An innovative program developed at Florida State University by Dr. Sally Butzin in 1988 helps thousands of children in elementary schools today.
The program is called Project CHILD. The acronym originally meant Computers Helping Instruction and Learning Development. It was first implemented as a pilot program in nine Florida schools. In 1995 the Institute for School Innovation was founded and the innovative program was renamed Changing How Instruction for Learning is Delivered.
How CHILD Delivers Instruction
The Institute for Learning Innovation lists twenty essential components for the project. For the purpose of this article the following eight components will be listed.
- Students are grouped in grades k-2 and 3-5.
- Each grade group has three teachers.
- Each of the six classrooms is equipped with computers and appropriate software.
- Each of the three teachers in a group is responsible for teaching one of the three subjects, math, and reading.
- The students rotate in their groups, spending about an hour each on in the reading, math, and writing classrooms.
- The students stay with the same teachers for three years, although they change homerooms each year.
- Students move from center to center within the classroom, working in small groups, doing pencil and paper activities, using the computer, or meeting with the teacher at the teacher center.
- CHILD schools use their own schools’ curriculum and materials, but Project CHILD also provides materials that help teachers plan activities for each level.
High Expectations, Equal Opportunities
Teachers provide assignment cards daily so that each child knows where he or she should start. High expectations and equal opportunities to participate in all activities are hallmarks of the program. Students receive positive reinforcement in the form of praise and encouragement often. Teachers spend much time, especially at the beginning of the year teaching children how materials are to be used and how they should be stored. Teachers receive intensive training before they begin and they are required to update their training.
Project CHILD Research
A study done by the Institute for School Learning in 2008 compared CHILD students in grades 3-5 in eighteen Florida schools with students in the same schools who were not in Project CHILD classrooms. Scores on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Tests (FCAT) were used to make the comparisons. The study showed that 82% of CHILD students scored higher than their peers not in CHILD classes on the test in reading, and 70% of CHILD students scored higher in math than students not in CHILD classrooms.
The study also showed that Title One students participating in CHILD scored higher than their peers across the state, and also scored above the state average for all students. Earlier studies about the program’s effectiveness have consistently shown positive results. Information provided in a paper by Dr. Robert Reiser for Florida State University’s Department of Educational Research, “Project CHILD: A Highly Effective Instructional Approach for Grades K - 5” shows that the program has provided favorable results since its inception.
Innovation in the Classroom
Implementing innovation in schools can be hard work, and change can be intimidating to some people. When Dr. Butzin first began encouraging schools to implement her program she recognized that some teachers as well as some parents and some students would find change more interesting than others. She anticipated that some would not be eager to make changes that had not been validated by research.
Accordingly, she encouraged schools to offer both options – some Project CHILD classes and some non-Project Child classes so that teachers and parents would have choices. Many of those teachers who chose to participate in Butzin’s innovative approach found the program personally rewarding, even though they worked harder. At least one school had so many parents who wanted their children in Project CHILD classes that the school had to place them on a waiting list.
CHILD Program Now Serves Thousands
Project CHILD began as a pilot program in nine Florida schools two decades ago and now serves thousands of students across the nation. Its innovative classroom organization, effective use of technology, emphasis on positive, healthy classroom climate, and continuing support for teachers have contributed to the program's long-lasting success and made it worthy of study by teachers and principals who are interested in changing the way instruction is delivered in their schools.
 |
