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Area School Changing The Way Students And Teachers Work Together In The Classroom

By Jan Carabeo

HAVERFORD, Pa., (CBS) -- One school on the Main Line is trying a non-traditional approach to education.

Mr. McCann never spends too much time in the front of his classroom. In fact, there really isn't a front to his middle school math class.

That's because here at Friends School Haverford, the lecture has fallen out of favor.

"My role becomes floating around and saying tell me about what you're doing," Christopher McCann says.

These days, teachers at Friends School Haverford spend very little time standing in the front of a class lecturing to kids.

Instead, students navigate the curriculum either individually or in small groups, and their teachers step in to answer questions and guide them when help is needed.

It's called math workshop, and the teaching method is working for 10-year-old James Langham. He's in fourth grade but working in fifth grade math.

"I really like it, I think it's really useful to be able to go at your own pace and have them answer your questions," Langham says.

At FSH, there isn't one lesson for an entire grade. Students open their books, find themselves at different levels, and learn at their own pace.

"It's about personalization for the students, so there's not really a one size fits all," McCann says.

And as they engage with teachers, students discover the concepts on their own.

"Which is a more powerful way for them to internalize it," McCann continues.
The independent school started exploring the workshop model two years ago and now uses it across all curriculum and ages.

But school leaders have found it especially successful in math.

"That's really where Friends School Haverford is a pioneer," Head of School Michael Zimmerman says. "There are not many places in the country where workshop models are being deployed effectively in mathematics."

Students take quizzes and tests on different days, and they take home different homework that reflects what they learned that day.

There's even a little less homework. The thought is smaller amounts of work throughout the day is better than a large homework assignment at night.

But the result is the same across the board. Teachers say these students are prepared for the next step of their education.

"When the students leave, what they know, they know really well," McCann says. "It's not a recitation of facts. They understand a deeper meaning behind it."

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