September 27, 2007

Faculty Spent Summer Learning Better Ways to Teach

Brookline teachers in classrooms from preschool through grade 12 had much more than the beach on their minds for the summer of 2007. Thanks to Brookline Education Foundation grants, eighty-four educators were able to pursue intellectual adventure--and return to their schools this September more than ready to teach. In the words of one grant recipient, “My studies of Spanish language this summer have opened my eyes to the more subtle complexities of the language… this will boost my confidence in teaching.”

Among the exciting undertakings supported by the Brookline Education Foundation, was Heath teacher Jane Leo’s trip to China to study urban and rural life. She plans to enrich her first-grade teaching on China as a result. Driscoll School Librarian Amy Neale's grant took her to Ghana for a two-week study tour. She now is evaluating and revamping the Driscoll Library's Western Africa materials. And Robin Toback, Devotion/Heath School psychologist, attended a week-long seminar, joining colleagues from around the world to discuss the educational consequences of poverty and deprivation.

 At Brookline High, Spanish language students will benefit from a Brookline Education Foundation-funded collaboration between World Language teachers Kenny Kozol and Kristina Tobey. They worked over the summer to develop Spanish lessons that use music as a lens into the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. And, after his intense study of strategies for teaching music theory at the high school level, Choral Director Michael Driscoll expects to bring forth new heights of musicianship from his students.

Not all grants work happens during the summer. Ninety-eight additional Brookline Education Foundation grant recipients from varying disciplines will study, attend conferences, and collaborate with colleagues during the 2007-08 school year. Among these are Lincoln school educator/coaches, Robert Hutchison and Brian Jones, who will attend a three-day Nike Basketball Coaches Clinic this fall to learn on- and off-court coaching strategy under some of America's best high school and college coaches. And, sixth- through eighth-grade science teachers from each of Brookline's elementary schools will attend the 2008 National Science Teachers Association conference in Boston to study new ideas in inquiry-based learning, lab activities, and much more.
   
If you have a child in the Brookline Public Schools, it is likely that his/her teacher, principal, librarian, or learning specialist has been the beneficiary of a Brookline Education Foundation grant. To learn more about the Foundation, and for a full listing of 2007-08 teacher grants, visit BrooklineEducation.org.