Math study halls offer students easier access to tutoring
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| Math teacher Carolyn Barry helps a student with a problem during math study hall. Peer tutors also are available. |
 Kids are busy. They play sports, they're in clubs, they have jobs. They generally do not have much time — or make time — to get help for a class. That's why the Math Department decided to create math study halls this semester.
Students who struggled with numbers last fall were placed into a math study hall, which is supervised by a math teacher, instead of a regular lunch study hall. The purpose of the study hall is to "get students doing math every day" and to "make math teachers available to kids during the school day," said Jori Bowen, Math Department chair. Even though all math teachers have individual tutoring times, sometimes students' schedules conflict with the teacher's schedule.
About 15 students are placed in each math study hall, in contrast to the 25-30 students in regular lunch study halls. This gives them more time for one-on-one help from the math teacher or the peer tutors who have volunteered to offer their services.
Teachers Carolyn Barry, Susan Arendas, and Jill Farrell supervise the study halls during fourth, fifth, and sixth periods, and they also welcome students who are not enrolled in the study halls to stop in for help.
Bowen said one of the focuses is to help students learn how to study for math. Additionally, she hopes the study hall will teach them the discipline and rewards of doing their math homework.
Students can opt to graduate from the study hall after each progress period if they have at least a C grade in their math class; likewise, students can be pulled into a math study hall after each progress if they are not performing well, Bowen said. |
