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Teaching program helps everyone
North Medford High School students Brett Bitney, 15, and Allison Schoeneberg, 16, get a little help from Brian Foren, center, a student teacher at Southern Oregon University. The school’s new Tutorial Center program pairs struggling students with teachers-to-be in a partnership that benefits both groups. SOU students tutor high school kids By Jonel Aleccia For Allison Schoeneberg, education just got a little more personal. At least twice a week, the North Medford High School sophomore enjoys the private attention of a skilled tutor, thanks to a cooperative new program that pairs struggling students with teachers-to-be from Southern Oregon University. On Monday, Schoeneberg’s emphasis was on algebra. Meeting in the school’s Learning Center, a small classroom crowded with kids, computers, bookshelves and chairs, the 16-year-old puzzled through the mathematical concept of "slope."
"Do you know what the slope means?" asked Brian Foren, an SOU student teacher whose chosen field is drama. "It’s the downward or upward slant of the angle. If I have four apples stacked here and three apples stacked here, what would be the slope?" Schoeneberg looked puzzled. Foren tried again. "If I have 0 on the bottom of the slant and 10 at the top, then what’s the slope?" "Oh! It’s 10! TEN is the slope!" Schoeneberg said. "I get it!" Foren smiled. Such small victories have become more common in the three weeks since the start of North High’s Tutorial Center, a new program that educators say makes the most of scarce resources and pressing need. "It’s a godsend to us," said Karen Doran, a special education teacher who works in the center. "The Learning Center is always overcrowded and understaffed." But that stress is a little less now that nine students in SOU’s Master of Arts in Teaching program have begun helping out. A couple times a week, they each cycle through the center, offering aid in all subjects to freshmen and sophomore students. It’s a one-of-a-kind partnership that suits everyone involved: the school, the students and prospective teachers, said Petey Young, an SOU education professor. "My student teachers are getting a richer experience. It’s extremely enlightening for them to see what it’s like to work one-on-one with an ESL (English as a second language) student or a student who has trouble writing," she said. Many of the teachers in training find tutoring offers a virtual laboratory of learning styles. "It’s easier to notice the difference between teaching one student and an entire class," said Foren, 22. "It helps me recognize students with different problems such as (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders)." That’s vital for teachers just entering the field, said Geoff Mills, associate dean of education at SOU. "It’s an applied learning environment," he said. "It’s a good opportunity for them to learn, particularly early on in their training, how to work with kids who need help." Organizers hope that the project, funded through a small grant, will grow to include more hours, more would-be teachers and, perhaps, more schools. Surveys will document levels of achievement and satisfaction before and after the program. But even now, the arrangement is benefiting those who need it the most: the students. Brett Bitney, 15, a sophomore, said he understands the branches of American government more clearly now that he’s been tutored. Schoeneberg said she’s discovered that U.S. history is actually comprehensible And Herminia Melendez, 17, has tackled her senior project, the SAT exam and the task of improving her English vocabulary. "Having somebody with you helps you understand this better and get through it faster," the native Spanish speaker said. "Especially the really long words." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com |
