Medford mail tribune., August 25, 1963, Image 9

Feat
ures
Sports
MedfordJIiWTribune
SECTION B MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, AUGUST 25. 1963 PAGES 1 to 8
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James Backcn, head of Ihe English department at Medford High school, served as a
cameraman during the clemcnlary team teaching workshop at Hoover school last week.
Above he is shown televising Ihe large group class, part of which was conducted outside.
The class session went over a closed circuit to the Hoover school cafeteria where observers
watched the proceedings.
Elliot Bcckcn, assislant superintendent of Medford schools, left, discusses with William
Ruck, director of Ihe Oregon Program for Medford schools, the use of an overhead project
or. This type of projector was used during the workshop on team teaching.
ry,
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Students participating in the two-week elementary team teaching workshop at Hoover school are shown above in one of the morning class scssioni.
Proceedings of the enrichment program were telecast over a closed circuit so area educators could observe the workshop without disturbing the class.
Team Teaching Workshop
Team teaching is reorganization.
It is reorganization of teachers, students and class
room time.
Teachers are reorganized into groups responsible
or the education of a group of students. Students are
reorganized into groups for better instructional pur
poses. Classroom time is reorganized to better fit the
needs of pupils and teachers.
In a team teaching situation all members of the
team, whether there are two or right, are 'responsible
for the education of a group of students, which could
feasibly number 200.
Students are grouped according to ability, and
groups may range in size from two to 100 students.
While one instructor, perhaps with a teacher's aide, is
instructing a group of 100 students, another teacher
may have a group of 25 students, and another may be
working with two or three pupils who need special
attention.
May Not B Cas
This may not always be the case, however, and
when such a situation does not present itself, members
of the team teach all subjects. They are not limited
to their specialty all the time.
Just how this is done, and what it is suppose to
accomplish, was the subject of a two-week workshop at
Hoover school which ended Friday. Whether the work
shop accomplished its purpose may not be known im
mediately, but the workshop was considered highly suc
cessful by local school officials.
The basic purpose of the workshop was to familiar
ize the 25 participating teachers with the organization
of a teaching team, how a teaching team operates, and
the ways by which the teacher's individual strengths
are utilized.
Actual Classroom Situation
This was done through actual classroom situations
with 82 fourth and fifth grade students from thp Hoover
school area. Classroom work was organized so it would
be an enrichment program rather than material which
the pupils would receive during the normal school
year.
Morning sessions were designed to present an ac
tual classroom situation in which materials in science,
math and social studies were presented in large, me
dium and small group instruction sessions.
Afternoon sessions were designed as seminars In
which various aspects of team teaching were presented,
discussed and Teviewed by participants. They also were
used to evaluate the morning classroom sessions.
The effectiveness of the workshop was illustrated
when Patricia Leclair, a member of the Lexington,
Mass., team conducting the workshop, said she could
not distinguish between fourth and fifth graders. They
all became part of the group.
Illustrated By Comment!
The effectiveness also was illustrated by many of
the comments by parents of pupils participating. Most
of the parents jotting down the child's indicated im
pression on a questionnaire commented that children
found the workshop fun, and that they had learned
something.
With what little exposure parents had to an ex
planation and discussion of team teaching Thursday aft
ernoon, they appeared to be quite impressed, and some
expressed the hope that such a method should be adopt
ed in the Medford district.
One parent expressed disappointment over the fact
that the system still is in the experimental stage, and
would like to have his children start their formal edu
cation in such a situation. This parent noted that his
children came home from the workshop "bubbling with
enthusiasm."
The workshop was designed specifically lo famil
iarize local teachers with the team teaching organiza
tion. But it had a secondary purpose, and that was to
bring to as many interested educators as possible the
opportunity to see what was being done in the work
shop. To do this, a closed circuit television network was
set up in the building by the Verl Walker company of
Medford, which provided about SiiO.OOU worth of equip
ment without charge to the district.
Morning and afternoon sessions were telecast, not
only offering an opportunity for observations, but also
providing an opportunity for demonstrating new equip
ment in the field of electronic equipment available for
educational use.
Among some of the pieces of equipment were a
wireless microphone permitting the instructor freedom
of movement without being trailed by an electric cord,
and monitor sets which could be locked in channel po
sition to discourage children from playing with it.
Dr. Leon Minear, state superintendent of public in
struction, said: "I feel that the Medford workshop is
one of the brighter spots in the Oregon Program., The
roopcration between Southern Oregon college, the
school district and the state department of education
should produce some excellent results."
Films Taken of Workshop
Dr. Minear visited the workshop one day last week
when films were being taken of the sessions for dis
tribution throughout the state.
He continued his comments: "I hope many places
around the slate can see what Medford is doing (re
ferring to the workshop). Medford has taken a leader
ship role in the Oregon Program that has justified the
granting of more funds to this district than originally
planned."
The workshop was conducted under the auspices of
the Oregon Program in cooperation with Southern Ore
gon college. Financed by the Ford Foundation grant
lo Oregon for studying ways of improving education
through improving leaching and teachers, the work
shop brought to this area a team of four teachers from
Lexington, Mass., considered one of the top teaching
teams in the country.
In addition to Miss Leclair, other members of the
learn are Richard Barnes, William C. Terris and Miss
Regina McKenna.
Participating in the workshop from the Medford
district were Roy Gilbertson, Jim Akerill, Marjorie
Blaar, Esther Flicgel, Anna Laura Honts, Jerry MaT
lin, Bob Baccus, Russell Carr, Barbara Doolcn, Richard
Gaulke, Vern Goodrich, Ruth Kaye, Freda Peterson,
Bruce Metzgcr, Francis Guidry and Pearl Farnsworth.
Attending from other districts were Miss Lorena
Akers, Lakevicw; Gilbert Mack and Mrs. Ida VonBus
kirk, Gold Hill; Mrs. Genevieve Holdridge, Phoenix;
Frank Koch and Neil Richardson, Ashland; Ron McKen
na, Central Point; and Mrs. Dorothy G. Manning and
Glen W. Speck, both of California.
The Li'xington, Mass., team of teachers discusses the workshop procedure with two area people. Around Ihe tabl
are Miss Regina McKenna and William C. Terris (on near side of table). Miss Patricia Leclair and Richard Barnes (on far
side) all from Lexington, talking with Miss Gladys Durrand, of Medford public schools (second from right), and Dr.
Betty Lou Dunlop of Southern Oregon college, (Landis Photo)
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ml . I. vrs ;. ' ' 1 L. , it
Diseasing new equipment available for use in the field of education arc, left lo right above. Dr. Leon Minear, state
superintendent of public instruction: Mrs. Eva Hamilton, M cdford, member of the state board of education; Ted Christen
son. displaying equipment furnished without charge by the Verl Walker company of Medford: Frank Bash, chairman of the
Medford school board: and Dr. Leonard B. Mayfield, superintendent of the Medford district. The equipment was dis
played at the two-wcrk workshnp which ended Friday at Honvrr school.
Dave Wisely, audio-visual coordinator for Medford school district, conducts a seminar on audio-visual equipment, principally the overhead projec
tor, during the two-week elempntary team teaching workshop at Hoover school. Teachers from Medford and surrounding districts participated in the
workshop under the auspices of the Oregon ProfiJUm In cooperation wth Southern Oregon college and the stale department of education. (Landis photo)
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