When Students Teach the Teacher

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When Students Teach the Teacher

• Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to Use Technology -
  PT3
• College of Education and Social Services
• University of Vermont
• Sandra.Lathem_at_uvm.edu
• November 14, 2002
• Vermont Fest 2002 - Killington Vermont

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PT3 Student Faculty Mentors

• Students often know more about technology than
  their teachers.
• UVM College of Education students hired as
  mentors to higher ed and K-12 faculty.

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Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to Use Technology
-PT3
College of Education awarded 3 million grant to
help pre-service teachers and UVM faculty become
better users of information technology. http//www
.uvm.edu/cess/pt3
Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to Use Technology -
PT3 is an initiative of the U.S. Department of
Education http//www.pt3.org
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PT3 Student Mentor WebCT

• Student projects are documented at
• http//webct.uvm.edu
• Login pt3guest1
• Password dewey
• Click PT3 Student Mentor Project

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Program Components

• PT3 grant team sponsors the program.
• Program includes --
• Recruiting students and faculty members
• Matching student with faculty need scheduling
• Arranging meetings/identifying project goals
• Supervising student providing support
  communications
• Visiting student onsite - at least once a month
• Evaluating projects
• Documenting student projects
• Program improvement from evaluations

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Costs

• Grant hired Outreach Coordinator (.50 FTE)
• Supervises students and project logistics
• Maintains web site to document project
• Grant provides mentor funding - 10/hour
• Students work --
• 4-8 hours/week - 10 weeks/semester
• Approximately 20 students/semester
• Students can elect to work for college credit
• 15 hours 1 credit
• Students could volunteer (no cost) and count time
  as community service hours.

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Benefits for Students

• Students allowed to show their knowledge and
  expertise
• Students learn about teaching from their teachers
• Students help solve real problems
• Students technology skills are reinforced
• Students build self-confidence
• Students establish professional relationship with
  teachers

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Benefits for Faculty

• Faculty learn new technology skills
• Faculty able to implement new ideas because
  students have more time
• Faculty enjoy working one-on-one with a young
  person
• Faculty members feel more secure to take risks
• Faculty learn a students perspective about their
  ideas

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Implementation Issues

• Students need orientation /training
• Better communications among mentors
• Scheduling is difficult -- especially for
  teachers
• Students can be unreliable
• Teachers must make commitment to learn with the
  mentor, not just let the mentor do the work

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Candidates for K-12 Mentors

• College students mentor teachers and/or students
• High school students
• Mentor teachers
• Mentor peers
• Mentor middle or elementary students
• Middle School Students
• Mentor teachers
• Mentor peers
• Mentor elementary students

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K-12 Mentoring Model Gen-Y

• Movie describing GenY
• http//www.glef.org
• Click video gallery icon
• Topic technology professional development
• Movie Title Turning the Tables -- Students
  Teach Teachers
• More on Generation -YES
• http//www.genyes.org
• National program that trains high school or
  elementary students to become technology mentors
  for teachers
• Students assist teachers in creating a technology
  infused lesson.

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Creating a Mentor Program

• Identify a program coordinator (new hire or
  responsibility of current personnel)
• Identify student mentors/participating teachers
• Identify incentives (money, community service
  hours, course credit, recognition, rewards (trip
  or prizes)
• Recruit students and faculty
• Hold orientation/training sessions for teachers
  and mentors
• Provide support/communications
• Evaluate, document and promote project results
• Celebrate!

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Mentor Relationships

• Teachers enjoy working with younger people --
  college-aged, high school, middle school.
• Students enjoy sharing what they know.
• Mentor-pairs are highly successful ventures.
• Mutual effort -- mutual benefit
• Investment is low benefit is high.

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Suggested Reading
Mentoring is known to be one of several effective
strategies to support adult learners with
technology. For further reading
. http//emifyes.iserver.net/fromnow/mar01/howlea
rn.html
Sandra A. Lathem College of Education and Social
Services University of Vermont 802-656-3356 Sandra
.Lathem_at_uvm.edu