Sunday, November 21, 2004
Doing the Right Thing
On Thursday morning, right in the middle of advisory (what we old fogeys used to call "homeroom"), my department chair dropped by to chat. Apparently his superiors, both in the school and down at district HQ were upset that no one had given or scanned the mandatory benchmark exams, which are intended to see how closely students are adhering to the newly implemented core curriculum. I had planned to give mine sometime this week, after my students had at least been exposed to a little more of the material on astronomy, but that was no longer an option. The district had sent representatives to the school to make sure we were on task, and their message was clear: heaven help you if your benchmarks weren't canned by Friday afternoon.
So I give my benchmark. The thing is about 20 questions long...multiple choice and to give you an idea of how nitpicky they can be, on the first benchmark students were asked where their hometown was on Pangaea before the continents separated. (East coast? West coast? In this case the old saying applies...it don't matter!) Unfortunately it was as bad, if not worse, this time around. Because in order to stay on track even slightly with the district's curriculum, I had cut a few of the more time intensive labs. Of course my students wouldn't know how to answer the question on core samples...I had to cut the core sample lab! They had no clue about red and blue shift because we hadn't gotten there yet. And although we had introduced the solar system the day before, they had not completed the book work to know many (if any) specific details about the various planets...which had been my lesson plan for Friday in the first place!
The school district where I work is very well meaning. I have no doubt of that. But getting my students to be quiet while taking an exam where they don't know the answers is well nigh impossible. And forcing me to teach them faster than they can understand it, only encourages the former situation to develop. And let's not forget the greater emphasis on hands-on activities, which while fine in theory, necessarily take more time...time that could be spent keeping the students busy and on track with the core curriculum.
Verged on to a rant there for a moment, didn't I? Well here's why. Today I'm trying to do some long term lesson planning. And the breakdown is not great. I have a 3 day week this week. For all intents and purposes, this is really a 2 day week because of a field trip on Wednesday. Then comes Thanksgiving and a well deserved 4 day weekend. Due to the vagaries of the calendar system, I will then have nearly 4 weeks until winter recess (the P.C. term for Christmas break, which is what it really is).
Now...during those 4 weeks, I have a few options:
1. Finish covering the astronomy/cosmology unit at my current pace, wrapping it up in approx. 1.5-2 weeks.
or Finish covering the astronomy/cosmology unit by scrapping star formation, the big bang, etc., and ending it in 1 week.
2. Teach the environmental science unit as written in the core curriculum, taking 15 school days. (3 weeks!) and bringing me to vacation or cutting it down. Or scrapping it entirely.
3. In that latter case, introducing physics before winter break...which probably is where I should be in the first place. But if I do that, then environmental is ditched and you KNOW that will show up in detail on a benchmark.
The scenarios are more coherently outlined below:
Scenario 1
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Astro. (wrapup)
Week 3: Env. Sci.
Week 4: Env. Sci.
(Start physics right after winter break)
Scenario 2
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Astro. (wrapup)
Week 3: Env. Sci. (quick)
Week 4: Intro. Physics
Scenario 3
Week 1: Astro. (quick/wrapup)
Week 2: Env. Sci.
Week 3: Env. Sci.
Week 4: Intro. Physics.
Scenario 4
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Env. Sci.
Week 3: Physics
Week 4: Physics
Frankly, I see no really good option. If I could scrap environmental with no repercussions, I would consider it. But if the point is to raise scores on the benchmarks, then they need to be exposed to it, even briefly. On the other hand both astronomy and environmental science are sidetracking my class from its real mission which is introducing students to physics and chemistry...so perhaps Scenario 4 is the best of the worst, at least so far as my department chair and the district are cocnerned. But then what do I cut? The Big Bang? The Origins of the Solar System? Black Holes? Hertzprung-Russell? And what about environmental science?
I would personally prefer to start physics right after winter break. But I don't know if that's the right thing to do, for myself, for my students, or for the administration. Which assumes, of course, that there is a right thing to do at all...
On Thursday morning, right in the middle of advisory (what we old fogeys used to call "homeroom"), my department chair dropped by to chat. Apparently his superiors, both in the school and down at district HQ were upset that no one had given or scanned the mandatory benchmark exams, which are intended to see how closely students are adhering to the newly implemented core curriculum. I had planned to give mine sometime this week, after my students had at least been exposed to a little more of the material on astronomy, but that was no longer an option. The district had sent representatives to the school to make sure we were on task, and their message was clear: heaven help you if your benchmarks weren't canned by Friday afternoon.
So I give my benchmark. The thing is about 20 questions long...multiple choice and to give you an idea of how nitpicky they can be, on the first benchmark students were asked where their hometown was on Pangaea before the continents separated. (East coast? West coast? In this case the old saying applies...it don't matter!) Unfortunately it was as bad, if not worse, this time around. Because in order to stay on track even slightly with the district's curriculum, I had cut a few of the more time intensive labs. Of course my students wouldn't know how to answer the question on core samples...I had to cut the core sample lab! They had no clue about red and blue shift because we hadn't gotten there yet. And although we had introduced the solar system the day before, they had not completed the book work to know many (if any) specific details about the various planets...which had been my lesson plan for Friday in the first place!
The school district where I work is very well meaning. I have no doubt of that. But getting my students to be quiet while taking an exam where they don't know the answers is well nigh impossible. And forcing me to teach them faster than they can understand it, only encourages the former situation to develop. And let's not forget the greater emphasis on hands-on activities, which while fine in theory, necessarily take more time...time that could be spent keeping the students busy and on track with the core curriculum.
Verged on to a rant there for a moment, didn't I? Well here's why. Today I'm trying to do some long term lesson planning. And the breakdown is not great. I have a 3 day week this week. For all intents and purposes, this is really a 2 day week because of a field trip on Wednesday. Then comes Thanksgiving and a well deserved 4 day weekend. Due to the vagaries of the calendar system, I will then have nearly 4 weeks until winter recess (the P.C. term for Christmas break, which is what it really is).
Now...during those 4 weeks, I have a few options:
1. Finish covering the astronomy/cosmology unit at my current pace, wrapping it up in approx. 1.5-2 weeks.
or Finish covering the astronomy/cosmology unit by scrapping star formation, the big bang, etc., and ending it in 1 week.
2. Teach the environmental science unit as written in the core curriculum, taking 15 school days. (3 weeks!) and bringing me to vacation or cutting it down. Or scrapping it entirely.
3. In that latter case, introducing physics before winter break...which probably is where I should be in the first place. But if I do that, then environmental is ditched and you KNOW that will show up in detail on a benchmark.
The scenarios are more coherently outlined below:
Scenario 1
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Astro. (wrapup)
Week 3: Env. Sci.
Week 4: Env. Sci.
(Start physics right after winter break)
Scenario 2
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Astro. (wrapup)
Week 3: Env. Sci. (quick)
Week 4: Intro. Physics
Scenario 3
Week 1: Astro. (quick/wrapup)
Week 2: Env. Sci.
Week 3: Env. Sci.
Week 4: Intro. Physics.
Scenario 4
Week 1: Astro.
Week 2: Env. Sci.
Week 3: Physics
Week 4: Physics
Frankly, I see no really good option. If I could scrap environmental with no repercussions, I would consider it. But if the point is to raise scores on the benchmarks, then they need to be exposed to it, even briefly. On the other hand both astronomy and environmental science are sidetracking my class from its real mission which is introducing students to physics and chemistry...so perhaps Scenario 4 is the best of the worst, at least so far as my department chair and the district are cocnerned. But then what do I cut? The Big Bang? The Origins of the Solar System? Black Holes? Hertzprung-Russell? And what about environmental science?
I would personally prefer to start physics right after winter break. But I don't know if that's the right thing to do, for myself, for my students, or for the administration. Which assumes, of course, that there is a right thing to do at all...
