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Teaching Tips July 2011 |
Does your student love a certain area of interest? Does your child have a hobby? Is your student talented in a specific area? Great! Add it to
his or her course of study. At the high school level, these courses may count toward credits in the core courses or they can count as elective
credits.
Can’t find a structured curriculum or textbook for the topic? No problem – you can design your own course. It’s probably easier than you think. In fact, think REST. The acronym REST describes what goes into planning a course. R stands for resources. Resources include any information and input the student will use to study the topic. These can include real books, DVDs, movies, Internet websites, personal interviews, archival information, magazines, kits, models, visuals...you get the idea. Even real-life experience. A “real book” is a book written by someone interested in or intimately acquainted with the topic. The author’s enthusiasm comes through the book and sparks the reader’s interest much more than would be the case with a textbook written by a committee. Real books can be found in libraries and local bookstores. Depending on the nature of the topic, the course may not even require a book. It can be project-oriented or research-oriented, in which case the student keeps a log of the time spent doing the necessary activities or research. The next letter – E – stands for encounters. This describes how the student interacts with the resources and materials. Think of this as the essentials of the course. On the Course Description, this is summarized in the learning objectives – what you expect the student to learn as a result of doing the course. S stands for scope. This describes the breadth of material to be covered. Think of this as the substance of the course. On the Course Description, this is summarized in one or two paragraphs and is usually based on the table of contents of any books being used or a description of the projects to be completed. The final letter – T – stands for testing and/or assessment. This is how you will evaluate what the student has learned or the skills that have been acquired as a result of doing the course. If the course is for high school credit, you will need to list the number of credits to be earned and make sure there is a practical way to assess whether the student did enough work at a sufficient level to earn the credit. All this information should be recorded on a course description and filed in the student’s portfolio. Sample Course Descriptions can be found in the archives for various types of approaches, including using a fine arts tutor, an apprenticeship, a structured course with textbook, and an unstructured course using other types of resources. For younger students, your job entails providing the materials, allocating time, securing opportunities to fulfill the requirements you’ve set, and journaling the process. Older students should be taught how to keep a time log that lists the date, type of activity, and time spent. If the course involves projects or research, it helps to have a project/research contract that spells out what is expected, details to be covered, and how the work will be evaluated. To download a sample copy of a Project Contract please click here: Sample Project Contract 540 Words To view more 'Teaching Tips' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
