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Teaching methods changing in schools

There’s a parallel evolution happening in education, in how teachers teach in the classroom and how higher education is preparing teachers in training, Altoona Area Assistant Superintendent Brad Hatch said.

“As we change how we teach, preparing teachers to teach also needs to evolve,” Hatch said.

At Martinsburg Elementary School in the Spring Cove School District, Principal Kendra Pritchett said being a teacher is more like being a “lead learner” when it comes to scientific subjects like computer coding.

“You are learning with students by guiding, not direct instruction,” she said during a school board meeting last week.

Elementary students use computer tablets to learn the basics of coding. The code processes they enter manipulate a character on the screen.

“Professional development coaches say, ‘Don’t worry about sitting back and being the learner in this,'” Pritchett said.

Partnerships with the area’s universities ensure future teaching candidates are prepared to enter classrooms where real-world connections between math, technology and science are developing.

The Bellwood-Antis School District has agreements with local universities to receive student teachers as most schools do.

“Twenty-first century skills will continue to change as our society changes,” Bellwood-Antis Superintendent Tom McInroy said. “With that, schools will adapt to

the students’ needs. Communication with in­dustry is a critical aspect for proper preparation of our students. This includes appropriate changes in how we train teachers. There is nothing new in that statement. Education has changed over the years in an effort to meet societies’ needs at the time. This can be traced back to when the Puritans settled in New England during the 1600s.”

Candidates paired up

Bellwood-Antis has an agreement with Penn State Altoona where student teachers are with veteran teachers at Myers Elementary School for one full year.

“The on-the-job training skills that they obtain is incredible,” McInroy said.

Bellwood-Antis and Penn State Altoona have a long-running “professional development school partnership” worked out to prepare new teachers as well as help veteran faculty get a fresh outlook.

Penn State Altoona professor of science Leigh Ann Haefner coordinates the partnership from the campus’ end.

“The goal is about teacher candidate development. It’s a team effort so that what happens on campus and what happens in classrooms meshes.”

Hollidaysburg Area Curriculum Director Francine Endler serves on advisory boards at both Mount Aloysius College in Cresson and Saint Francis University in Loretto.

“My role on those boards is to engage in dialogue with our higher education partners about teaching and learning in K-12 public education. These are always productive conversations that allow us to work together on topics surrounding education and how we can help to support teacher preparation programs and higher education overall,” Endler said.

Mirror Staff Writer Russ O’Reilly is at 946-7435.

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