The White Falcon - 08.10.2003, Blaðsíða 1

White Falcon
This Week:
Talk of the Town... 15
CREDO retreat...2
pg. 6 NMC
records
Holiday
Greetings
NAS Keflavik celebrates Fall Carnival
Michael and Devin Albritton enjoy Cotton Candy at the Fall Carnival. (Photo by J02(SW/AW) Mat Sohl)
See Story by J02(SW/AW) Mat Sohl on pg. 4
Vol. 62 No. 40
online at www.nctskef.navy.mil
October 8, 2003
Sailors + X = algebraic success for students
J02(SW/AW) Mat Sohl
Standing in front of a ninth-grade math
class at Grindavik Grammar School,
ETl(SW) Chris Wright asks the students,
“How many people here like math?”
When no one raises their hand, Wright
asks the students a different question.
“How many people here like money, and
shopping?”
Every hand in the classroom goes up.
Teaching Icelandic students algebra in a
practical and fun manner is the primary
goal of the G.I.F.T (Grindavik Icelandic
Foreign Teaching) program, started by
Wright and a few other Sailors assigned to
Naval Computer and Telecommunications
Station’s (NCTS) Grindavik Transmitter
Facility.
So far this year, the program has had
positive results, despite the language and
cultural barriers that separate the students
from their volunteer teachers.
“The kids are very receptive,” said
Palmi Ingolfsson, math teacher and public
relations representative from the
Grindavik Grammar School. “It’s been
very interesting to see the way they teach.”
Since the beginning of this school year
in early September, Wright and other vol-
unteers from the transmitter facility have
been teaching algebra to eighth-, ninth-,
and tenth-grade students at the grammar
school every Monday and Tuesday morn-
ing.
“Right now, our immediate goals are to
help the kids improve on both their math
and English Skills,” said Wright. “We use
different scenarios to show how math
works in everyday life, no matter if you
----------------- School, pg. 12
Whatever
it Takes
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tel: 535 8170 e-mail: fedex@hradi.is
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