Southern Miss Educational Leadership Program Graduates Book Published

A new book by a recent graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi's educational leadership doctoral program looks at how students can learn throughout the school day, including locations outside the classroom.

“Why are Students Not Learning on the School Bus?: The Future of Learning Outside the Classroom in American Schools” was written by Keshia Gaines and is published by iUniverse. It examines out-of-the classroom learning methods Gaines developed in 2010 for her dissertation, titled “Bus-stop 2 Bus-stop.”

The idea behind the learning method is that academic achievement increases by exposing students to academic content outside the classroom areas, such as the bus stop, school bus, cafeteria, bathrooms, hallways, playgrounds and other school areas and by academic content on clothing of all students and staff members.

“I hope the readers of this book understand that learning can take place anywhere, not just in a classroom. Community members should embrace a culture of learning,” said Gaines, a native of Gulfport, Miss. who has taught at the elementary and middle school level.

The Bus-stop 2 Bus-stop philosophy also holds true for those students who travel to their school in other ways, with the same goal - that there are multiple times and places in a school day that can be maximized in exposing a student to academic content.

Corresponding research for the method is derived from brain-based learning, visual learning, repetition learning, social learning, incidental learning, and other teaching and learning aspects.

“Since some of the Bus-stop 2 Bus-stop learning areas may not be supervised by an adult, the method serves as a means for nurturing independent learners,” Gaines said. “It plays an important role not only in shaping the school's culture, but also encouraging children to learn on their own.”

The development of the method led Gaines to found Bus-stop 2 Bus-stop, LLC, a company specializing in educational books, clothing, products and services. “My upcoming educational clothing line, which features academic content on clothing, is something that youth and adults can wear to enhance the culture of learning,” she said.

For more information on Bus-stop 2 Bus-stop, LLC or Gaines, e-mail her at keshgaines@yahoo.com. For more information about the Southern Miss program in educational leadership, online visit http://www.usm.edu/school-administration-counseling