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No questions about it, Albuquerque teacher deserves award

By Lorinda Toledo
Monday, November 5, 2007

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Questions are key in Jonathan Koelling's South Valley Academy math classes.

And they are excellent questions.

On Friday, Koelling was selected by the U.S Department of Education as New Mexico's honoree for the 2007 American Stars of Teaching award.

While he received a plaque from the department, his students let him know he was appreciated in their own way.

"I've got a stack here of about 30 homemade cards," Koelling said. "I've been getting applause in the hall all day and hoots and hollers. And they (the students) were even more attentive and worked even harder."

Alan Marks, principal at South Valley Academy, a charter school for at-risk youth, nominated Koelling for the award, calling him a "phenomenal" teacher.

"He has never given an answer in seven years," Marks said. "He only asks questions."

Koelling uses a style of teaching known as a constructivism.

Compared to the traditional method of assigning repetitive problems, or teacher-led learning, constructivism is more student-led.

"It engages the students and makes it much more real to life, so that the focus is problem solving, communication and teamwork," Koelling said. "Whatever your job is, you are going to need those skills."

As a result, Koelling usually assigns students only one math problem per night, but they are expected to apply the knowledge they have garnered from previous lessons, using experience to solve problems instead of memorization. They learn mathematical concepts through hands-on projects and real-life scenarios.

"He will never show you how to do it (the problem) in a million years," Marks said. "There are no correct answers, only different approaches that different students take. Our students are never afraid of any problem at the end of the year, because they have never been told they are wrong."

However, Koelling's approach doesn't mean students get to take the easy way out. And it doesn't mean he as a teacher does either. Teachers at South Valley Academy, which has a 200-student enrollment, are also assigned as advisers to students and their families.

"I've had students and parents who've asked to get out of his advisory and about 30 that have asked to get out of his class because he is so demanding," Marks said. "But those 30 people will tell you that he is the most important person they've had in their education."

Koelling said students learn algebra, probability, statistics, geometry and trigonometry, all in their first year so they can continue to use these tools for more advanced problems throughout high school.

"This is not dummied down math," Koelling said. "This is a highly sophisticated college-prep program."

Koelling is also the chairman of the mathematics department and the chess coach; he also is involved in various staff committees and organizes the school's bus routes.

In addition, Koelling teaches a weeklong summer institute in which teachers from all over the state can learn about teaching strategies. Koelling also offers various Saturday classes for teachers throughout the school year. There are usually about 50 participating teachers, Koelling said.

Marks said the school uses Koelling to teach ninth- and 10th-graders, because it is important to get students over the idea that they are bad at math early on in their high school careers.

"Students go in saying, `I can't' and he never ever believes that they can't," Marks said. "It's amazing to see the number of kids who have turned around because he believes in them."