Students, teachers swap roles at ND-BG

Catholic education in Schenectady is experiencing a role reversal this year: The students are teaching the teachers.

Middle-school students at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School are involved with Generation YES (Youth and Educators Succeeding), which links computer-savvy students with teachers interested in learning more about technology.

"Often, teachers don't have a chance" to learn everything about new technology, said computer teacher Cynthia Cooper. Having the students serve as trainers benefits both sides.

Learning together

Throughout the school year, the GenYES students complete 60 hours of instruction, meetings with teachers and project work. Students pass on to teachers the technology skills they learn in GenYES classes two days a week.

Many of the teachers, say the students, want to learn more about Microsoft PowerPoint, a slide-show software used extensively in business and educational settings. Other teachers want to make websites for use in class.

"I hope that they can use [technology] to help other people and students learn what they need to know for life," said Kevin Aziz, a seventh-grader.

PowerPoint

Sixth-grader Bianka Pizarro, 11, is partnered with a teacher who hopes to create a chart to chronicle completion of required service hours for middle-school students.

To do that, Bianka will learn about spreadsheet software, PowerPoint and digital photos.

Kevin and his partner-teacher are talking about putting up a website related to science; and Ankit Desai, 11, is going to help his Spanish teacher develop a slide show on "Don Quixote."

Expanding knowledge

Brittney Sawitski, a seventh-grader, said it makes sense to have students help teachers learn about technology, because young people tend to be comfortable with it.

Mrs. Cooper also learns while teaching. "I've been working with computers since the mainframes were out," she explained. "I've been around, yet, every day, I learn something new from these students."

She hopes that GenYES involvement will build a knowledge base in the school that will help teachers integrate technology into lessons.

Connections

For their part, students like getting to know and work with their teachers on a less formal level.

"You get along with the teacher better afterward," said Elizabeth Volks, whose project will be a PowerPoint slide show about weather and clothing terms in Spanish.

Aubrielle Madia, 11, is both "a little nervous" and excited about meeting her teacher. "This is so interesting," she said.

Sixth-grader John Ryan, 11, agreed, saying: "Now, we know that the teachers are nice."

(Through the program, students learn about the intricacies, pluses and minefields of internet research, and about staying safe while surfing the web.)

(1/26/06) [[In-content Ad]]