Post by coachjblair on Jan 21, 2008 10:52:31 GMT -6
I am writing a paper for a class that deals with today’s issues in education. The issue we are looking at is combining grades. Here is my question if you had the two above options which school would you send your child to and why. Also the schools are about the same distance from your house.
P.S. I know this is not really a football question but it is an education question.
It depends on the nature of the instruction. Say my kid is in the 4th grade and he is in a class with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. How much time are the 4th graders working on and utilizing 4th grade quality curriculum? If one teacher is in charge of that class with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, how much interaction is that teacher going to have with my child? What are the kids in 4th and 5th grade going to be doing when the teacher is instructing the kids in 3rd grade? Is it teacher-centered instruction or student-centered instruction?
If it is student-centered and the number of available interactions with the instructor is high, I would answer "school B." If it is teacher-centered, I would answer "school A."
Split classes are for the birds. I was in one when I was in the 6th grade it was a 5th 6th grade split class. It was one of the worst academic years I had in school.
1. 5th and 6th graders should never be put in the same class IMO. Maybe it was just me but there seemed to be a huge difference in maturity level.
2. When the teacher was done with the 6th grade lesson she would start the 5th grade lesson. While she was instructing the 5th graders the 6th graders were supposed to do the work for lesson she just taught us. This created huge problems for me. If you had a question you were supposed to wait to ask it until she had finished the 5th grades lesson. Often by the time she was do with the 5th graders I had forgotten what I was going to ask.
3. I also had extreme difficulty concentrating while the 5th graders lesson was being taught. There were just way to many distractions in the classroom for me.
Could a split class work with the right teacher and the right group of kids kids? I would say yes but it would take a lot of hard work from everyone.
Segregate the kids by grades. It makes the curriculum easier to teach and could possibly limit distractions. I was educated in a combined classroom during grade school, and it was difficult for the teacher to keep everyone on task and in order.
"It doesn't take courage to hit a man over the head. But it does take courage to face your problems, study them, and work out your own solution the honest way. I think a football field is one of the finest places for teaching a young man discipline, cooperation and courage" -Clark Shaughnessy
Post by coachmoore42 on Jan 21, 2008 19:42:59 GMT -6
I interpreted the question as high school related, like 9-12 graders in a P.E. class. If this is for all grade levels, not just HS, then my vote would be for the independent grade levels.
Coach Moore
Middle School Math Intervention, 7th and 8th FB **Coached for 15 years (2000-2014), 6 as HC (2009-2014), then took 4 off. **Came back as OC in 2019, off in 2020. **Now HC again (2021-present).
Post by coachmoore42 on Jan 21, 2008 19:56:59 GMT -6
schultbear74 said:
We have what is called a Freshman academy. Might as well go back to Junior HS
Our county has one for each high school (2). One is off-campus in the old HS building (completely isolated). The other is on one hall in the HS building (they mingle with the other grades most of the day, isolated during most classes).
I don't have a problem with the second one, seems like a nice gradual transition. The first one sounds like it just delays the transition a year, similar to just going back to JH.
Coach Moore
Middle School Math Intervention, 7th and 8th FB **Coached for 15 years (2000-2014), 6 as HC (2009-2014), then took 4 off. **Came back as OC in 2019, off in 2020. **Now HC again (2021-present).
Post by schultbear74 on Jan 21, 2008 20:04:52 GMT -6
Probably does help with the transition. It does seem to me that they are trying to fill in the vacuum between middle school and High School. They keep tinkering, they might get it right.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
The earlier it is the better combined grades are. Our district has both and the parents choose which to send the kids to. I'd send mine to the combined until 4th grade starts although mostly due to the teachers who teach the combined being better at their jobs.
Post by rideanddecide on Jan 22, 2008 11:41:30 GMT -6
Depends on the district. I would usually say kids should be kept in their own level or someone will be left out. But, I could definitely picture a QUALITY split classroom curriculum at our 7th/8th grade school. We are small (150 middle school students) and if we rotated each curriculum on an annual basis the kids wouldn't miss out.
Let's face it, we have to differentiate for the high and low kids anyways, how would this be any different in a split level classroom?
I guess I read the question incorrectly... At the elementary level, I think it is better to keep them separated, but once they get to the Jr. High level, I think they should be able to take appropriate leveled classes to meet the students needs...Some 7th Graders can handle Algebra, and some can't...but don't force a kid to take a lower level class than he should have to because of his grade...
"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious." - V. Lombardi
"If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?" - V. Lombardi