How To Approach Schools About Offering Amateur Radio FAQ
Introduction
The most frequently asked question about "The Big Project"
is: How do I approach a school to
introduce Amateur Radio curriculum and convince them to consider including the
curriculum as part of their school program?
This question comes from hams outside the educational system who would
like to see Amateur Radio included as an accepted program in their local
schools.
As Ham Radio operators, we recognize the numerous benefits
from including Amateur Radio as an enrichment program in schools. We are aware
of the relationship between the knowledge base of our hobby and the concepts in
science, math, geography and other subject matter taught in schools. We have
observed how the use of Amateur Radio can improve young people's verbal and
social skills. We are familiar with the sense of accomplishment gained by
passing an FCC exam and operating on the air.
What If The School Isn't Interested?
Today, schools are expected to take on more and more of
society's responsibilities. Not only
are schools responsible for providing a safe stimulating educational
environment, they are also required to provide community and social services as
well. Schools are under the microscope
to meet state and national educational standards and to increase student
performance on standardized tests.
Added to these duties are staff issues, union issues, budget issues,
local election issues, privacy issues, school-community based management
issues, and the list goes on. Perhaps
you may understand the tremendous variety of responsibilities schools deal with
daily.
We may perceive the school staff and administration as not
interested, but in fact they are very interested in new ideas to help students
learn. They are extremely busy and
often don't have the luxury of time, so when we do have an opportunity to meet
with them we need to be able to show them how Amateur Radio helps
students learn.
How Do Some Schools Do It?
How then did the present schools now using Amateur Radio in
the classroom manage to start their Ham Radio programs? It is not usually a top
down decision. Virtually all public schools using Amateur Radio for instruction
began with a teacher within the school deciding to share his/her hobby with
students. Some magnet schools and academies have made an administrative
decision to use Amateur Radio as a focus but they are the exceptions rather
than the rule.
What's The Solution?
1. Find a
Teacher
- To
succeed in convincing a school to implement an Amateur Radio program, I
would recommend finding either a teacher at that school with an Amateur
Radio license, or one who is innovative and willing to eventually become
licensed. Have this interested person pursue it from within the system,
with your support from the community.
- Where
do you find a teacher? Bring
the topic up at a club meeting.
Some member or someone's spouse, parent, or neighbor is a
teacher. If you are invited into
one classroom, let other teachers know you can arrange for a demo in their
room also, on another day.
- Offer
to be a guest speaker (or demonstrator) on "technology night" or "science
night" or "career day" or "public service day".... Often the PTA people are
the ones to contact.
- Leave
a flyer at teacher workshops, museums, or other places that serve
teachers.
- Demonstrate,
don't teach. Don't push
licensing. Pretend you are taking
to a zoning board. You want them
to appreciate ham radio, not necessarily recruit them.
- Eventually,
some teacher will get hooked and want to become involved. It may take many Little Projects before
a teacher will want to do a "Big Project."
2. Other
Implementation Models
- Schools
that do not have a teacher with an Amateur Radio license can offer Amateur
Radio as an enrichment program.
This requires a licensed volunteer from the community coming into
the school several times per week to teach the class. A teacher within the school usually
sponsors the program and supervises the volunteer. Some schools have regular enrichment
periods several times per week.
Other schools have specific teachers offer enrichment programs
during their regular class activities.
- Another
possibility is to have an Amateur Radio volunteer offer an after school
program. Keep in mind that
many schools will not allow unsupervised adults to work with children
unless they have undergone fingerprinting, a background check, and often,
training in youth issues.
- Yet
another possibility is to concentrate on Short Wave Listening (SWL) where
there is no license required.
3. Show Them
- How do
we inform the educational community how Amateur Radio can help
young people learn? Don't Tell Them, Show Them. Show them a classroom where students
are actively studying scientific concepts through Amateur Radio. Show them an active contesting station.
Show them how to construct a dipole antenna, emphasizing the math and
physics involved.
4. Student
Demonstration
- A good
way to get the attention of educational officials or teachers is to have
students perform a demonstration.
A small group of 6th or 7th graders,
demonstrating an HF QSO, or satellite contact can have a profound affect
on educators. Allowing students to
demonstrate the depth of their knowledge through several layers of
questions will leave a lasting impression.
What Justification Is There For Including Ham Radio In Schools?
- Amateur
Radio provides integration of technology, math, science, geography,
writing, reading, and speaking through hands-on application of these
concepts either individually or in a group
- Amateur
Radio encourages investigation and experimentation as a basis for
understanding technical subjects
- Amateur
Radio encourages communications via a variety of methods: voice, various digital techniques,
Morse code, and even Amateur Television.
They also communicate by using satellites and bouncing signals off
the moon
- Amateur
Radio encourages public service through the links with state and
federal disaster preparedness agencies
- Amateur
Radio holds few roadblocks for people with disabilities. Many people who are physically
challenged or visually impaired are able to participate in communicating
with simple adaptive devices
- Amateur
Radio offers a platform for life-long-learning through an active
hobby that encourages competition in contesting, spreading international
goodwill through friendships developed over years of communicating and
advancement in technology by experimentation
Where Can I Get Additional Information?
What follows are but a few of the many places to go for
answers to your Amateur Radio questions.
These are the pages most often referred to here in the Field and
Education Service (FandES).
Home Page for American Radio Relay League
http://www.arrl.org
Welcome to Amateur Radio
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html
ARRL Amateur Radio Education Project, aka The Big Project
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp
ARRL Amateur Radio Education Project / Frequently Asked
Questions
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/faq.html
ARISS Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
http://www.arrl.org/ARISS
ARRL EAD Teacher Support
http://www.arrl.org/ead/teacher
ARRL Exhibit Kits
http://www.arrl.org/brochures/
Page last modified: 12:22 PM, 19 Feb 2008 ET
Page author: webmaster@arrl.org
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