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Karla Nolte, who teaches at Hotchkiss K-8, thought she could introduce games to her fourth grade students to improve their math thinking and reasoning skills.
So, she completed an application to the Arch Coal Foundation’s Innovative Teaching Grants program last year and was named one of the inaugural grant recipients.
“Students were allowed to take the games home, as well as occasionally play them in the classroom,” reports Nolte. “As you might imagine, the students were excited when I told them they could spend the afternoon learning to play the games.”
During the school year, Nolte “tinkered” with the distribution of the games, how long they would be loaned, and even invited the school’s other fourth grade class to join in. By sending the games home, it encouraged parental involvement in learning — and even family learning, Nolte indicates.
One response to a survey form Nolte sent to her students’ homes was very rewarding and proved that Nolte’s initial concept was valid. “A parent wrote,” says Nolte, “children can ‘learn math without knowing they are actually learning math.’ ”
Nolte said the students’ favorite games were Blokus, Fourway Countdown and Presto Change-O.
Nolte reported that she saw an obvious growth in the students’ math reasoning, and the use of games supported their learning and enjoyment of math. “I am very pleased that I have this same resource to use again year after year,” Nolte says.
The grant program is available to Delta County classroom teachers, including those who received grants in the first year. Grant proposals are due Sept. 12 for the current school year. The company’s coordinator, Sherrie Wilson, says she’s hoping for an even greater number of terrific, imaginative ideas this year.
For additional copies or information about the program, call Wilson at West Elk mine at (970) 929-2303 or visit www.archcoal.com/community/teachinggrants.asp.
Arch Coal, Inc. owns Mountain Coal Company and its West Elk mine in Somerset.
A panel of judges, comprised of Mountain Coal personnel, educators and community members, will meet in October to determine the grant recipients, and a banquet to celebrate the 2008 grant recipients is expected later this fall.
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