I'm asking some more questions prompted by Arlyn DeBruyckere message.
Arlyn's text in brackets [ ].
[...courses that were full year are now 2 trimesters. Courses that were
half year are now 1 trimester. There are now five 68 minute periods in a
day instead seven 50 minute periods that results in about a 12%
reduction in contact time for each class.]
Do you have a lot of half-year courses? Our local school only has a
few, not enough to populate the third trimester. Does this mean that
you are going to be creating 1-trimester courses to populate the third
trimester, or does it mean some old full-year course start over in the
third trimester, which would imply the course then had a break over the
summer and comletes the second portion in fall? Does that mean you will
be teaching Physics 1 and 2 both in fall. Indeed, do you teach Physics
1 and Physics 2 every trimester, and the student can start the sequence
in any trimester?
[... 1) increased number of courses that a student takes. This is to
allow for the same number of "electives" while complying with the
increased required credit numbers by the state.
2) to eliminate study halls because students didn't generally use them
to study anyway.
3) to provide more flexibility in scheduling. Students now have 15
"slots" to schedule a course instead of 14 on the old schedule.]
It takes a major change in calendar to eliminate study halls? Getting
15 slots instead of 14 (a 7% increase) is worth a major change in
calendar?
[... teachers can now provide study time in class where they can help
their own students instead of having study time in study hall.]
But wait, 68-minute periods instead of 50-minute periods doesn't give
"study time" to the teachers to help their students with the course
material. As already mentioned, there is less time for the teacher to
be with the students. You calculated a 12% reduction in contact time
for the course. What kind of thinking prompted this perceived benefit?
If some of the 68 minutes turn into study time rather than new content
time, the reduction in material is even worse than 12%.
[... students and teachers have 2/3 as many contact days so tensions
that build up over time in some student-teacher relationships have less
time to develop.]
Yeah, but it's really a 12% reduction in contact time. If the student
doesn't like the teacher, which is worse, fewer days of 68 minutes or
more days of 50 minutes?
[... students have fewer classes to prepare for each night so homework
will be done better - stress will be reduced and grades will improve...
student's grades improve because they don't have to study for as many
classes.]
In your dreams!
[...teachers will have only 4 periods (one prep period) of papers to
grade at a time instead of 5... teachers have two more sections of
classes each year - increased teacher efficiency... teachers teach for
272 minutes each day instead of 250]
???? Something doesn't add up. Are teachers going to be working more or
less?
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu