Students Teach Technology to Teachers

Children provide educators with tips about how they learn best.

by Sara Armstrong

This article presents an innovative and effective program that has middle school students teach prospective teachers about technology.  Most students have lived with digital technology their entire lives, while older teachers & teacher candidates may be somewhat less familiar with technology.  Dennis Harper, who conducted this study, found that teaching prospective teachers about new technology was much less effective than having students who are familiar with the technology teach the teacher.  Furthermore, turning the tables in this manner is an excellent opportunity for children to learn the communication and presentation skills required to teach a new technology concept to a teacher.  The student would be required to develop a project in which they outline their lesson plan, then deliver the lesson to the teacher.
At the time of the turn of the millennium, when this program was being launched, perhaps teacher candidates were less familiar to technology, now it seems that most teacher candidates are members of "Gen www.Y" themselves.  This program does, however, maintain its relevancy in contemporary schools, because the skills that students learn in communicating their knowledge of a subject to another through teaching are central to state and national education standards, and students will always adapt quickly to new technology, if they can help their teachers along in this regard, they are doing a service not only to their school community, but to themselves!