By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov
Andrew Arnold leads the class in a motivational chant from his desktop during Elizabeth Wolf's 8th-grade English class at Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent). Photo by Amy Wallot, May 15, 2012
At Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent), disco balls and baseball bats are routine academic tools.
Characters like Tara Bullvoice show up to rap about five-paragraph essays.
And students will listen to Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” before defining irony and explaining two examples in the song.
“It’s not your traditional stand-and-lecture series,” said teacher Travece Turner, who teaches 8th-grade language arts. “This allows me to be creative as a teacher and really push myself to think outside the box.”
Turner and other teachers in the Covington Independent school district recently wrapped up their second year using the Ron Clark Academy teaching approach. This approach focuses on unique, creative approaches to presenting content while addressing student confidence and focus.
“My favorite thing about using Ron Clark’s method is the excitement and passion for learning that I see in my students,” 8th-grade English teacher Elizabeth Wolf said. “They are more engaged and really seem to enjoy learning. The methods also motivate students to be more creative and involved in the learning process.” Continue Reading
