THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507190125
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
In this MTV age of video, worldwide computer links and demand for instant results, school teachers constantly struggle with a tough question: How do they get - and keep - their students interested in math, science, English and social studies?
At Lake Taylor High, students recently took matters into their own hands. During the final week of school last month, members of a new club - Students In Action - staged a presentation to show their teachers what they think makes learning fun.
The students' pitch in the school's media center showed a creative flair, simulating an airline flight, Spirit Flight 1384. Students posing as attendants directed teachers down an aisle carpeted with red construction paper and into a double row of wooden chairs, each equipped with rope safety belts.
Taped to the chairs were ``Barf Bags.'' A recording of jet engines roared. This was the scenario: The teachers were to pretend they were employed by Chicago's public schools and were visiting Lake Taylor, touted as ``one of the finest high schools in the country.''
The students served peanuts and soft drinks. As the jet ``lifted off,'' a recording of the rock group Pink Floyd blared the familiar lyrics: ``We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. . . .''
The students spent the ``in-flight'' time discussing teaching strategies that worked.
``Educators have come to the realization that keeping a student's attention or even keeping a student awake can be a difficult task,'' Jennifer Riddle, a rising senior, told the teachers, working from a script the students had prepared.
``Although it seems like asking for a lot, students feel that the more creative a teacher is, the easier it is to learn,'' Riddle said. ``For some students, reading about a subject or taking notes doesn't help when it comes to remembering the facts for a test. Instead, experiencing or seeing firsthand helps to make an impression.''
That means, the students said, that teachers should not rely solely on the traditional lecture or the old drill-and-skill methods - unless the response teachers want is a collective classroom snore.
Their presentation was timely: Lake Taylor teachers this summer are training for PRIME, an acronym for Public School Restructuring for Innovative Mainstream Education. Developed by Dwight W. Allen, an Old Dominion University education professor, PRIME is vaunted as an urban model of education reform, geared toward engaging the bottom third of students.
PRIME will be eased in over 10 years and will involve five lower schools that feed students to Lake Taylor: Fairlawn, St. Helena and Little Creek elementary schools and Azalea Gardens and Lake Taylor middle schools.
A feature is an accelerated course of studies that would enable students to finish state graduation requirements by the end of 10th grade. They could take college courses the next two years, essentially getting two free years of college instruction.
Another key component is the extensive use of teaching interns, freeing up teachers to plan and focus their energy on classroom strategies.
The program also emphasizes community service, foreign languages and a cooperative learning environment. The School Board approved $50,000 for teacher training in the 1995-96 budget.
``People are working real hard here, but there are some things we can try out that may lead to overall improvement,'' said Deputy Superintendent Frank Sellew, who attended the students' presentation.
An ODU intern who worked at Lake Taylor in the past school year freed up sixth period for English teacher Bill Herter, who assisted the Students In Action Club.
``This was our initial project to free me up to work with a core group of students for a semester,'' Herter said. ``They wanted to try something innovative. These kids are super.'' ILLUSTRATION: LEARNING MADE FUN
Lake Taylor students recently told teachers what makes learning
fun. All of the strategies are practiced at the school. What is in,
these students said, are:
Hands-on classroom demonstrations to reinforce lectures and
textbooks.
Strategic field trips and classroom visits by experts, both of
which help students understand that what they learn in school has
real-world applications.
Activities that use and recognize students' artistic and creative
abilities, including skits to re-create historic events.
Cooperative learning groups that allow students to think and work
together to solve problems and to develop the skills of listening,
decision-making, compromise and leadership.
Computer training, with the goal that every student is computer
literate upon graduation.
Peer conflict mediation, which teaches students the skills of
negotiation and diplomacy and encourages them to resolve disputes
without resorting to violence.
An ``adopt-a-student'' program, which couples teachers with
``at-risk'' students and addresses problems kids bring to school
with them that prevent them from concentrating on their class work.
Students making the presentation included Jennifer Riddle,
Jonathan Beales, Stephanie Campbell, Jennifer DelaCruz, Dan Hall,
Phan Son and Wendell Johnson.
KEYWORDS: EDUCATION by CNB