[vet-it] combined classes

Fri Nov 30 14:37:32 EST 2007

Hi there,

This year I had 4 groups in my class:

*         Year 9 & 10 students doing Cert II in 3 sessions a week

*         Year 11 students doing Cert II in 5 sessions a week (= 1st
year Cert III new course)

*         Year 12 students doing Cert III) in 5 sessions a week (old
course ICA099- with study score & exam

*         Year 12 students doing Cert III in 5 sessions a week (new
course ICA05- with study score & exam) - different modules!!!

The students were all in the same class at the same time, although the
Year 9 & 10s were 'missing' 2 sessions a week.

I did not receive extra planning time for this class. I wish I could
tell you I did & set a precedent but unfortunately, I cannot. :-( I am
not planning to do this again.

As you can imagine, it was rather hectic at the best of times and I
wasn't particularly happy with the level of student achievement for Cert
II, however I consoled myself with the understanding that 'competent'
does not mean 'can do everything really well all the time and from
memory'. I ended up having to accept 'most things, to a satisfactory
standard, most of the time and sometimes with access to resources'.
Which I believe simulates the work environment reasonably well.
Obviously there were tasks & students that did much better than this,
but it's hard to keep up the necessary motivation when you don't
personally speak to each student each lesson (or sometimes each week!).

As others have said, you need to be really organised & keep track of the
Year 12 SACs & exam preparation. It is very easy to suddenly find
yourself with only a week until the end of term & needing to do a 10
hour SAC. Remember to allow for 3 weeks or so of interruptions! I was
amazed how many sessions students miss due to camps, excursions, sports
days, work experience, Deb Ball, getting car license etc - it can really
throw your timeline out of whack!

I found assessment to be the most difficult part - especially the
practical tasks I needed to observe. Given a project, most students are
happy enough to spend class time working on it, but having the time to
set & correct or observe different assessment tasks and not having them
all due at the same time is a challenge. If you have access to moodle
(it's free - you just have to set it up) or NetSupport (free trial for
30 days...), or something else(?) you can set up some end-of-module
'online' tests which students can complete when they are ready. The
software does the marking for you (and tells the students straight away
how well they went), so you can save a bit of time on correction. If you
allow it, they are able to sit the test a 2nd, 3rd or 4th time if
necessary to reach competence. Obviously this method of assessment is
not appropriate for everything, but every little bit helps!

Another approach is to pretend (tell the students) you are running a
Distance Ed type class, where you are a facilitator. Give the students
relevant notes & assessment tasks and act as a tutor, rather than
standing in front of the group as their teacher...

Remember - you need to look after your own health & sanity first -
you'll be no good to them at all if you're out on stress leave! Just
take it one topic at a time & keep the diary/year planner close by.

Hope this helps,

Tracey

Tracey Riehm

eLearning Manager

Timboon P-12 School

Bailey Street

Timboon Vic 3268

ph: 03 5598 3381

fax: 03 5598 3507

-----Original Message-----
From: vet-it-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:vet-it-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Paul Golub
Sent: Wednesday, 28 November 2007 10:30 AM
To: vet-it at edulists.com.au
Subject: Re: RE: [vet-it] work experience

Dear Colleagues,

I have been asked to teach a combined year 11 and 12 VET IT class next
year.

Has anyone taught a combined class before?

If so, was it successful and did you get any time allowance for it?

Thanking you in advance

Paul Golub

Santa Maria College

50 Separation Street

Northcote 3070

Ph: 9488 1671

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