Making public TV part of the lesson plan;NEWLN:Schools/Careers
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Providing teachers with resources that exceed the boundaries of the classroom is a major goal for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which encourages...
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UPI
Providing teachers with resources that exceed the boundaries of the classroom is a major goal for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which encourages the use of television as a supplement to textbook learning.

The CPB's Education office works with elementary and secondary school teachers, providing tools to help them use public television creatively.

In an effort to improve science and math education, CPB offers two guides that coordinate the content of instructional television series with textbook lessons for elementary and junior-high school science students.

'Instructional Television for Elementary Science' and 'Instructional Television for Junior High Science' provide page-number references for specific lessons in the textbooks, matching them to the content of such shows as 'Up Close and Natural' and 'Community of Living Things.'

'Presenting the lesson and then watching a program on TV helps students have a far better understanding of the subject matter,' said Carol Dohles, a sixth-grade teacher in Raleigh, N.C.

The popular series 'Square One TV' and its detective sequence 'Mathnet' -- a takeoff on the old police show 'Dragnet' -- disproves the theory that learning math is boring and dull and a drag.

Produced by the Children's Television Workshop and supported by CPB, the show offers an accompanying teacher's guide to help instructors build lesson plans using segments of the series.

'If a teacher shows one epidsode of 'Mathnet' a day, the class can work along with the detectives as they gather information and zero in on a solution,' said the show's content director, Joel Schneider.

Teachers also can learn about public television's classroom applications through 'Learning Link,' a CPB-funded, interconnected electronic communications system that provides information on programming and related activities.

'Teachers can actually exchange ideas with connected colleagues throughout their state or region on how to better integrate a particular program into the lesson plan,' said Meg Villarreal, CPB's coordinator of special projects.

'Bibliographies and course outlines customized to take advantage of local resources are also available through local 'Learning Link' outlets,' she said.

For example, a list of national resources on adolescent issues covered on the show 'DeGrassi Junior High' was compiled and individual 'Learning Link' sites could tailor the information, adding their own local experts whom teachers could contact.

An innovative two-page advertisement in several teacher publications brings parents into the picture to make education a cooperative effort between home and school. The ad lists upcoming series and specials, and students can bring a copy of the list home so the family can enjoy the program together.

'The 'Parents through Teachers' campaign extends the classroom experience to the home, making parents and teachers partners in education,' said Villarreal.

'We've put together ads for the May and June issues of Learning and Instructor magazines with the theme 'Keep Your Students Learning All Summer with Public TV,' said Mary Maguire, CPB's director of external communications. 'We're already looking at doing a back-to-school edition.'

CPB offers the booklet, 'TV Tips for Parents,' with suggestions on how they help their children get the most out educational programming.

In addition, CPB publishes a safety information booklet for children on how to care for themselves when their parents are absent. 'What If I'm Home Alone?' is written in an easy-to-read style with large type and plenty of illustrations.

The booklet features a variety of activities and suggestions for children, suggestions for parents on how to make their home safer, and a form for emergency and other telephone numbers which they can fill out and post in a handy place.

Both 'TV Tips' and 'What If...' are available in Spanish versions.

For a copy of 'TV Tips,' send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope with 45 cents postage to: 'TV Tips for Parents,' Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PO Box 33039, Washington, DC 20033.

For a copy of 'What If...,' send $1 in check or money order to: 'What if I'm Home Alone?' Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PO Box 33039-LK, Washington, DC 20033.