By Laurie Whittier
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

A role reversal at Summit Ridge Middle School recently transformed a class of eighth graders into teachers for Wind Crest residents who wanted to learn basic computer skills. But something else happened during this free class: the  generation gap narrowed.

The idea was the brainchild of Alan Morawiec, who teaches at Summit Ridge Middle School, located ten miles west of Wind Crest in Littleton.

A perfect partnership
For more than a year, Morawiec tried to find an area community or activity center interested in learning computers from students.

But it wasn’t until last fall that someone suggested he contact Wind Crest Community Resources Manager Sharon Prouse.

“She was very receptive to the idea, so we got started right away,” Morawiec says. First, his class toured Wind Crest to get a feel for who their “students” would be. Then Prouse visited the school to offer the class tips on instructing “mature” students. The program took place one hour a day for one week in February, replacing instruction as usual for students in Morawiec’s “Technology in the Community” class.

Since the Wind Crest residents who participated in the project had little to no experience with computers, the curriculum was basic, says Morawiec. “We started with turning the computer on and off correctly and learning how to use a mouse,” he says. Later, they moved on to basic word processing. Each day, 14 teams of 2 (1 student teacher and 1 student) sat together, talked together, and learned together.

One-on-one attention
Learning computers isn’t  easy, says Morawiec. That’swhy he felt it was critical for each participant to have their very own “teacher.” It was equally important for the classes to be hands-on; every team sat at a computer station with the “student” at the helm.

Wind Crest resident LaDonna Elliott-Heiland reports that her student teacher—14-year-old Matt Scinski—exceeded her expectations.