Tuesday, October 30, 2001

College crash course
Local fourth-graders take workshops on math, science
By Kristin Campbell
Staff Reporter

Zak Pena, 9, spilled flour on himself after dropping a rock into a mound of flour to simulate a crater caused by a meteor hitting earth.

Pena, a fourth-grader at East Handley Elementary, learned about planets, craters and meteors Saturday morning at one of 27 interactive on- and off-campus workshops at the second annual mini-university.

Kristin Campbell/SKIFF STAFF Dustin, a 12-year-old volunteer for the Aquarium Pet Shop, helps shop owners show off a 60 pound Argentine Redtail Boa as part of the mini-university Saturday.

“I want to come to TCU and study science,” Pena said.

Janet Kelly, associate professor of education and event founder, said the mini-university was designed to promote math and science to 304 fourth-graders from Tarrant County and surrounding school districts.

“By the fourth grade, students have already been exposed to science and math,” Kelly said. “Mini-university is a nice addition to what they already have learned.”

The students’ parents also participated in the mini-university. Sessions about children’s learning processes and college admissions procedures were offered.

Roy Pena, Zak’s father, said he was pleased to learn that colleges look at the classes students take and not just grades and standardized test scores when considering students for admission.

“I am much more interested in TCU as a result of this program,” Roy Pena said.

Teachers from each selected school nominated two students to attend, Kelly said, but the students were not necessarily the top students from their schools.

Kelly said sessions were designed and taught by pre-service teachers, those who are less than a year from graduation, while more than 60TCU student volunteers assisted the teachers and guided the students between classes.

Elicia Erby, a senior elementary education major, said the students in her solar system class were more excited about learning than other students she has taught.
“These kids want to learn and are very creative on their own,” Erby said.

The fourth-graders chose and attended three of 25 on-campus workshops and learned about various topics from rain forests to nutrition. Some students chose to take field trips to the Fort Worth Zoo or the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.

Athena Wiggins, a fourth grade student at Woodway Elementary, said she loves reptiles. She spent time with a 60-pound, 8-foot Argentine Redtail snake at one of the workshops.

“When I first meet (reptiles), there is just this connection,” Wiggins said.

Mini-university is offered through the School of Education’s Institute of Math, Science and Technology, Kelly said. The more than $10,000 cost was funded with a portion of a Sid Richardson Foundation grant.

Kelly said she will consider expanding the program in the future to include disciplines in addition to math and science.

Kristin Campbell
k.a.campbell@student.tcu.edu