Students Teaching Classes?
Step Up Students Accept Challenge
by Kathy Headrick
September 15, 2009
This year, 8th grade students at Kiowa County Jr. High are taking a class entitled "Step Up." The class is designed as a transition to high school class. First semester, the students are studying The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. The material is something that many of the students have had before. The content of the book was covered in leadership last year at Mullinville and in counseling sessions last year at Greensburg. However, the book is so good that Mr. Kohlman and Mrs. Derstein, KCJH Co-Principals, wanted the students to have a copy of the book for their own. The school purchased the books for each of the 8th students.
Rather than Mrs. Headrick re-teach the material, a couple of students suggested student presentations. The students have been divided into small groups of no more than three people and each small group will take one of the 7 habits and conduct a lesson for one class period. They have to present the material from their chapter of the book, supplement that information with research outside of the book, incorporate multi-media, and create whole-class participation during their lesson.
Covey's book covers solid life principals. The students are learning to put these "habits", as Covey calls them, into practice.
Habit #1: Be Proactive
Habit #2: Begin With the End in Mind
Habit #3: Put First Things First
Habit #4: Think Win-Win
Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Habit #6: Synergize
Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw (Take Care of Yourself)
The students will have a period of time to prepare their presentations and then each habit will be presented (or reviewed) during one class period.
