Domers and Johnson Reach Out to City Schools
Shoshana Flax
Issue date: 4/6/05 Section: Features
For two Goucher students, time away from campus is not necessarily time outside the classroom, or at least the school setting. Ted Domers, '05 and Lindsay Johnson, '05 are both conducting senior projects that involve interaction with Baltimore City youth.
Domers spends three hours every Wednesday with tenth graders at Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA), a Baltimore City Public "innovation high school". Together, they are working on a project called "Construct Your Education." Their aim is to advocate for classes in more subjects, from Spanish to home economics to drama, to be available in the school, which currently offers few electives because it has only been in existence for two years. The students' current task is to research reasons the school should offer the courses. Later in the year, they will present their arguments to the school's administration.
"By having the students involved in changing their school, I believe that will gain a stronger connection to the school, and increase their motivation to learn," Domers said. Of the school, he said, "BFA is different from other schools because of the small school atmosphere and the value placed on civil advocacy. This makes my project not only feasible, but encouraged."
Domers' project connects to several of his more traditional academic pursuits. The project originated through the Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Maryland Law School where Domers is taking an internship-based class with Professor Susan Leviton. One of the options is to teach at BFA. Domers and other students teach a class titled Students and the Law.
"There are legal aspects to the project because the theory of having students autonomously direct their education needs to be incorporated into more educational policy," said Domers. "With a great deal of educational policy determined by lawmakers, it is very important for lawyers and public advocates to understand the nature in which students learn."
In addtion, Domers' senior thesis, with Associate Professor of Psychology Brian Patrick, explores effective ways to engage elementary school students, and the impact of engagement on achievement. Although he is working with older students at Baltimore Freedom Academy, he describes the project as a "solution" to his thesis because it is "a hands-on example of how students perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness to their school will increase their interest in learning."
Domers spends three hours every Wednesday with tenth graders at Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA), a Baltimore City Public "innovation high school". Together, they are working on a project called "Construct Your Education." Their aim is to advocate for classes in more subjects, from Spanish to home economics to drama, to be available in the school, which currently offers few electives because it has only been in existence for two years. The students' current task is to research reasons the school should offer the courses. Later in the year, they will present their arguments to the school's administration.
"By having the students involved in changing their school, I believe that will gain a stronger connection to the school, and increase their motivation to learn," Domers said. Of the school, he said, "BFA is different from other schools because of the small school atmosphere and the value placed on civil advocacy. This makes my project not only feasible, but encouraged."
Domers' project connects to several of his more traditional academic pursuits. The project originated through the Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Maryland Law School where Domers is taking an internship-based class with Professor Susan Leviton. One of the options is to teach at BFA. Domers and other students teach a class titled Students and the Law.
"There are legal aspects to the project because the theory of having students autonomously direct their education needs to be incorporated into more educational policy," said Domers. "With a great deal of educational policy determined by lawmakers, it is very important for lawyers and public advocates to understand the nature in which students learn."
In addtion, Domers' senior thesis, with Associate Professor of Psychology Brian Patrick, explores effective ways to engage elementary school students, and the impact of engagement on achievement. Although he is working with older students at Baltimore Freedom Academy, he describes the project as a "solution" to his thesis because it is "a hands-on example of how students perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness to their school will increase their interest in learning."