Education students volunteer to help Paschal HS students prepare for TAKS writing tests

Fort Worth, TX

4/15/2010

By: Megan McGuire, TCU Office of Communications intern

TCU’s College of Education students recently had the opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience while helping high school students prepare for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.

The College of Education teamed with Paschal High School to hold a series of day-long writing camps for students identified as “at-risk” in the areas of reading comprehension and writing, two main sections of the standardized test.

The camps took place during February at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church and served roughly 70 Paschal High School students in grades nine through 11. Education students participated in a training session to prepare for the camps, which they attended in shifts.

College of Education associate professor Dr. Jan Lacina said most of the high school students identified as “at-risk” were former ESL students needing further assistance with academic English. This gave education students the opportunity to teach students struggling with reading texts and apply scaffolding techniques designed to engage and motivate.

Dr. Lacina said a major purpose of the camps was to strengthen the students’ skills outside of their usual classroom environment. She said this purpose was aided by the fact that TCU students, rather than the students’ regular teachers, interacted with them. Junior music education major Katie Croll said she thought the students responded well to being in an alternative setting.

“It was good for the students to learn a little from me about how to go to college, and to hear somebody who wasn’t their teacher tell them they were capable of success,” Croll said.

The education students began the camps by composing their own essays to demonstrate effective writing strategies. They later employed their own teaching techniques, working with the students in groups of five to eight.

Croll said a major problem she encountered with students was low self-esteem.

“Many of the students I tutored were very intelligent but were convinced somehow that they could not write well enough to pass the TAKS test,” she said. “I tried to show them all that if they just focused on what they had learned, they would do just fine.”

Tiffany Haynes, a senior middle school education major who participated, said she saw that many students simply needed positive reinforcement.

“I encouraged students to write more about their interests and to have fun writing,” she said. “The students‘ essays were not poor in quality in spite of common errors, they just needed continuing guidance.”

The College of Education has collaborated with Paschal High School in the past, however this is the first year TCU students have been invited to teach at writing camps.

Whitney Peters, a junior middle school education major, said she valued the experience because it was the first time she had had the opportunity to teach students.

“Instead of simply observing in a classroom, I got to give students feedback and encouragement and create discussion,” Peters said. “It gave me an amazing feeling, and thinking about the experience makes me excited about my future in teaching.”

Peters said that interacting with a challenging group of high school students taught her that as a teacher she would have to strive to gain respect and good behavior in the classroom. In spite of the challenge, she would be glad to participate in the writing camps again.

“It’s an experience to be thrown in with a group of students who do not know you, to receive only a broad lesson plan, and to try to motivate students who have been in the same room all day long,” Peters said. “It is not the most glorious or exciting lesson, but it is a great experience.”

Dr. Lacina said Paschal hopes to have TCU students teach the camps every year, an opportunity that would continue to benefit TCU’s middle and secondary education programs. Paschal teacher Meredith Garcia agrees.

“The TCU students were a breath of fresh air for our students,” Garcia said. “We were really impressed with the enthusiasm and confidence they passed on to our timid writers, and we will certainly want to do this again next year.”

Haynes said she hopes the collaboration will continue as well.

“This is an effective tool for students at TCU because it allows education students to see what high school students struggle with,” she said. “We benefit from the experience as much as the Paschal students do.”