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Monday, September 24, 2012

SDAIE strategies

A SDAIE strategy that my class has successfully implemented was a Jigsaw activity to teach Rhetorical Devices vocabulary. My CT and I assigned vocabulary words to each group; because we had more words than groups, the groups that got easier terms were given two, while more advanced groups were given one difficult term. We asked each group to become "experts" on their terms and come up with an example centered on the concept of "fear". Students made posters and presented to the class. Students filled out their graphic organizers and everyone became knowledgeable on all the terms. It worked really well.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Injustice in my school

The above is a screen shot of the course list for my school site. I've highlighted in yellow the injustice. The school links together History and English, making it impossible for students to take different levels of the classes. If a Junior is great at English and wants to take AP English Literature, then the student also HAS to take AP US History. If a Senior wants to take AP Government, then the student HAS to take AP Language - regardless of the student's ability, interest, or desire to take the AP Language course.

I feel that this is an injustice. I personally took AP Lang and AP Lit but would have died taking AP Government. It is unfair that a student may not take a rigorous course simply because they don't feel comfortable taking the required counterpart (or vice versa: a student may take an English course they aren't prepared for just so they can take a desired level History course.) This could hurt a student's self-esteem, hurt their GPA, and hurt their chances of getting into a college. Or, a student might be so bored in one class, that he/she stops trying altogether. Also, in order to drop a level, the student has to get permission from both the English and the History teachers. What happens if a teacher refuses to sign?

I have had a hard time coming to terms with this mandate. I understand how important it is to have interdisciplinary learning and application, but it shouldn't come at the expense of the student. I would have hated this rule had my High School had it.