'Hands down, this has been the best program for teachers'

Once she was accepted as a VISION Fellow, elementary school art teacher, Jane Sisk was apprehensive about one particular field she would study, that being technology.

Teachers in the VISION program study precision instumentation at a Chrysler manufacturing facility in Kokomo.

"One of the first skills we had to learn during classes at Indiana University Kokomo was how to build a circuit board," Sisk says. "I knew my circuit board was going to -- at the very least -- look nice. Everyone commented on how the colors of my wires matched."

The moment of truth came for Sisk. "My circuit board actually worked! I was so excited," Sisk says.

Her next perceived challenge during the three-week program sponsored by Delco Electronics, IUK, local schools, and various business and industry partners, was to apply what she was learning to fifth-grade art students at Howard Elementary School.

"I was afraid Delco was going to be over my head," Sisk says. "However, they had some really innovative things that art could be applied to; especially the design concepts. It is basically high-tech drawing such as an ergonomic design of where a knob would go on a stereo."

Sisk chose to focus her project on methods of printing, and worked with a local print shop to carry it out. Her class studied the history of printing from stenciling to using modern computers.

Kokomo High School teacher and math curriculum supervisor Lorene Sandifur says VISION answers the students' age-old question "When will I ever use this when I get out of school?"

Sandifur says of that question: "After teaching since 1976, I have not had to compete for a job in the business world, so I needed to be able to answer the question of 'Will I ever use this' honestly.'"

What Sandifur learned from VISION was enough for several projects. For her students, she applied and incorporated mathematical subjects of statistical analysis and graphing to a listening simulation booth at Delco. "We had students rate and graph the levels and quality of sound from the radios," Sandifur says.

Howard Community Hospital provided another project for Sandifur. She had students study heart rates and numerical ratios for calories that would reflect healthy eating.

"I am very pleased with the VISION program," Sandifur says. "This has been the best learning experience for me and hands down the best program for teachers I have ever been a part of in the last 20 years."

Return to Table of Contents