Put Students to Work!

We have a great resource in the Duval County Public Schools which, as far as I know, has been completely overlooked until now, but which could revolutionize the way children in the county learn.

I know what you're thinking. Our schools are failing - how are they going to revolutionize anything?

Perhaps you've heard of the Magnet Program. Certain schools have been designated Magnet Schools and given additional resources to specialize in certain subject areas, or perhaps a certain teaching method. There are schools for Visual and Performing Arts, Science and Technology, and Pre-Med, among other things. Each of these schools is open to students from across the county, with the intention of creating integrated schools.

The Magnet Program is no longer revolutionary, of course, but it could be.

Think about how the company or organization you work for operates. Once an organization reaches a certain size, each employee has certain responsibilities. I'm a computer geek - I don't generally sell our product. I leave that to the sales people, who have an entirely different set of skills. We group people together by job or skill into departments.

Now, look at the various Magnet Schools. We have some for Math and Science, some for Visual and Performing Arts, some for general college preparation. Many of the magnet schools are full of students, faculty and staff with a great deal of talent in a few areas. In the corporate world, the Visual and Performing Arts magnet schools might be the department that produces the television commercials, full of creative types. The Math and Science or Technology magnet school might be the Research and Development department, full of people like me. You get the idea.

We know children (and adults, for that matter) learn best when the material is presented in a creative way. Why not use all of the talent in the various schools to present the material?

For example, a student at a Math and Science magnet school could pick a topic that is appropriate for younger students and present it to a group of Performing Arts students. The Performing Arts students could figure out a creative way to present it to younger students. Of course, the math or science student would collaborate with them to make sure the topic is taught accurately. Visual Arts students would assist where needed with props, sets and so on.

In the process, the Visual and Performing Arts students would learn something about math or science. The math or science student would learn a little bit about putting on a theatrical production. Everyone involved in the production would learn how to collaborate with others.

The resulting production could be performed numerous times at schools throughout the District, so that our investment in the Magnet Program would benefit many students.

Of course, the process wouldn't be limited to math or science. It could be used to teach history, social studies, or just about any other subject, with a little creativity.