PSU tech students present 'Amazing Race'
Friday, April 26, 2013 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
Delaney Miller wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
The sixth grader at Liberal (Mo.) Middle School knew she and hundreds of her schoolmates were taking part in a project called “The Amazing Race,” but she wasn’t fully prepared for what she saw Thursday in her school’s gymnasium.
“This is really, really cool,” Miller said. “I can’t believe how much is here and what all went into this. I’m so glad we got to do this.”
The project was conducted by technology education students at Pittsburg State University and was the latest in an annual series of school-based interactive activities.
As part of the program, Liberal students visited a variety of stations that represented several different locations around the world. Their journey began at “Liberal International Airport” and took them to Peru, London, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia and Hawaii. Each station featured some type of lesson or activity.
“There was a lot of planning, building and work that went into this,” Byron McKay, PSU technology education major and a 2002 graduate of Liberal High School, said, “and seeing the kids light up and have such a great time definitely made it all worth the time and energy. They were oohing and ahhing from the moment they stepped into the gym.”
Stacey Davis, a sixth-grade teacher at Liberal, said she was excited to see the students learn and have fun at the same time.
“The kids love the hands-on experience,” Davis said. “They love getting to engage and actually take part in the lesson. It’s a wonderful program, and we’re very glad PSU chose to come here for this.”
Mike Neden, associate professor in department of technology and workforce learning, said the project gave the PSU students an opportunity to teach in a fun and interesting way.
“What it does is give them the chance to break out of the traditional classroom mold and present lessons in ways that are both fun and educational,” he said. “The elementary students have a blast going through these projects, and they’re learning a lot at the same time. It’s a new way of teaching and one that we’re very excited to present.”