Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Teaching & Learning Best Practices Spotlight: Chris Eberhart
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
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Teaching & Learning Best Practices Spotlight: Chris Eberhart

Angie Hester | November 12, 2013 | 243 views

Chris Eberhart and Michelle Major help lead an activity relating to the study of "The Most Dangerous Game."

Chris Eberhart has outstanding classroom management strategies. He has a friendly rapport with his students while maintaining a climate of order and discipline. His commitment to structure and routine are very effective strategies for students with focus and attention challenges.

Mr. Eberhart's classroom management system is based on a currency, which students earn by following classroom rules. Students work hard to earn the dollars, which they can cash in for various privileges and prizes.

Mr. Eberhart believes in data-driven instruction. He gathers data on his students throughout the year and uses this data to create and revise his lessons. He administers skill pretests and periodic progress monitoring. During instruction, he performs informal observations and modifies his lessons to meet the needs of his learners. 

Students enjoy learning in Mr. Eberhart’s class. During a recent lesson on circumference and diameter, students searched for circles around the school. They measured the circumference and diameter of each circle to discover the ratio for Pi. Chris always makes an effort to tie lessons to real-life experiences.

In one lesson, he allowed students to “shop” for 5 items totaling $500.  He gave each child 5 coupons with varying discounts. Students were challenged to use the coupons to calculate the greatest possible discount on their purchases. Later he discussed sales tax and included a mini-economy lesson on SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) and its effects on purchasing power.  

During another activity, students answered problems involving decimals and percents. For each correct answer, the teams were allowed to shoot paper “basket balls” to accumulate points. Students loved this competition using a kinesthetic activity to reinforce math skills.  

Embracing the idea of Universal Design for Learning, Chris writes key information on the board as he explains new concepts. He encourages students to use graphic organizers to record important information. He teaches math vocabulary words. He encourages students to discuss ideas with each other and to move around the classroom while learning. Mr. Eberhart sets an outstanding example of how we can make the curriculum accessible to all students. Thank you, Chris, for a job well done!