Our Co-op begins fright after Labor Day and ends sometime in May. Regardless, we finish before Memorial Day. The science and math class meet twice a week, 90 minutes for science and 80 minutes for math, each class. We are off Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. This year we had three or four snow days; the ice on our street was too dangerous. We need at least 30 weeks to teach rigorous math and science classes.
We teach high school level courses. This year we’re offering Advanced Biology and Geometry. Last year was Biology and Algebra I. Next year is Chemistry and Consumer Math. We also complete most of the book. I’m on tract to finish 15 of 16 modules in Advanced Biology this year. Yes, we do the labs! Some of our students are enrolled in online schools, such as MODG, which requires students complete two-thirds of any textbook taught. My husband, Rob, uses that as his guide for math courses. He and I have surveyed math teachers’ syllabi to get an idea how much teachers actually teach. Next year, Rob is teaching Consumer Math; he has strong opinions on financial literacy.
How do you finish in 30 weeks? (Okay, sometimes, we need 32 weeks-especially for Chemistry or Physics.) Let me explain our process. First, the kids are expected to do tests, homework, study guides, reading, and projects outside of class. Occasionally, there is time in class to work on study guides. If I’m at a good stopping place and have 15 minutes, the teens work on their study guides. Rob likes for the kids to do their study guides in class before the test; he uses that time to answer questions.
What do we do in class? We teach. Rob introduces concepts and problem sets in a very traditional manner. He teaches a problem and the students practice with more problems. Rob is all over the room to make sure the kids understand and show their work. There are only seven students; the class is informal. When a student struggles, he or she stays after or meets after lunch. One students stays after class most Thursdays. Most of Rob’s time is spent teaching math. Period.
My science classes are structured differently. We work in chunks. This year is Advanced Biology or Anatomy. We spent ten to fifteen minutes at the beginning of class reviewing bones, muscles, lobes, etc. Lectures or overviews are roughly fifteen minutes, too. Yesterday, we started Digestion with a slide deck. We did a round-robin tracing the alimentary tract, watched an Amoeba Sisters video, toured the textbook’s module, and completed the two histology labs in the book. The class does POGILs, labs, and dissections. Next year’s Chemistey class will be structured similarly. Instruction or review is limited to ten to fifteen minutes. The remainder of the class time is invested in labs, concept maps, hands-on activities, such as Putting Ions in Their Hands or balancing equations. If we’re learning how to name compounds, the teens need to practice. The tests and projects are assigned to do at home. However, if a student is bright and masters a concept quickly, I might test him or her in class while his or her peers work on practice.
How can we finish the book in 30-32 weeks? Class time is all about instruction. Period. We don’t tolerate disruptions or misbehavior. Those kiddos clean. We start class on time. We use the entire class period to teach. Both of us run a tight ship and want to deliver a good course. You can, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment