Tool trains teachers to deal with violence
Teachers in Texas will be able to practice how to handle situations with interactive simulation technology
Several schools in San Antonio, Texas, will serve as pilot sites for a new
high-tech way to curb school violence.
The project, being funded by the Justice Department's Safe Schools Technologies
program, involves an interactive simulation training tool being developed
by Materials, Communications and Computers Inc., a Texas company.
The tool, which should be available to schools within two years, will be
accessible via the Internet or on CD-ROM, said Bill Walsh, program manager
for Matcom, which also does simulation training for the U.S. military.
The program will enable teachers and administrators to participate in simulations
of real-life events that could happen between students and teachers. Afterwards,
the staff will receive feedback on their decisions from law enforcement
personnel, child psychologists and other educators. Topics will include
recognizing gang activity and conflict resolution.
The prototype should be ready for the pilot classrooms next spring, and
the product will be ready for delivery six to nine months after that, Walsh
said.
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