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Frisco ISD teacher jams out with students in the name of academic excellence
In an effort to enhance student learning, Frisco ISD teacher Debra Cave designed a curriculum that sets science lessons to music. The result is a CD/DVD package called "The Jammin' Classroom." Thanks to a friend with industry connections, Cave's project was produced by Bob Singleton, the former musical producer for the TV show, "Barney and Friends." She teaches at Christie Elementary School, the district's bilingual school. "As educators, we know that music and movement are a great way to cement learning, and that's exactly what's happening at Christie Elementary," Principal Manuel Gonzales says. "It has been fun to see this program used in our curriculum, because kids are having fun learning. When I walk into Mrs. Cave's classroom, students are moving, singing and smiling!" Teachers in more than 30 states have ordered the DVD, and some of them teach middle school and high school science classes. The National Center for Atmospheric Research wants to use Cave's song about atmosphere layers to play in its visitors' center. Texas A&M University and Sam Houston State University are considering including the music in a study on middle school learning-retention rates. Cave, a former nurse who took up teaching four years ago, says she was "amazed" at how quickly students seemed to forget what they learned in class. She realized that something needed to be done to "push those lessons into long-term memory, so it won't be lost." Her solution: Get a little wild in the classroom to make the memories stick. "It's hard to get excited about chlorophyll," she admits, "but when you sing and dance about it, emotion gets attached to the topic, and it's stored long term." The tunes on "The Jammin' Classroom" are more rhythmic than melodic — more Hannah Montana than The Beach Boys. "The educational music out there for kids is often written in a style familiar to the composer," Cave says. "The kids don't want to hear '70s music. So, [when I created 'The Jammin' Classroom,'] I sacrificed my brain for two months and all I listened to was The Disney Channel." Cave first used the curriculum last year in a Plano ISD classroom, where she used to work. Her former principal talked up the DVD so much that the district bought a batch to distribute to Plano ISD schools. Now, at Frisco ISD's Christie Elementary, students are singing in the hallways that "The sun's the center of our solar system." "One of the most exciting things for me has been seeing how the music pulls in at-risk students who would otherwise stay on the fringe academically," Cave says. "Music finds its way into places that nothing else seems to be able to penetrate." Cave now is working on a DVD package for math. She has plans to produce "jams" for every subject. "My hope is that these songs will be a support to all the amazing teachers out there who would do anything in the world to help their students learn, and that students will come to love learning even more," she says. To hear the music and learn more about the curriculum, visit www.thejamminclassroom.com. |
There's a science teacher at a Frisco ISD elementary school who has her students singing and dancing about chlorophyll, and it's drawing national attention.