College, Catholic school link up to give students special training

ST. MARYS - A partnership between a local university and a Catholic school gives teachers-in-training a unique, hands-on learning experience.

Early and middle childhood education students in the Wright State University-Lake Campus Health and Physical Awareness class first complete health studies before moving to professor Jeff Howison's physical awareness portion.

Once a week, his students teach activity classes to kindergarten through third-grade students at Holy Rosary Catholic School in St. Marys. They use activities and games to help the youngsters develop motor skills, learn about staying healthy and build confidence.

The college students create lesson plans and are expected to teach the class on a rotating schedule with their peers. Between activities, Howison asks them to critique each other's methods and offer suggestions.

Howison, who formerly taught at Holy Rosary school, said the experience of leading a class is invaluable, especially when an education student is deciding whether or not the field is a good fit.

"There's something about hands-on learning that really helps students," he said. "And when a student is learning something, if they can experience it, work on developing their skills and talents in that particular area, they might discover it might not be a good fit. That's important for them to learn early on."

His students agreed and noted the experience offered more hands-on opportunities than some of their other education classes.

"We get more interaction with the kids. Our other classes require observation but this one you're forced to do something every single time you come in, so you get to work with the kids," WSU-LC freshman Alli Darras of Celina said.

Fellow freshman Halle Beougher of Rockford agreed.

"I think it's really convenient because you get some experience before you have to go into your field experience," she said. "So I think it's good that you don't have to go in there blind and you get to figure out what's good to do and what's not good to do, what to say to them that's going to be effective. I think it's been really helpful."

Although working with the children can discourage some from going into the teaching field, it also helps affirm those who feel called to the profession.

"You get to interact with the kids and that's what I love to do," Darras said. "So this just reaffirms it."

Activity education is a required component for a kindergarten-third grade Ohio teaching license, Holy Rosary principal Lora Krugh said.

"A pre-K-3 Ohio license is for any subject matter, which means not only do these students have to have their methods in reading, math, science, social studies, they also have to have that training in art, music and PE (physical education)," she explained.

Early childhood education teachers need to be well-versed in activity and health education, but oftentimes it doesn't replace traditional gym classes in schools, Krugh said. However, she feels it's an important skill set for teachers to have.

"Depending on how big your school is, you might not have a specialist in music, art or PE," she said. "For that learner who might not necessarily be a reading, writing and arithmetic learner, that education could be a life-changer for them."

Activity education is not new to the lake campus, teacher education program officer Molly Hay said. But partnering with a specific school and using its facilities are a new method of training students, she added.

"They're getting more real-time classroom experience," Hay said. "They can see how to incorporate classroom management skills, how to engage the kids, how to manage a class."

Partnering with Holy Rosary school came with an added perk, Hay said.

"We used to have classes at the Y but with this partnership we can use Holy Rosary's facilities," she said. "Nothing against the Y but the school had a lot more equipment designed to facilitate motor development in young children."

Because the class takes place during normal school hours, the college students experience real-life scheduling issues such as field trips, fire drills and programs.

"Teaching is so much an adjustment and working with others," Krugh said. "I think these college kids are getting a real, true taste of that."

Krugh said she's already seen the benefits to her school.

"I don't have enough good to say about it. It's just amazing. I look at it and think, 'who gets more out of it?' ... The present teacher, the student learning to be a teacher or the students?" she enthused. "The children love the classes. I've seen good, respectful responses from them."