- <8 Teachers Team Up, Find | Co _ Modern Approach Does Job j in Weber District — [=~ With By Ed Hunt : cline eae every field snow- cipal in behavior problems. PrinWyatt says that ‘‘they are of practically non-existent.’’ He and other educators believe in- struct even one subject adequately this is due to the fact that the team ‘balling facts into avalanches _ knowledge, how can teachers SO te ae ee eG -. teaching procedures put the re-in the modern public schools? That is the question. which, a few sponsibility for learning on the years ago, sent educators search- shoulders of the pupils; that they ing for new techniques-and.methods are motivated to learning rather to speed up the process of teach- than pressured into it; and that the ing in elementary and high schools children find satisfaction in the cof America. teacher’s personal interest as shown Out of the search has come many in the small groups where individ- Se | answers, one of the most successful of which can be found in a program initiated at Wahlquist Junior High Rae ce School in 1958. It has proved so 2 | fruitful that administrators of other : PR - school districts have come here to /see_ the results of team teaching done in specially constructed flexible classrooms. Once considered te most dndividual of jobs, teaching was formerly ie ee ee ay ~ accomplished by one person at the = boar ee head of a class of some 30 pupils. | e WORK TOGETHER Now, at Wahlquist, and at a growing number of schools in the na- tion, four or five teachers work to- ual instruction is the rule. Because the children are enthusiastic over the program, their parents readily accept it, school ad-. ministrators say. “The. only problem we’ve run-up against is an eager pupil who be- TEAM PREPARATION — Teachers Mrs. Mercy L. gutashar, rush through too quickly,” Mr. Wy- att says. “But we discover that after awhile he slows to a steady pace.” Proof that the method is effective scholastically can be found in the junior high records which show that average scores have been raised from 15 to 75 per cent by the use of team teaching. History, Civics, and Language Arts. The goal was the development of| units of work that could be used by ‘‘teams’’ in any of the district’s junior high schools. ADVANTAGES The important advantage of this) gether as a team—those with the officials said at the time, was thath greatest skill and most specialized. BEEN CONVINCED - knowledge teach large groups (as Superintendent of the Weber Dis- pupils while studying history could | - many as 100), and others give in- trict, Dr. T. H. Bell, says that ‘“‘we also learn the rules of grammar) _ struction on an individual basis to have been so convinced of the and oral and written composition.) Se e te 'small groups of up to 10 children value of the Wahlquist program (2) requiring more ehacenirated:: in- that we have extended team teach- Conversely the language arts are enriched by the use of history asl struction. in to our other junior high schools.”’ subject matter. Wahlquist Principal S pencer Because the conventional classAs a result of the preliminary) ie _ Wyatt says that one of the most room does not-serve such an elaswork in this field, the necessary) | impressive sights to visiting edu- tic program, new additions to the addition to the overcrowded school) LCI eas - cators is that of youngsters busily Roy Junior High School on which was designed with sliding, sound= ~-—T- - studying by themselves, frequently the bid will be let March 6, and a proof partitions and _ electronicca _ with no teacher in the classroom. proposed addition to South Junior equipped teaching centers. =~ =«SOSome children pursue one part of High will be designed for flexibility, When visiting educators observe|™ >the textbook, some another section, according to Dr.. Bell. the smoothly working method, they? = while still others write composiWhen Dr. Wilburn Ball, Utah invariably ask how teachers react) tions. In one corner a_ teacher State Department of Public Instructo this program which requires) a hands out tests to pupils who have. tion, recently visited the Weber them to work harder than ever,) reached various checkpoints of the School District, he. waxed enthusirequires a major and minor in Eng/course of study. -astic over the team teaching meth- lish and Social Studies as well asi a ae In smaller rooms visitors see a od and flexible classroom plan. Dr. the ability to work closely with) Soo ee teacher patiently explaining a prob- Bell said. that the school official teachers in a closely knit! ce CR ee, a lem to four children who face a studied closely designs for future other group. Bees mutual difficulty. As soon as they schools in this: district. “They find it more challenging,” eS Z master it, they resume learning at The experiment at Wahlquist be- Dr. Bell and Principal Wyatt say. e ‘their own pace once again. . gan in 1958 when the Central. Re“Surprisingly, they have more Pa a ee oe Another room is divided into par- ‘search Committee of Utah gave the time to devote to teaching because tially soundproofed study alcoves. school a financial grant with the cs ; : : ; Po ce. - where children study quietly, al- provision that a comprehensive re- of the small grouping method, and / PRET i ‘hough they are without constant port would be prepared at the end they learn to know their pupils better. -A clerk assistant.takes care | supervision. of two years on the procedures and of paperwork which teachers han= One exceptionally fine result of results of the experiment. dle in the conventional teaching ox . team teaching has been a sharp deThe subject matter included U. S. method. H ae | SMALL ' High GROUPING of pupils in the team School finds teacher Bruce Griffin 2 : ham, Lynn Mullig gan and a ovaD Costles 3) Bob Colvin. Mac pe Ence, Bruce Griffin, and clerk assistant Mrs. Gayle Stone (left to right) are busy Eres paring as a team for daily instruction at bia EE Junior High School. comes over-competitive and tries to fenehing program at Wahlquist Junior) explaining a mutual problem to Patsy Bing- lett a rigbebt)- .