In Role Reversal, Students Help Train Teachers

The New York Times (1/14, Hu) reported, "In a role reversal," Syidah O'Bryant "and other teachers at Brick Avon Academy are getting pointers from their students this year as part of an unusual teacher training program at 19 low-performing Newark {NJ] schools. ... The training program, which is supported by a federal grant, is being run by the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, a nonprofit group based in Syosset, N.Y." According to the Times, "The half-dozen students who participated told their teachers that they learned better when they could move around, interact with classmates and use computers and the Internet - prompting Ms. O'Bryant to joke that she should find a way to give tests on Facebook. But afterward, the teachers said they saw ways to incorporate the students' ideas into their teaching methods."