Video: MSMS Students Teach Middle School Students Math Skills

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Students teaching students, that’s the idea today at Columbus Middle School.

Through a new instructional model that incorporates learning with the latest technology, these students have a reason to get excited about math.

In most classes, students are told to stay quiet and sit down.

But on Wednesdsay, that wasn’t the case at Columbus Middle School.

Led by students from Mississippi’s School for Math and Science, these middle school students put their math skills to the test in small groups.

“This year, one of the goals of the math department was to bring math into community schools in a way where our students, who are an amazing resource, could be working with younger students to inspire them to want to do more math,” said MSMS math teacher, Lauren Zarandona.

The learning concept lines up with the districts new instructional model, which includes high impact centers.

Superintendent Doctor Philip Hickman says its important for students to utilize their 21st century skills.

“And so they’re still learning, they’re still hitting the objectives, the standard for the day but they’re doing it in different stations and each of those stations has a different modality, a different learning mode, for the kids to be able to master those standards,” said Dr. Hickman.

Five different high impact centers are set up in this 7th grade classroom. From Ipads to games, it’s a new way of how to do math for the students.

“We learned more than what we do in class on regular mornings. We got to get on the Ipads, we went to different centers and learned different things with numbers and stuff,” said 7th grader, Corvion Hariston.

“We did something about the alien numbers and then it’s more interesting than what we do in class anyway,” said 7th grader, Destinee Mccoy.

Educators hope these high school students can be role models to the younger student and show them that math is not only important but it can be fun also.

“We want to be that resource. We want to be able to come in and inspire and I think my students, yes they’ll put it on their resume but also they’ll leave here thinking, ‘yes, I inspired someone else,'” added Zarandona.
The Columbus School District began implementing the high impact centers in August.