For McCann, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching is watching students experience a breakthrough. 

“That ‘Aha!’ moment that kids get is always really fulfilling and really satisfying,” McCann said. “Just knowing that you’re helping somebody to understand something better.” 

How do you keep virtual students engaged? 

In a virtual classroom, engagement takes creativity, movement, and strong relationships. 

“We try to make lessons as interesting as we can,” McCann explained. “Like using their camera to show me wiggly fingers if they’re ready to move on. Something like that helps to keep them engaged.” 

Still, she says the foundation of engagement is connection. 

“Really just forming that relationship with them,” McCann said. “I always try to do some show-and-tell with the kids. If it’s in homeroom or the last couple minutes of class, I try to make sure that I am getting that partnership with the students.” 

How are students successful in virtual school? 

McCann believes virtual learning works because it gives students and families the flexibility to learn in ways that fit their lives. 

“The fact that if a student needs to dive deeper into a topic, they’re able to do so because of the time that it frees up,” McCann said. “We have our Flex program, that is really beneficial for students who need a unique learning schedule. They’re able to watch the recordings on their own time.”  

That flexibility is paired with close communication between teachers, students, families, and learning coaches. 

“One of my favorite parts of teaching is the relationships that you build and the growth that you can see because of those relationships,” McCann said. “The fact that we get to be more involved with parents and learning coaches is really cool because we do form good relationships with people.” 

Why Discovery World on Market? 

When McCann visited Discovery World on Market with her own children, she immediately saw how valuable it could be for WVVA students. 

“I had visited Discovery World with my own children, and I thought it would be the perfect field trip because there’s so many different hands-on, STEM activities for kids,” she said. “It’s a very cool place.”  

For virtual students, the trip offered a chance to take the curiosity they bring to online lessons and explore interactive STEM activities designed to get them moving, building, experimenting, and working together. 

It has multiple different floors, each with a different themed STEM activity.  

“The main floor has a ball factory, and that one really builds teamwork,” McCann said.   

Students also worked together to design and test their own creations. 

“One thing our kids utilized, we’re these magnetic walls where they could build giant marble ball runs, essentially,” McCann explained. “They could piece the things together and think really creatively, but also as a team.” 

For McCann, one of the biggest benefits of the field trip was the opportunity for students, learning coaches, and teachers to connect face-to-face. 

“One of the most important things is the socialization of the field trip, because that’s something that virtual schools are kind of lacking in,” she said. “It strengthened relationships between student and teacher, but also between learning coaches and other learning coaches.” 

The field trip was a chance to explore, build, and ask questions in real time. 

 “All of the different academic, hands-on, and STEM things that they got to do were really cool, and it just sparks curiosity in them,” McCann said.  

Was there a student moment that stood out? 

One moment from the field trip stayed with McCann. A group of sisters arrived feeling shy, but as the day went on, they became more confident and connected with other students. 

“Their father was there with them, and they clung to him for a while,” McCann explained. “But the more places that we visited, they started getting other students involved with what they were doing, 

McCann watched as the girls branched out more throughout the day and ended up making a stop motion video out of Legos.  

“It was really cool to watch them, even in the couple hours that we were there, come out of their shell and get engaged with the materials and the people as well,” McCann said.  

What advice would you give other educators? 

McCann encourages educators to look for resources and experiences that can bring lessons to life, whether virtually or in person. 

“See what is out there because a lot of times we don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to hands-on activities,” McCann said, “Just staying educated and knowing what’s in your area and what’s available to you as a resource.” 

Through her virtual classroom and experiences like the Discovery World on Market field trip, McCann continues to help WVVA students connect, create, and discover new ways to learn. 

To learn more about West Virginia Virtual Academy, visit wvva.k12.com.

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