High energy teaching, brightly decorated rooms, disco balls and singing are just a few new teaching techniques being introduced to students in Mason County schools.
"Teaching is about surprise and delight ... students want energy, something different, something they are not expecting," said Rick Ross, Mason County superintendent.
The concept comes from innovative teacher Ron Clark, who has co-founded the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. The concept is based upon creativity, high energy, engaging students and following high behavioral standards while in the classroom.
When Ross was hired in 2013 to lead the Mason County School District, one of his first goals was to implement techniques from the Ron Clark Academy at Mason County. In the fall, an application process began for interested teachers. Ross spent time in the classrooms of those who applied. The result was six teachers being selected to travel to the Ron Clark Academy in November for two days of training and interaction with RCA students. The cost of the academy is $3,500 per teacher, which includes the trip to Atlanta and the cost of having the classrooms painted.
Ross believes there is a paradigm shift in teaching away from the traditional classroom of students sitting for one hour while the teacher delivers the course material. Ross said with students using new technologies that give instant results and access to information, keeping the student engaged is essential. Engaging students through movement and song helps with the retention of knowledge and the techniques learned at the RCA work across all student types, added Ross.
Students at each Mason County are being exposed to the new techniques and the goal is to send five teachers per year to the RCA. Ross said eventually, the need to send teachers to RCA will diminish because those who are trained can share the methods with those who haven't attended.
"This is an investment in our teachers and we need to because they are with the students all the time. You can't be paralyzed by the budget, this wasn't paid out of the general fund, it was paid by Title I grant funds and that's what the money is for,” said Ross.
For Mason County Intermediate School teacher Michael Grigsby, implementing the concept has been rewarding and fun, for him and his students. Grigsby teaches gifted students at MCIS and when they learned their classroom was going to be painted, they suggested a comic book theme, based off a popular television commercial.
Grigsby said when the students saw the finished room, some cried, they jumped up and down, and hugged each other. Grigsby said the RCA experience made him realize the most important thing is how important it is to put students first.
"It's all about making kids excited to learn," Grigsby said.
Students are rewarded for their hard work with what Grigsby calls his Red Button. Examples of student success are when the whole class masters a test or writing exercise, with scores at a high level. When that happens, the Red Button is hit, the lights go out and a three minute dance celebration takes place with a disco ball spinning and black lights and strobe lights going.
Grigsby has been teaching for 18 years, six of them at Mason County. He said it's been challenging for him to get comfortable with the new methods. He said he has always thought the hallmark of a good teacher was to have a well-controlled classroom. He said he thought by doing such out of the ordinary things as running up a skateboard ramp in his classroom to get a point across to students would mean his classroom was out of control.
"They are actually more controlled, because they are anticipating what he will do next. He said students have been positive about the higher expectations and their efforts to reach goals have improved,” Grigsby said.
The bottom line effect is that teachers are excited to learn these new methods and students are curious about the excitement and dancing they hear going on in their peers' classrooms. Grigsby said the change in his behavior has been such that one of his students told him he has been more fun since he got back from Atlanta and wanted to know what Ron Clark had done to him.
Story by Marla Toncray, The Ledger Independent
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