Contact: Aga Haupt
Nearly 100 public school teachers and university faculty members are at Mississippi State this month to learn about a process called problem-based learning.
Now in its fourth year, Project ACHIEVE is a collaboration among MSU's College of Education and Alcorn State University, along with East Mississippi, Copiah-Lincoln and Meridian community colleges. Funded by the United States Department of Education, the five-year, $8.5 million program also involves 26 Mississippi public school districts.
"The project's goal is to give teachers powerful new classroom tools based on the principles of problem-based learning," said ACHIEVE director Susan H. Steward.
Problem-based learning encourages students to work in small groups to conduct independent research about specific issues, with teachers serving as guides, she explained.
"It encourages active participation by students and seeks to develop critical thinking skills," Steward said. "Teachers give students a case study identifying real-world problems and the students develop and answer questions about the issues and concepts taught." Participants in the summer sessions also will learn to implement the approach in all content areas, she added.
The 2003 Project ACHIEVE class includes (by hometown):
ABERDEEN--Shirley Burnett and Norris Powell of Aberdeen High School; Gary L. Cherry of Shivers Junior High School.
ACKERMAN--Lisa Jones of Ackerman Elementary School.
AMORY--Alicia Milstead and Kim Parker of Amory High School; Leigh Stanford of Amory Middle School.
BOONEVILLE--Monica Hill of Anderson Elementary School and Danny Ramsay of Booneville High School.
BROOKSVILLE--Brenda Little of Wilson Elementary School.
CALEDONIA--Laura Melissa Holley of Caledonia Middle School.
CALHOUN CITY--Jennifer Cain, June Collins and Mindy Leachman, all of Calhoun City Elementary School.
COLUMBUS--Becky Kinard of New Hope Middle School and Diane H. Thompson of West Lowndes Middle School.
EUPORA--Patricia Cochran and Gail Reed of Eupora Elementary School; Joy Walker of Eupora High School.
FAYETTE--Trophia Robinson and Joyce G. Smith of Jefferson County High School; Reshonda Walton of Jefferson County Elementary School.
FRENCH CAMP--Lesa K. Long of French Camp Elementary School.
GREENWOOD--Jeneveri Cation, Alicia M. Epps and Iris Hurt of Amanda Elzy High School; Kim Daniels, Sharronda Evans and Tura C. Powell of Davis Elementary School.
JACKSON--Tarance Hart of Powell Middle School; Greer Proctor of Davis Magnet Elementary; Deedra Watt of Lee Elementary.
LELAND--Carol Clark and Ellen E. Quinn of Leland School Park; Jesse King of Leland High School.
LORMAN--Amin Haque, Lillie Jones, Tracy Neal, Barbara Regan, Gerald Ritter, Solomon Terfa, Sandra Wilson, Lonecka Wilson, and Sarwar Zaman, all of Alcorn State University.
LOUISVILLE--Beth W. Chandler, Lavorn McQueen and Peggy C. Wallace of Eiland Middle School.
MACON--Karen K. Dixon and Verdia Triplett of Earl Nash Elementary School.
MAYHEW--Pamela F. Cox and Gina L. Thompson of East Mississippi Community College.
MEADVILLE--Charlene H. Bradford of Franklin Upper Elementary School; Dana Dent of Franklin Junior High School; June Shaw of Franklin Lower Elementary.
MERIDIAN--Mike Clymer, Amy S. Deen, and Laura Singletary of Meridian High School; Kathy H. Baxter, Kelly McKee, Cathy Parker of Meridian Community College; Ingrad Smith, Ed Snodgrass of Mississippi State University-Meridian.
MONTPELIER--Andree Brownlee, Cheryl Johnson-Wilson and Vernetta Jones, all of West Clay Elementary School.
MOORHEAD--Sandra Abney and Carol Jackson of James C. Rosser Elementary School.
NATCHEZ--Janet Hall, Gaye Hunt and Mary Shelton, all of Morgantown Elementary School.
OKOLONA--Andrew Aldridge of Okolona High School; Melissa Aldridge and Jean Pisors of Okolona Elementary School.
PHILADELPHIA--Shawn Bradley, Jennifer Druey and Becky Webb, all of Philadelphia Elementary School.
PORT GIBSON--Carolyn Miller, Gail Sherman and Gayla Smith, all of A.W. Watson Elementary School.
RULEVILLE--Hazel Pickens of Ruleville Central High School.
SCOOBA--Andrea Scott of East Mississippi Community College.
STARKVILLE--Sharon Bonner of East Oktibehha County Elementary School; Tracy Donahou, Andy Duett and Nancy Sistrunk of Ward-Stewart Elementary School; Ben Abadie, Kay Brocato, Susie Burroughs, Joseph A. Chromiak, John E. Forde, Stephen Foster, Dana Franz, William Henry, Tom Hosie, Pamela Kirk, Rita M. McReynolds, David Morse, Linda Morse, Philip E. Min, Charles D. Palmer, Amy Prisock, John E. Wyatt, and Scott Young, all of MSU.
STURGIS--Sheila Kirkman and Liz Phillips of Sturgis Attendance Center.
WEIR--Sharon M. McMinn of Weir Attendance Center.
WESSON--Lynn Boykin, Carol Ford and Craig Hennington, all of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
WINONA--Jean Anne Fisackerly, Kay Kent and Judy B. Lollar, all of Winona High School.
WOODVILLE--Doran Monroe, Oscar Veals and Jaqueline Washington, all of Wilkinson County Elementary.
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NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information on Project ACHIEVE, telephone Steward at (662) 325-3747.