ALC Offers More
by Pat Donaldson
September 28, 2006
If you thought that students who come to the Alternative Learning Center for credit recovery do more than just sit and go through lessons on the computer day in and day out, you'd be right! Of course the students have computer lessons that they have to complete. And just like other classrooms, they study, take notes and complete tests, but they also get to expand their horizons with outside assignments--what we call offline work.
The offline work makes up 20% of the student's grade and is designed to improve skills that will be useful in their future. The students will develop skills necessary to explore the universe of information to assist them in creating essays, reports and presentations. In addition, students will improve their public speaking skills, communication skills, and problem solving skills.
At the end of each semester, students are required to give an oral presentation about their topic, either through the use of a PowerPoint or other visual aid. They receive feedback on their presentation from instructors at the ALC to help them improve their public speaking skills. Their communications skills are constantly being used and improved, either in group discussions or by working with other students.
It's important that our students accomplish their computer lessons, but we believe that the students also need the other skills we're building in order to have a successful future in any field of employment. We hope to also build on other skills that are taught daily by the classroom teachers at Royal Valley. Through their efforts and ours we believe we are helping students obtain the knowledge and ability to compete in today’s society and have a positive impact on their future.
