tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post7361924301310898425..comments2024-03-13T21:26:03.011-07:00Comments on Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Watering DownDarrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-81238217525355324912017-07-13T21:20:29.811-07:002017-07-13T21:20:29.811-07:00Two years ago I had AP Studio courses. I treated t...Two years ago I had AP Studio courses. I treated the class like a professional studio where students were expected to do their own research and produce written explanations of how their work fit into their portfolio. Two students, who were very skilled, felt that this work was beneath them. They were GT students, but neither of them turned in finished work. This came to head when one had a meltdown and we had to have meetings with parents. In the meetings I tried to explain that I was trying to help students develop a variety of skills because the art industry is highly competitive and knowing how to do more and different things makes someone more marketable. I was told by the parents that their children would be starting at the top and would never have to pay their dues-which is a joke unless your parents own a gallery or publishing house. As a result of these complaints my AP classes were given to a new teacher who has a bad habit of volunteering and campaigning for teacher of the year. Her syllabus was never accepted so at the end of the year students had to submit their work using my syllabus and criteria. The one student who scored a 5 was a student I had had in the AP course as a junior. The rest scored 3 or lower. So what exactly was the point? The point was to make the course easier so that students could artificially inflate their GPA courtesy of a 1.3 AP bonus.Ellen Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02845981491726296767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-39977845015143936872017-07-11T18:34:11.616-07:002017-07-11T18:34:11.616-07:00What other educational programs do you know of, an...What other educational programs do you know of, and on what basis (or bases) do you compare them to IB? Just wondering.<br /><br />As for your final sentence, I say PREACH IT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOP!Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-51282474197154323522017-07-11T17:27:52.252-07:002017-07-11T17:27:52.252-07:00I took Theory of Knowledge as part of the IB progr...I took Theory of Knowledge as part of the IB program at Mira Loma, and it was probably the most worthwhile class I have ever taken. The IB program is (in my opinion) the best educational program out there - as long as it is implemented correctly. Many low performing schools have adopted IB in an attempt to raise test scores, and see absolutely no improvement in student performance. Why? Because the reason IB is successful isn't because students take courses in six particular subjects plus ToK, write a long essay, and complete a CAS project. It's because, done properly, IB is extremely rigorous, emphasizes research and writing, and requires critical thinking. You can't just teach a watered down version and expect results.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-64102039895832997122017-07-11T10:18:26.192-07:002017-07-11T10:18:26.192-07:00That's such a shame. I have a couple friends t...That's such a shame. I have a couple friends that took the course and raved about it due to the content. Even if it was challenging and a gpa buster, they valued the class because of what it was. Hopefully not all schools will followAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com