Written by ARHS student Delbar Mamedzade.
Grants given by the PGO, sponsored by Stop and Shop, have enhanced teaching and learning throughout classrooms at ARHS. Mike Thompson, a chemistry teacher at ARHS, was thrilled when he received his requested $1,000 from the PGO to purchase a “student response system”. Mr. Thompson explains that “a student response system consists of individual student transmitters (sometimes called “clickers”) that can transmit information to a receiver connected to the teacher’s computer, which provides a means for the teacher to get instantaneous feedback from students to check for understanding, generate class discussions, identify misconceptions, and then modify lessons in real-time”. The instant feedback allows Mr. Thompson to better plan and manage the time he should spend in class on a particular subject; if he sees that a majority of the class are not correctly answering questions on a particular topic, he will focus more class time on it. In addition, Mr. Thompson is able to observe the strengths and weaknesses of particular students, as he can assign specific clickers to students if he feels that they may need extra guidance, which allows him to better aid the students who are struggling with a particular subject. He says that the clickers spark excellent discussion - students can explain their reasons for choosing a certain answer and the class learns from one another. As a bonus, students feel as if they are not put on the spot, as they are when raising their hands in class. Mr. Thompson is grateful to the PGO for providing the funds to purchase this classroom system, and recognizes that without the help of the PGO, he would never have been able to afford it. He looks forward to its use by other teachers across ARHS.